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AVR_Pearn t1_iyk9tpn wrote

It's probably been around since prehistoric times, although the main cause of outbreaks has probably changed.

In the book The remarkable life of the skin, the author mentions about how the majority of acne is caused by microbes outbreaks in the side the pores of the skin. And we probably had bacteria and other stuff in our skin back then. While we do have better hygiene standards these days, we probably also have more pollutants etc that balance it out.

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Lamacorn t1_iykzjai wrote

Also, other contributors to acne:

  • high stress
  • poor diet
  • oil substances on skin
  • hormone changes
  • medications

Exercise can help as part of a healthy lifestyle, but if you don’t wash your face after working out, you can make it worse.

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[deleted] t1_iym6ie8 wrote

[removed]

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bigfatfurrytexan t1_iyl1g3z wrote

The inflammation cycle is a big driver. It's less infection and more immune response.

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AVR_Pearn t1_iyl1qa4 wrote

I agree. That's why I said Most As per the dermatologist who wrote the book I mentioned. :)

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greenwavelengths t1_iyne9be wrote

It’s sort of a myth that we automatically just have better hygiene standards today than at any given time in the past. Times like the last few centuries in Europe, sure— bad hygeine, there’s evidence of that. But if we have a desire to be clean now, then chances are we’ve had a desire to be clean for hundreds of thousands of years and figured out how to do it with the tools and resources available to us.

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AVR_Pearn t1_iynfmhq wrote

One's definition of hygiene standards though can depend. I mean yeah we didn't always have soap and yes I know it's thousands of years old, but we probably didn't you know do more than splash water on our faces when we were cavemen

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gdfishquen t1_iynchoe wrote

I wonder if modern hygiene standards can contribute to acne due to soaps etc. disrupting the skins natural microbiome

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AVR_Pearn t1_iyndeyn wrote

Possibly.

The book I mentioned discusses biomes. A other good book on microviolws is I Contain Multitudes

I also suspect that over time, what microbes cause microbial caused acne has changed or drifted.

Edit; sensitivities to chemicals and such in soaps can also cause acne, as per the other posters' inflammation cause.

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