Acne can be embarrassing, unsightly, and sometimes even just plain painful. Luckily, finding a treatment option that can free you from acne breakouts once and for all may be as simple as just understanding what actually causes acne, and then just reverse-engineering the whole thing. So let’s get right to it! Here are the 3 primary causes of acne:

* Bacteria and toxic build-up
* Dead skin cells
* Excess sebum production

All of three of these can essentially be summed up by saying that your pores become agitated and clogged. Well, that’s easy enough, right? Just unclog the pores and clean them up, right? Well… yeah, kind of. Let’s take a closer look at how the whole process works, as well as ways to get it handled as quickly as possible.

All three of these things usually occur at the same time, so it is difficult to pinpoint each one individually, although excess sebum production is not just a general pore issue, it is something that occurs within hair follicles. Your hair follicles are each linked to a gland that produces sebum, which is essentially your body’s own natural hair oil. Sebum keeps the hair from becoming dry and brittle. The problem is, a variety of hormonal conditions can cause the gland (called the sebaceous gland) too produce sebum in excess.

This will eventually lead to a whitehead (if the follicle bulges) or a blackhead (if the plug darkens). In any regard, if your glands produce too much sebum, you’re going to get zits! And what causes an overproduction of sebum? Genetics play a factor, but more than that, it’s hormonal imbalances caused primarily by lifestyle choices. And that’s good news, right? Because it means you can do something about it.

You’ve heard it a million times before when discussing a thousand different health topics… it’s all about diet and exercise. Well, that is just as true for treating acne as it is for losing weight, improving energy levels, getting stronger, or enhancing your mood. The foods we eat and the activities we engage in play a tremendous role in the outcomes we receive in life, both physically and emotionally. Good choices lead to good results, and that’s all there is to it.

In the case of clearing your skin of acne, the most important decision you could ever make is to only eat and drink natural stuff. This means eliminating fast food, frozen dinners, candy, chips, soda, beer, and virtually anything that is prepackaged and pumped full of chemicals, trans fat, refined sugars, and through-the-roof sodium levels. And you know what that leaves… fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats! This one shift alone can positively impact your acne situation more powerfully than you may even realize.