Title: The Main Causes of Acne Word Count: 378 Summary: People of all ages can be affected by acne at some time in their life and this article will explain why this is the case – expelling myths and confirming facts as to what causes acne. Keywords: acne, acne treatments, acne cures, acne problems, acne scars, treating acne scars Article Body: Medically speaking, an acne sufferer has a combination of elements working in unison, often causing inflammation to our skin – otherwise known as acne. These elements include: • Trapped bacteria under the skin • Increased oil • Keratosis retention Increased oil within the skin can be caused by make-up, but is usually produced by the sebaceous glands. Sometimes these glands produce an increased amount of oil, resulting in acne and pimples. Retention of Keratosis can also cause excess oil and this happens when skin cells (that are not shed) block the sebaceous ducts. The role of the sebaceous ducts is to get rid of excess oil. Commonly, outbreaks of acne occur during teenage years, but can occur with some people at any age. Acne is more common in teenagers, because of the marked increase in hormone activity processes within the skin. Whether it is a teen affected by acne, or an adult, it is a fact that hormones play major role in producing acne. Male hormones are more likely to increase oil production than female hormones are. Although male hormones have a greater effect, some male and female hormones are very similar. Therefore, when hormones are released by women during a menstrual cycle, hormones like the male hormones cause increased oil gland activity. As a result, some women who are menstruating run a higher risk of getting pimples, spots, or acne during their menstrual cycle. Although acne affects many people, certain acne treatments and acne cures have been proven to be very effective. And certain myths, such as sun-bathing helps to clear up acne, have been medically proven to be untrue. Many doctors now claim sunlight does could make acne worse, in that sunlight can actually boost production of your skins oils. The very effective acne treatments include the following: • Over the counter methods • Prescription methods Over the counter acne treatment and medications come in the form of facial cream and facial scrubs, and these not always very effective as treating acne, especially the more severe cases of acne. The best acne treatment for severe acne should come from a physician. Acne is not a new medical condition, affecting a wide range of people. Acne has always been a problem for some, but can not only be treated, but cured as well.