Reasons behind acne formation and laser acne treatment

Posted on 12 Nov, 2010

Most of us suffer from acne at some point of our lives. It is a common problem affecting millions of people around the world. If you have found your way to this article, then you surely suffer from acne. It is important to know what causes acne.

What causes acne?

Acne is a skin condition which consists of the hair follicle, the sebaceous gland and the pilosebaceous units. Pilosebaceous units are present all over the body except for some regions like the palm, feet and the lower area of the lip. A fact to be noted is that they are found in excess over the face, chest area and the back. The sebum that is produced by sebaceous glands is responsible to maintain the moisture content of the skin. During puberty, there is a rise in level of certain hormones in the body which makes these glands produce sebum in excess. The hormone androgen is responsible for the increased activity of sebaceous glands.

Acne causing bacteria

The P acnes bacterium is a naturally present over the skin surface. The sebum that is produced by sebaceous glands acts as a natural growth nutrient for these bacteria. During adolescent years, sebum is produced in excess which increases the number of follicles. White blood cells rush to the hair follicles to destroy the bacteria. As the white blood cells attack the follicles, it causes their wall to break and all the contents present inside get flown out and spread on the surface area of the skin. This causes acne and skin inflammation.

Laser acne treatment

Out of all the treatments, laser acne treatment is the best to cure acne. With laser acne treatment, the acne is destroyed permanently. There are two ways to perform laser acne treatment. In the first one, the bacteria are destroyed while in the other, the sebaceous glands are shrunk in size.