 Acne
 Dry Skin
Oily Skin
Under-Eye
Wrinkles
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Cause
Acne is a very common skin disorder.
Nearly 85% of us confront pesky and painful acne blemishes during
our lifetime. Acne is caused by the growth of the
P. acnes
bacteria inside a clogged skin-pore. Skin-pores become
clogged when dead skin cells mix with excess skin oils to form a
plug. This plug prevents our pores from "breathing" and turns the
clogged pore into a breeding ground for the infectious P. acnes
bacteria.
Under normal circumstances, the
sebaceous gland
inside the skin-pore makes an oily substance, called
sebum
that flows out onto the skin's surface providing hydration and
protection. However, if there is heightened hormonal activity in the
body – due to pregnancy, puberty, menstruation, certain medications
or even stress - the glands may overproduce oil, causing a back-up
of oil in the pores, resulting in
oily skin.
Compounding this problem is the presence of dead
skin cells inside the pore. With proper cleansing and normal
cellular turn-over, dead skin cells are removed from the skin's
surface and the pores are able to "breathe." This process is called
exfoliation.
However, when the skin is not properly exfoliated, the dead skin
cells mix with the excess oil to form a plug that blocks the pore.
When the skin's pores are blocked, the
P. acnes
bacteria (which normally resides in minimal amounts in the
skin) thrives and reproduces. As the bacteria grows, it irritates
and inflames the skin to form the acne lesions that we call pimples,
zits, spots and blemishes.
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