Acne
Acne is the term for the pimples and complexion problems that trouble many young people. Pimples occur mainly on the face, but often involve the neck, chest, back, and upper arms. Acne is only a skin problem and has nothing to do with your general health.

What Causes Acne?
Acne is caused by the oil glands of the skin breaking open. At puberty, the oil glands in the skin start producing an oily material called sebum. Sebum is discharged onto the skin's surface. Sometimes the wall of the oil gland breaks and spills the sebum within the skin. The sebum irritates the skin tissues and causes redness, swelling, and pus-in other words, a pimple.

Oil glands may become plugged and form blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads are not caused by dirt. Removing blackheads will not prevent pimples. Blackheads and whiteheads are more than a nuisance and should be treated quickly and appropriately to minimize the arrival of "pus pimples" which can
lead to scarring especially if picked!

In mild acne, only a few oil glands break open; in severe acne, many do. How easily oil glands do this seems to be "built into" you. Acne runs in families. It's impossible to prevent acne, since there's no way of changing your oil glands.

Age and Acne
Acne usually begins mildly in the teens, gradually worsens, and then after a time improves. How long you will have acne is impossible to predict. Acne gets worse and improves by itself. Acne will go through stages, but proper treatment will
improve it faster and leave less scarring.

Skin Hygiene
Dirt does not cause acne, despite what you may have been told. The oil on the skin's surface does no harm. Special soaps, astringents, abradants, and acne cleansers are only part of a
more complete acne regimen. No single product, by itself, is effective against acne.

Wash your face with ordinary soap and water only as much as you need to keep it clean. Too much washing and scrubbing can cause skin irritation. Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but it doesn't help acne. Do not pick, squeeze, or otherwise manipulate your pimples, as it can lleave scars.

Diet and Acne
Foods do not cause acne. Many persons try all sorts of diets and are frustrated because they don't help. In some people, certain foods do make acne worse. The most common ones are chocolate, nuts, cola drinks, and root beer. A few people who drink large quantities of milk -over a quart daily-find that this worsens their acne. Aggravation of acne by food varies from person to person. Many acne patients can eat chocolate without trouble, while others find that even a few pieces of chocolate cause new pimples. Find out for yourself if the foods just mentioned aggravate your acne. Eliminate one for a few weeks and then test its effect by eating a large amount. If your skin improves when you stop eating a food and gets worse when you eat it, repeat the test. Acne has ups and downs of its own; make sure that the worsening isn't just a coincidence. If certain foods definitely worsen your acne, avoid them.

Nerves and Acne
Acne is not caused by nerves and worry, but may become worse under stress such as examinations or pressure at work. These are usually mild, temporary flare-ups. Some persons react to stress by picking, squeezing, or rubbing their pimples, and this can make their acne worse.