What Causes Acne?

Acne is not caused by one single issue, but rather by a handful of factors that work together to form pimples. Acne tends to start during the teenage years, but it can show up as early as the tweens too. In adolescence, it is usually caused by an increase in testosterone, the male hormone. In adults, acne is caused by sebum, the oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands that clogs pores, which attract bacteria and become inflamed. It can also be caused by an overproduction of male hormones or an imbalance in both male and female hormones.

Our research scientists and Dermatologists have been busy in the lab for years to create the most comprehensive acne system ever to address the 4 main causes of acne:

1. Excess Sebum (Oil) Production

When it comes to acne, oil is the root of all evil. When your sebaceous glands secrete too much of an oily substance called sebum and dead skin cells, they build up in your hair follicles and form a plug where bacteria congregate. If the plug causes the follicle wall to bulge, you get a whitehead or closed comedone. If the plug is open to the skin’s surface and darkens from exposure to air, you will get a blackhead or open comedone. When the blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected, you get pimples. To stop acne in its tracks, you have to normalize oil production.

2. Abnormal Skin Shedding

Dead skin cells normally shed from the outer layer or stratum corneum. In skin that is prone to acne, the shedding process, called desquamation, goes haywire. Acne prone skin sheds as much as four or five times more dead skin cells than is considered normal, and the skin cells do not shed properly. These dead cells become trapped inside the follicle where they build up and create pimples. Salicylic acid, Mandelic Acid, Fruit Enzymes and Niacinamide are the cornerstones of the Beyond Clear™ complete skin care system and aid in improving the turnover of dead cells to produce clearer, healthier skin over time.

3. Increase in P.acnes Bacteria

P. acnes (Propionibacteria acnes) are bacteria found on most skin, but with acne prone skin, the P.acnes grows out of control. The plug of dead cells and excess oil that forms within the pore or hair follicle creates an environment that deprives it of oxygen. Therefore, P.acnes thrives and keeps multiplying and produce a substance that irritates the lining of the follicle, causing redness and inflammation. Reducing the proliferation of P. acnes is a vital step in controlling acne, which is why Beyond Clear™ contains a high percentage of Benzoyl Peroxide that works to kill P. acnes.

4. Inflammation

As your follicle becomes filled with sebum, dead cells, and bacteria, it begins to swell. The follicle wall ruptures and spills into the deeper layer called the dermis. Your white blood cells will be alerted to fight the bacteria. When bacteria infect a comedone, or it gets irritated from squeezing or picking, pus forms and it becomes inflamed. When inflammation occurs, you will have redness, swelling and tenderness. The Beyond Clear™ system fights inflammation in all 3 steps with soothing botanicals like chamomile, oat extracts, ginger root and Niacinamide.