It’s your first day at work, and you woke up with a steaming red pimple. Horrendous, right? But that’s the reality of life. It’s hard to escape from acne. More so if you have an important event coming up. For the unversed, pimples are swollen red lesions filled with pus that develop when sebaceous glands, or oil glands, become clogged and infected.
Are you fed up with the pimples that spoil your party look or make you feel embarrassed in your workplace? Well, the solution sometimes lies in the problem itself. If you figure out the cause of your pimples, it will be easier to prevent them. As they always say, “Prevention is better than cure.”
Pimples mostly start appearing around puberty, but they can pop up at any age. Puberty is the cause of pimples because of the hormonal changes in the body. In women, menstruation can also cause pimples with a similar cause. They often appear on the face, chest, shoulders, and back. Let us figure out the possible reasons for pimples.
Bacterial infection
When sebum (skin oil) and dead skin cells get accumulated and lead to the blockage of a pore, it may lead to the growth of undesirable bacteria inside the skin that exists harmlessly. But, when the conditions are favorable, the bacteria reproduce more rapidly and can cause a problem. Further, this bacterium produces a substance inside the skin that leads to skin problems like spots and inflammation.
The activity of the sebaceous glands
Sebaceous glands are tiny glands present in the skin that secrete sebum. Sebum is a waxy or oily substance that lubricates the skin and hair. These glands are found inside the pores of our skin, all over the body, except in a few areas like palms and soles. The face and scalp have more sebaceous glands than other parts of the body. As the sebaceous glands produce sebum inside the skin pores, the new skin cells keep growing while the outer layers of the skin are shed down. But what causes pimples? Sometimes, the skin does not shed off the dead skin cells that remain in the pores. These cells get stuck together by the sticky sebum and cause a blockage in the pores. This blockage leads to the growth of pimples.
Dietary factors
Although the role of diet is not clear as a cause of pimples, a healthy, balanced diet is known to promote good skin health. Some dietary factors can affect the chances of pimple appearance on the skin. For some foods like milk, the chances of pimple growth are more because of the hormones present in the milk. It all depends on the type of skin and the hormonal activity of a person. In some people, chocolate and sugar can also trigger skin pimples, especially on the face.
Testosterone sensitivity
There have been numerous types of research that prove the relation between pimple growth and higher levels of testosterone in the body. Higher testosterone levels are said to trigger greater activity in the sebaceous glands. This may lead to more clogged pores in the skin resulting in higher chances of pimples.
Hormonal changes
Why does the risk of pimples increase during puberty and pregnancy? It is because of the fact that the body undergoes many hormonal changes during these phases. A change in hormones and their concentration can trigger oil production, leading to an increased risk of pimples. When a person reaches adulthood, hormonal acne related to puberty improves and starts disappearing with time.
Poor sleep or stress
A good lifestyle supports healthy skin. If a person does not get enough sleep during the day, they become more prone to numerous skin problems like aging, pimples, and dark circles. Getting proper rest gives good time to the skin for self-repair and natural cleansing. Stress also plays a major role in skin care. A person who is stress-free often has glowing and clear skin. Stress can spoil the skin with wrinkles and other problems. To get rid of this problem, one can practice yoga and other stress-relieving exercises.
Smoking
Numerous medical research and reports have concluded a direct relationship between smoking and pimple growth. Out of the many negative health effects of smoking cigarettes, the growth of pimples is one of them. Smoking can cause a number of skin problems, some short-term like pimples, while some long-term like cancer. Smoking is one of the main triggering factors in pimple growth that may become worse with time if not taken care of.
These are the possible reasons behind pimple growth on the skin and scalp. Also, skin products like moisturizers, cleansers, toners, etc., with high oil content can become a cause of pimple growth as they are oil-based solutions. Be watchful of the products that you use on your skin. By avoiding the above-listed causes of pimples, you can prevent them to a great extent.