Acne and what to do about it

Acne can be one of the biggest self esteem busters known to young people. Most people will have the odd pimple or two during their life, but for one in three it can be more severe.

What causes acne?

The hair follicles, or pores, in your skin contain sebaceous glands (also called oil glands). These glands make sebum, which is an oil that lubricates your hair and skin. Most of the time, the sebaceous glands make the right amount of sebum. As your body begins to mature, hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to make more sebum, and the glands may become overactive. Pores become clogged if there is too much sebum and too many dead skin cells. Bacteria can then get trapped inside the pores and multiply, causing swelling and redness - the start of acne.

Acne isn't caused by eating greasy foods like pizza or chocolate. Some people do find that they notice their breakouts get more severe when they eat too much of a certain food, though. If you're one of them, it's worth trying to cut back on that food to see what happens. Stress doesn't usually cause acne either (although it can make existing acne worse because stress increases sebum production). Check out the Stress fact sheet for suggestions on managing stress.

What you can do ?

Some suggestions for preventing the oil build-up that can contribute to acne, include:

Cleanse regularly: wash your face twice a day with a mild soap and warm water. Don't scrub your face hard - acne can't be scrubbed away, and scrubbing may actually make it worse by irritating the skin and pores.
Oil-free make-up: wear makeup or sunscreen, make sure it's labelled "oil free," "noncomedogenic," or "nonacnegenic." This means it won't clog your pores and contribute to acne. Also be sure to clean your face at the end of the day.
Limit hair products: If you use hair sprays or gels, try to keep them away from your face, as they can also clog pores. If you have long hair that touches your face, be sure to wash it frequently enough to keep oil away.
Over-the-counter creams: read more