Acne is a skin disorder that happens when hair follicles get clogged with oil and dead skin cells. This can result in different types of pimples:
While acne is most prevalent among teenagers, it can affect individuals of any age. Acne typically appears on the face, forehead, chest, upper back, and shoulders because these areas of skin have the most oil (sebaceous) glands.
Acne is a symptom of a damaged skin barrier.
According to Mayo Clinic, four main factors cause acne1:
Other factors can contribute to breakouts:
Acne is a symptom alerting us the skin barrier has been compromised. There are so many things that can contribute to acne, that it takes some detective work to identify what we need to change. Repairing the skin barrier is more involved than just finding a good cleanser or applying some acne treatment to dry out blemishes (which I actually don’t recommend).
If you keep reading the articles in this section of the blog, you’ll begin to get an idea of what adjustments you might need to make to achieve clearer, healthier skin. It will take a little thought about how the skin works and how to support healthy skin, but the journey will be worth it!
