aka...science room
spot cream
Why spots?
Zits are a common phenomenon in teenagers due to those raging hormones.
The culprit is the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is present in both males and females. In some people, the skin over reacts to testosterone and produces spots.
Spots have got nothing to do with how masculine you are - they’re just an unlucky reaction in some people.
Blackheads
The story of a spot begins with a skin pore producing more oil and becoming stickier than usual. The pore then gets clogged up with dead skin cells creating the well known blackhead. If this becomes completely blocked it becomes a whitehead.
Whiteheads
A blocked blackhead allows the oil to build up with increasing pressure. Bacteria that are normally present on the skin will happily multiply within the spot breaking down the oil and turning it into rancid pus.
Eventually, the spot will erupt but if you’re impatient and want to help it along, don’t squeeze before the pus is visible otherwise it could erupt under the skin causing a cyst. Nice!
The cure?
Contrary to popular belief, chocolate and chips are not to blame for spots. A balanced diet does help to keep skin healthy, but the odd treat won’t harm you.
If you suffer from an outbreak of spots, using a spot cream will kill the bacteria and make the skin less greasy. However, they only need to be used twice a day or the skin will become dry and damaged which can lead to more spots.
Unfortunately, there is not much else you can do other than wait for your hormones to calm down.
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