Q2. What causes acne?

A2. Acne is caused by two factors:

• Hereditary
• Male hormones

If either of your parents had acne then there is a chance that you will do the same. Acne does tend to run in families although it is by no means a given. In other words, it isn’t automatic that you will develop acne.

Hormones such as testosterone are responsible for the development of acne. This is especially noticeable during puberty when hormone levels rise which causes an array of changes –both mental and physical. One of these is increases sebum production from the sebaceous glands. These glands are located underneath the skin, near the hair follicles and help to lubricate these and the skin in general. It does this by secreting a type of oil called sebum.

But what happens during puberty is that increased hormone levels cause an excess of sebum to be produced which then blocks the skin pores and leads to acne. Find out more about this in our about acne section of this guide.

FAQS Index:

Acne FAQs

1. What is ‘acne vulgaris’?
2. What causes acne?
3. Is there more than one type of acne?
4. Why has my teenage son developed acne?
5. Why do some people develop acne in adulthood?
6. What are the different types of acne spots?
7. Does eating too much chocolate cause acne?
8. Is acne caused by not washing your face properly?
9. Does stress cause acne?
10. Will sun bathing or using a sun bed improve my acne?
11. Why is it bad to pick or squeeze acne spots?
12. Does acne cause emotional problems?
13. Does make-up cause acne?
14. What is mild acne?
15. What is moderate acne?

16. What is severe acne?
17. Can I treat acne at home?
18. How is acne treated?
19. What is ‘Roaccutane?’
20. What are ‘Retinoids?’
21. What is ‘Dalacin?’
22. Does acne clear up by itself?
23. What causes acne scars?
24. How do you treat acne scars?
25. How long before I notice any difference from my acne treatment?
26. How should I manage my acne?
27. Should I follow a skin care regime?
28. What is ‘intense pulsed light’ therapy?
29. What is ‘N-Lite’ laser treatment?
30. Can we prevent acne?