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The population most affected by acne is teenagers. During adolescent years, almost every single teen will have at least one breakout of acne. Acne can range from mild to severe acne in which teens experience blackheads, whiteheads, and cystic acne, however the condition depends on the individual. Also common among teens is body or back acne that can affect the back, chest, and shoulders. Fortunately, many teenage acne treatments have been created to deal particularly with hormonal and adolescent acne.

Causes of Teenage Acne

Teenage puberty is marked by great changes in hormone levels. Unstable hormones can create effects such as growth spurts, body hair, moodiness, as well as highly active glands. One of these glands, the sebaceous gland, produces sebum which is responsible for maintaining moisture in hair and skin. These glands get bigger and produce more sebum during adolescent hormone imbalance. Overactive glands and too much sebum are factors that pose risk in the development of acne.

Acne is due to injury to healthy cells within these sebum glands. This damage is possible through the sheer force of sebum output, a common factor during adolescent hormonal change. Further damage can be done by the hardening of sebum, or the mixture of oil and dead skin cells within the follicles. The damage triggers an inflammatory immune response that irritates and reddens the skin and can cause what we know as a pimple. Teenagers tend to be more at risk for acne if they have a parent who suffered from teen acne or still struggles with adult acne.

Teenage Acne Treatment

There are numerous teenage acne treatments that include over-the-counter topical acne creams, medical prescriptions, daily cleansers and toners, as well as a variety of natural skin care options. Unfortunately there is no answer to acne and skin care products always depend on the individual and how their skin responds to the treatment. However, advice for all is to know about the causes of acne in order to treat those rather than just the symptoms. You should not treat teenage acne with unnecessarily strong medications and treatments. Oftentimes teenage acne naturally improves as hormones balance out. Stay away from harsh treatments that can leave you with damaged skin cells long after acne recovery. Instead, opt for natural types of acne treatment cream that target the biological factors of acne development.

Skin Friendly Diet

Diet changes could also help in the treatment of acne. However, oily foods and a bad diet are not considerable risks in acne development as some might think. Heightened sebum secretion due to hormones is not related to what kinds of food you eat. Nevertheless, your skin will be healthier if you make sure you eat right and get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. During adolescence, especially, diet is vital as the body needs to be strong enough to grow as well as maintain a strong immune system. Also, it is shown that those with healthy diets are less stressed and therefore less at risk for overactive glands and acne.