acne, congestion & breakouts

Breakouts and congestion affects most people at some point in their life. However, if left untreated, congestion and breakouts can advance to acne. This chronic inflammatory disorder is where certain hormones cause the oil-producing glands next to hair follicles in the skin to produce abnormally larger amounts of oil. This changes the activity of a usually harmless skin bacterium (P. acnes), which becomes more aggressive and results in inflammation and pus. The result is spots, oily skin and sometimes skin that’s hot or painful to touch. Acne typically affects the areas of the body that produce oily serum, namely, the face, back and chest.

CAUSES

Acne is a common skin condition known to run in families. There are also lots of external causes such as hormonal fluctuations, stress, medications, hot or humid climates and irritating cosmetic ingredients.