Many people across the globe suffer from what we know as acne. It is not something that is race or gender specific and poor living conditions are hardly the cause of it. For most people it fades after they reach adulthood but for some of us it continues on for some time. During the teenage years it can get quite severe and cause several emotional and social problems for growing teens.

The most common form of acne that is experienced by people is called acne vulgaris. This type of acne strikes the face, neck, chest, arms and back most often but it can appear anywhere on the body. Understand that this isn't a disease or a virus so you cannot catch it from touching someone who has it. There are many causes of acne but the most common form is heredity.

People who have acne at an early age often have brothers or sisters that have it as well. Families can have a long history of acne running back several generations. Hormones can be another cause of acne. When children reach puberty their bodies start producing the hormones needed to begin activating their reproductive systems as well as prepare for rapid growth ahead.

This can lead to an unusually high amount of what we affectionately refer to as zits, boils, and pimples. A more hotly debated and non proven cause is stress. High stress levels have been shown to coincide with acne outbreaks but they haven't been proven to be the cause of the outbreak itself. Bacteria that clog pores on the other hand has been linked to outbreaks.

Exposure to chemicals and steroids can also trigger an acne-like inflammation of the skin in certain cases. Dietary causes are also hotly debated with some proven and some not. Suffice to say there are those that have allergies to specific ingredients and may have an outbreak when eating foods containing these. If you know a food that causes you to have outbreaks you should avoid it unless you are willing to suffer through the consequences.

Treatment options for acne are varied and can be somewhat effective. There are a plethora of creams on the market that claim to take care of the problem but many of them don't work, or are not as effective as advertised. Some of them can even cause further damage to the skin and deeper tissues. There are also a variety of oral treatments that might work for some and not for others.

Finally you have simple good hygiene. Acne isn't a problem that you can simply treat and expect to go away. Aside from medications, simply keeping yourself clean can help. Keep in mind though that in most cases it's a natural symptom of your changing body and will sort itself out in time.

While acne continues to be the bane of many teenagers and an annoyance for adults, treatment methods are slowly advancing. However many people are just choosing to deal with it and ignore it until it goes away. These people often will not seek treatment until it persists longer than it should. Remember beauty is not skin deep, and those that say otherwise are shallow on the inside.