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Now I'm not sure if accutane was the cause here, but that's a different topic alltogether. What I want to know is how does irritation trigger acne? I find that after I've had sex I get a breakout a few hours later on my chest, presumably from the friction of my skin against my girlfriends. It's extremely frustrating as it actually puts me off wanting to have sex because I'll just trigger a large number of pimples which take a few days to clear.
My understanding is that acne is just a skin infection where oil is secreted enough from the pores to allow the bacteria to 'feed' and live as a result. Accutane just stops the pores producing as much oil and so the bacteria is 'starved'. Ergo no more spots.
But how could irritation be causing this? How does irritation produce more oily skin for bacteria to thrive in and create inflammation/spots?
Anyone want to have a shot at answering this one? I'd find it extremely helpful and it would help me in determining if accutane is to blame for my problem or not.
irritation and friction is correlated with acne (to my knowledge). I only understand it at a very simple level, but from what I do understand:
1) irritated or "broken" skin (caused by rubbing, scratching, etc.) is more susceptible to infection. Your immune system responds to the increase in bacteria by sending leukocytes (this term might be wrong, but some kind of killer cell) to the site of infection. This response leads to inflammation (hence, an inflamed blemish).
2) friction on your skin can loosen dead skin cells, causing them to adhere to the oil in your skin. If your skin cannot shed these cells normally (this process doesn't seem to work correctly in acne-prone people) it can result in a microcomedone, or clogged pore. This disrupts normal oil production, P. Acnes proliferates, and inflammation occurs.
Basically, irritation -->inflammation-->av (acne vulgaris).
It could also be folliculitis, which is another skin condition similar to acne that is often triggered by friction/irritation.