Facial acne, or face acne is the most common form of acne, though you can also get it on your neck, back or shoulders. This is because the face is the place on the body where most of the oil producing glands, or sebaceous glands, are located.

Unfortunately, facial acne is also the most visible form of acne because people can see our faces and most of us don’t walk around wearing masks. Needless to say, walking around in public with pimples, zits, whiteheads and blackheads visible to everyone can lead to low self-esteem, to say the least!

Facial acne occurs in people of all ages and ethnicities, though most acne is concentrated in individuals going through puberty because of the hormonal changes taking place in the body. In extreme cases, deep rooted cystic acne can result in inflammation and facial acne scars. Most individuals will outgrow their acne experience by their early 20’s, but at least ten percent of the population is still plagued with facial acne well into their 30’s and 40’s.

So exactly what is the cause of Facial Acne?

Simply put, androgen (male hormones found both in men and women) stimulates the sebaceous (oil producing glands) to make excessive amounts of oil or sebum. The sebaceous shares an opening into the pores in the skin with a hair follicle, a specialized cell capable of producing a hair. The combination of dead cells clumping together and narrowing the duct and the over production of oil or sebum results in blockage of the duct. This blockage provides an opportunity for facial acne bacteria to grow and multiply below the skins surface causing infection and inflammation. In response to this inflammation, the human body’s natural defense system sends out white blood cells to ward off the bacteria and repair the damage to the body. This defense mechanism produces the majority of what we see as pus. An accumulation of pus under the skin is commonly referred to as a pimple.

Acne severity varies from person to person depending on many factors including diet, hygiene and variations in hormonal balance, individual gland function and response. Many people believe that eating chocolate causes acne, though this is not necessarily so. It is more likely that sugar laden and fatty foods of any kind can tend to exacerbate and prolong an individual’s acne condition. Maintaining good hygiene and keeping your face clean and dry helps keep your pores clear, less likely to clog and the easiest way you can help clear facial acne.

Is there a Best Acne Treatment or Facial Acne Cure?

There are many products claiming to be complete acne remedies, however there is no one facial acne treatment or facial cleanser that will eliminate acne and clear your complexion by itself. Most products such as benzoyl peroxide help to kill acne bacteria but can also cause overly dry skin and redness.

You should be careful when using any acne facial product. Most facial acne treatments are designed to remove the naturally occurring oil on your face and help dry out your skin. This may seem to be a good idea, but in actuality the human body will respond to overly dry skin by shifting its sebaceous glands into high gear to produce even more oil than normal. Because the drying effect of your facial cleanser or acne face wash also shrinks the size of the pores on your face, this oil tends to get clogged and leads to a worsening of the acne condition. It may be wise therefore to avoid using powerful chemical acne cream or facial acne cleanser formulated to dry out your skin and stick with mild soap and water.