Introduction
Acne is a disease of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin, in which the combined action of various factors promotes the development of blackheads and pimples. In most cases, this frequent but no less troublesome skin disease is based on a cornification disorder of the upper skin layers and increased sebum production (seborrhea). This leads to blockage of the excretory ducts of the sebaceous glands and thus to the retention of the sebum produced by the gland.
These clogged pores are colloquially known as blackheads (comedones). The sebum provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria of the skin flora, which can multiply in the clogged skin gland or the adjacent hair follicle. The body reacts to the sudden increase in bacterial colonization with an additional inflammatory reaction, which is visible as reddening of the pimple on the skin surface.
Are you interested in this topic in more detail? For a long time acne was described exclusively as a skin disease of adolescence, which recedes after puberty is over. In fact, the tendency to oily, impure skin and to blackheads and pimples decreases as we enter adulthood.
More rarely, acne persists beyond the age of 25. In some cases, however, a recurrence of the disease is observed in adults. The possible causes of the skin disease, which in some cases lead to severe cosmetic impairment, are controversially discussed.
While physicians agree that the tendency of excessive secretion of the sebaceous glands in adolescence is mainly due to the altered hormone balance at the onset of puberty, a wide variety of factors are generally discussed which favor the severity and persistence of the disease. These include excessive use of various cosmetics, stress and tobacco consumption, as well as increasing air pollution in some places. Nutrition plays an important role in the discussion about factors that favor acne. Although the latest studies in dermatology ascribe a minor influence on acne to nutrition, many of those affected and a large number of doctors are convinced that the skin’s appearance can be influenced positively by correct nutrition. In the following paragraphs, the various nutritional advice for acne is therefore examined in more detail.
All articles in this series:
