This article will help you if you are looking for facts or just extra information on:

  • How many people suffer from acne.
  • What acne is
  • What causes acne

How Common Is Acne?

Here’s a scary thought……..Almost every person reading this article, and almost everyone they have ever known or met will, at some stage, have suffered from acne, because acne is considered to be one of the most prevalent skin diseases in the United States – it affects almost 85% of teenagers and young adults between the ages of 17 and 24. It is thought that up to 60 million Americans will have active acne and almost 20 million of those will be left with some degree of scarring.

There are some very sobering statistics there, but the one that jumps right out of the page at me is that 40% of that 60 million will never seek any help for their acne. That’s 24 million Americans who don’t go to see a physician, don’t seek advice from a pharmacist and never use over the counter acne medications!

What is acne?

Acne is a very common skin condition that will typically causes one or more of the following:

  • Blackheads
  • Spots (Usually red or yellow and may be pus filled)
  • greasy skin
  • whiteheads
  • scars

Acne generally starts around the same time as puberty and will vary in severity from a few spots on the face, chest, back, neck and arms, which most teenagers will have experienced at some stage, to a more serious condition that can lead to embarrassment, depression and leave the patient with skin scarring.

Acne is not a discriminatory disease; it affects people of any skin color equally, although those with darker pigmented skin may be impacted less because the outward signs of acne can be less obvious.

Most patients acne will resolve by the time they are in their late teens or early twenties, but for some the condition can persist well in to adulthood.

What causes acne?

In truth, the honest answer is that science doesn’t know the root cause of acne. We do however understand the mechanism of the various skin eruptions, which is why we are able to develop treatments like Proactive Acne Cream and treat the condition as successfully as we can do today.

Below the surface of our skin we have literally millions of what are called sebaceous glands – glands that produce and secrete an oily substance called sebum on to hair. Sebum is essential to allow hair to grow in the areas of the body where it’s needed.

Doctors have discovered that the sebaceous glands of acne sufferers are particularly sensitive to the body’s normal blood levels of testosterone (the primary male sex hormone – although found naturally in both males and females). Testosterone causes the sebaceous glands to over produce sebum, and it’s this excess sebum that blocks the pores which results in the classic signs of acne such as blackheads, whiteheads and spots.

Home treatments

Not everyone suffering from acne will need to see a doctor or dermatologist about their condition, not everyone can afford to see either a doctor or dermatologist about their acne, and we’ve already read that up to 40% will choose not to seek any help whatsoever.

If you are one of these people, there are still many options open to you. In our next article at Proactive Acne Cream Guide, we will be looking at the 3 essential steps you need to take to get your acne under control – and there are just 3 steps!