Causes of Pimples

Pimples are a part of growing up for most people. During the teenage years a number of factors combine to make it more likely that pimples will occur, leading to ongoing problems with acne. While this is a common part of growing up, it does not make it any easier to deal with when it is happening to you. A good way to get through dealing with acne successfully is to first understand the causes of pimples.

What are the causes of pimples?

The causes of pimples begin with your skin’s normal activity each day. Just underneath your skin are small glands known as sebaceous glands which secrete oil and other oil-like substances out onto your skin through the skin’s pores. The main oil produced by the sebaceous glands is known as sebum. Sebum is an important part of your skin’s ability to stay smooth, moisturized, and soft.

Sometimes, though, the pores become clogged up so the sebum cannot secrete out onto the skin as it normally would. This is usually caused by dead skin cells getting trapped inside the pores instead of being shed away as they normally would. Making things even worse, the hormonal changes that come along with adolescence can also cause the body to produce more sebum than normal. This combination of greater than normal sebum and trapped dead skin cells leads to growth of bacteria inside the pores, which in turn creates the blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples that are so difficult to deal with.

How does diet and food affect the causes of pimples?

In general, your diet and the foods you eat do not have much effect on the causes of pimples. Contrary to popular myth, you will not get pimples from eating too much chocolate, too much soda pop, too much pizza, or the like. The types of food you take into your body simply do not affect the production of sebum and the blocking of pores on your skin.

However, sometimes when you are eating these kinds of foods the oils and grease from the foods can get onto your hands and fingers. If you then touch your face it is possible to add extra oils to your skin. This is not a primary reason why pimples occur, but since excess oil is one of the causes of pimples it’s a good idea to try to keep your fingers and hands away from your face whenever possible.

In the end, what you eat is much less important than how you care for your skin when it comes to dealing with the causes of pimples. Keep your face clean by using a mild face wash each morning and each evening; this will help eliminate excess oils and will help remove dead skin cells as well. You can also use an anti-acne medication such as a cream, gel, or liquid to help reduce the production of sebum and encourage your skin to shed the dead cells even faster.

Your best approach is to start with the mildest formulas available and give them some time to work, at least a few weeks or so. If you are not seeing improvement after a bit of time you can try stronger formulas, moving up in small steps so you don’t cause excess drying or other irritation of your skin.