Acne is a widespread problem affecting more than 15 million people in USA alone,
however the cause of acne is something that is comparable to finding one
person in those 15 million people. The reason being that most of the time
there is no single cause of acne but rather a number of factors may be
simultaneously contributing to the acne condition.

To understand the cause of acne lets first understand the
process behind Acne. The sebaceous glands (oil glands) are the root
cause of acne. A pilosebaceous unit (PSU) holds this gland inside itself,
which links to a hair follicle. They are prominently located on the
face, chest and the back. They secret a oil that travels to skin
surface thru pore. However the pore may become blocked due to exposure to
dead cells, hairs, dirt or pollutants and hence oil is not released on the
skin. As a result of this bacterial growth is simulated leading to
irritation, swelling and redness. This condition results in blackheads,
pimples and other symptoms of Acne. This process results in an acne
damaged skin.

Lets now look into some of the reasons that may cause these glands to
overact.

Perhaps the most common answer to this is Hormones.

Acne can be considered a hormonal disease because its hormones that are
responsible for the maturation of the oil glands in skin. There are a lot of
times when we experience hormonal dis-balance that can wreak havoc e.g.
during puberty, pregnancy in women etc. The hormone that is responsible for
this is androgen present in both men and women. Affect of hormones on
acne is seen mostly in women during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.

However, there are other factors that can be the cause of acne
like:

Stress: Can be a cause of acne in few individuals where it leads
to acne breakouts.
Heredity: This can also be potential source of acne in some cases.
Medications: Some medication carry acne as side effects, normally
this is mentioned along.

There are a lot of myths associated with acne, some of which are:

Dietary inclusions: An improper diet like greasy foods can lead to
general body disorders that can aggravate the acne problem. However it is
not the cause of acne and should be taken more as a general fitness measure
and not as real cause of acne.

Poor Hygiene: Once again, poor hygiene can result in body
disorders but it is never the initial cause of acne. Dirt is one of the
reasons that can lead to acne but only if it manages into pores and block
oil secretion, gentle cleansing twice a day is more than enough.

Touching the skin: If you are suffering from acne then keep your
hands off, other than that touching the skin should not be considered to be
in any way related to acne.

Makeup: Use non-comedogenic or water based makeup as a prevention
method. Other than that it is harmless.

Once again, acne could be caused by a myriad of reasons, none of which
are well documented or can be pinpointed. Hormonal dis-balance is more or
less part of growing up and cannot be controlled. Its better to consult a
physician or dermatologist for a sound advice and possible cause of your
acne.