So I had a few questions that I know this would be the easiest place to find the answers to and who would understand. I was wondering if you guys could give me a list of the possible BIG or main possible causes that give people acne, for eg. Hormonal acne etc. I'm 17 and a guy, so that might narrow them down a bit. And is there a way to figure out if that certain possible cause is indeed causing my acne? I just want to rule out all of the causes and find the cause of my acne.
P.S would posting a picture of my acne help at all? would anyone here be able to tell anything from it? thanks.
My nutritionist is very confident in knowing what is causing it, but I wanted to do my own little research as well whilst I am doing what she says.
Major causes:
- Diet (table sugar, fried foods, greasy, junks, empty calorie foods, milk, dairy)
- Hormones
- Poor facial hygiene (not washing the face properly, applying harsh chemicals, not washing pillow coverings, over washing the face, etc)
People usually start by adjusting their diet first. It is almost guaranteed that it will help.
If hormones is another cause, how do you make it not a cause of acne? I mean, I'm 17 and not sure if it's possible because of y'know, puberty.
Nobody knows what causes acne. Everything you read here is just a bunch of theories.
Take SteamRooms post for example. Some of it might be true, but my experience is that greasy food has absolutely 0 influence on acne. I dont believe that facial hygiene has much to do with it either.
But in the end, whatever I say, its just like everything else. Personal opinion and random theories.
A lot of it, if not for almost every case is caused by internal issues that can be resolved, I know that much, it's just finding what that problem is. For me, it's more then likely my leaky gut syndrome, but knowing me I sometimes worry that it could be something else.
The facial hygiene theory is slowly disappearing, as it should, as many people can have terrible facial hygiene and never form acne.
Hormones are (finally) being accepted as a root cause of acne in both women and men, though the research favors women because there are more prescription treatment options already available to women (birth control).
There is some evidence to suggest that a severe infectious state such as a C. diff infection, Heliobacter pylor infection, or other harmful pathogen infection, or general overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (SIBO), can result in acne. Studies are limited though.
Hormone options for men:
- Cut out hormone stimulating foods, mainly dairy and sugar and high-carb foods. Dairy especially has quite a significant effect on acne in many people. Dairy is loaded with hormones naturally, and many dairy cows are treated with artificial hormones that makes its way into their milk.
- Natural anti-androgens such as saw palmetto and stinging nettle (more commonly used for prostate health, but also used for acne)
SIBO options for men:
- Natural enteric coated antibiotic herbs such as peppermint or oil of oregano
- Prescription: Rifaximin (for hydrogen SIBO) or Flagyl (for methane SIBO). Most SIBO is hydrogen based.
As far as testing, my personal opinion is most hormone tests are crap if you're trying to find the "cause" for acne. You can have normal levels and sensitized hormone receptors, meaning you get the side effects of heightened androgens even though your levels are in range, so the tests are just money down the hole.
As far as SIBO, you can get a breath test which tests your hydrogen and methane levels. It's relatively accurate.
A lot of it, if not for almost every case is caused by internal issues that can be resolved, I know that much, it's just finding what that problem is. For me, it's more then likely my leaky gut syndrome, but knowing me I sometimes worry that it could be something else.
The facial hygiene theory is slowly disappearing, as it should, as many people can have terrible facial hygiene and never form acne.
Hormones are (finally) being accepted as a root cause of acne in both women and men, though the research favors women because there are more prescription treatment options already available to women (birth control).
There is some evidence to suggest that a severe infectious state such as a C. diff infection, Heliobacter pylor infection, or other harmful pathogen infection, or general overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (SIBO), can result in acne. Studies are limited though.
Hormone options for men:
- Cut out hormone stimulating foods, mainly dairy and sugar and high-carb foods. Dairy especially has quite a significant effect on acne in many people. Dairy is loaded with hormones naturally, and many dairy cows are treated with artificial hormones that makes its way into their milk.
- Natural anti-androgens such as saw palmetto and stinging nettle (more commonly used for prostate health, but also used for acne)
SIBO options for men:
- Natural enteric coated antibiotic herbs such as peppermint or oil of oregano
- Prescription: Rifaximin (for hydrogen SIBO) or Flagyl (for methane SIBO). Most SIBO is hydrogen based.
As far as testing, my personal opinion is most hormone tests are crap if you're trying to find the "cause" for acne. You can have normal levels and sensitized hormone receptors, meaning you get the side effects of heightened androgens even though your levels are in range, so the tests are just money down the hole.
As far as SIBO, you can get a breath test which tests your hydrogen and methane levels. It's relatively accurate.
It was known for decades in the scientific community that hormones (estrogens, androgens) can influence acne. It usually takes a while for the laymen to catch up to basic scientific knowledge, however, like with the supposed high fructose corn syrup "controversy".
The milk-acne connection assumes the hormones in milk are bioavaliable and can be absorbed in sufficient quantities to influence acne. There are no trials that proves they can, so much of the supposed evidence is nothing but conjecture. Nor is there any evidence backing up saw palmetto and stinging nettle for acne.
Why would anyone recommend "natural"/OTC antibiotics when there isn't any evidence backing it up for SIBO and you have no idea what exactly is in it? The "active ingredients" in herbs varies from plant to plant because of growing conditions, processing and storage. Even if it is "standardized", there are still discrepancies between the label and the actual dosage, as it often happens in independent PubMed-indexed studies and tests done by Consumer Lab.
However, I do agree with you on the "at-home" hormone testing. The quality of equipment is not on par with the kind doctors use, and some companies intentionally make them produce false positives for prospects to buy their supplements.
Diet is being worked on now
If hormones is another cause, how do you make it not a cause of acne? I mean, I'm 17 and not sure if it's possible because of y'know, puberty.
Is it possible to tell just by a picture?
If you have a good dermatologist, and I mean a good one, then it is possible that by looking at your skin he can prescribe exactly the medication/topicals/pills you should be taking.
I happen to have a phenomenal derm 
He even showed me pictures of hundreds of different types of acnes that each have specific treatments.