Propionibacterium or acne bacteria is not the root cause of acne, so destroying it can, at best, help you to bring down the swelling that a ripe pimple causes. It cannot prevent acne from forming as it does not play much of a part in the creation of this condition.
In common medical parlance, acne is referred to as an inflamed skin condition. The principal cause of this inflammation is thought to occur due to an excessive production of skin oil or sebum and keratin by over stimulated glands. This, of course, is the surface factor.
The excessive oil blocks the pores of the hair follicle and this leads to the growth of bacteria. As the growth of bacteria increases, small pimples appear, both on the surface of the skin and directly underneath. The ones above the surface are called blackheads and the ones below the surface are called whiteheads.
But the fact of the matter is that the cause of acne doesn’t centre around the surface of the skin. There are deep rooted elements which influence the growth of this condition and to discover these, you have to look past a review of skin types - i.e. whether it is oily or dry or rigid, past the swellings on your face, past the excessive sebum produced and past the blocked follicles and acne bacteria.
Acne is the body’s way of telling us that all is not right with the internal functioning of our various organs. Always bear in mind that acne is the result or symptom of a malfunction of our system and is not a disease of the skin as most medical experts would like us to believe.
I would like to put you on guard so that you are not misguided into believing that acne is nothing more than a skin ailment. That is what conventional medical practitioners would like you to think but, if you do, you will treat it as only a problem of the skin when actually, the root cause of the malady lies way deeper.
If you are afflicted with acne, please understand that the real cause of it is an imbalance that has occurred in your body’s system. The rashes and pimples are the outward manifestations of a much deeper problem which you MUST tackle if you want to be rid of your acne and lead a healthier life.
Obviously, you will turn around and say that most doctors treat acne as basically a skin problem. They do, because that is the only way they can sell you the creams, the lotions and the antibiotics which really give you little help.
Acne bacteria or propionibacterium, to give it its technical term, is something that every human being has on his skin. This bacterium is a life form which fights for survival and is beneficial for us. So the malignant organisms which conventional medicines try to eradicate are really very important for our good health and well being.
Strange as it may sound, acne bacteria, if it is in consonance with the balance of your body, helps human beings fight off other bacteria which are much more harmful. It exists in each and every individual, whether they are suffering from acne or not, and is the most important ingredient that keeps your skin flexible.
In the normal biological function these acne bacteria feed on the oil from the sebum glands and on perspiration. That is why they were created to protect the skin.
An acne bacterium does not spread and since it is not infectious it does not cause an acne breakout. Which brings us to the question that if all of us have acne bacteria then why don’t all of us suffer from acne?
The reason is that for a bout of acne to occur everything has to come together including low internal immunity to create conditions that will encourage acne to strike with all its attendant symptoms.
The environment that creates acne is one where there is an overproduction of sebum oil, mainly due to an imbalance in hormones, and this excess mixes with congested toxins which come out through the skin. This mixture is dangerous as it causes bacteria to develop and grow disturbingly fast. The condition which is thus created is the standard one for an acne sufferer: pimples and nodules which are inflamed and pus-filled.
This condition, described above, where the bacteria grows in leaps and bounds because of the admixture of excess sebum oil and blood toxins, has to be prevented. Merely killing the bacteria is not sufficient because it will grow again when the above condition is recreated. So the ONLY way to stop acne permanently is to go to the root of the problem and ensure that this condition is not allowed to happen.
So antibiotics which kill acne bacteria, such as benzoyl peroxide, tetracycline or monocycline are not permanent cures because they do not tackle the root cause of the acne.
We know what conditions cause the acne bacteria to flourish superficially on the skin. Now we need to find out what causes hormonal imbalance or the build up of toxins in our body. Only then can we get rid of the acne permanently.
The combination of excessive oil production and toxin build up helps the bacteria to thrive and multiply on the skin. But within our body biological changes, nutritional deficiencies, psychological or hormonal imbalances are the culprits responsible for the acne eruptions on the skin.
So if you want your skin to always be clear, you will have to combat the elements we mentioned above as these create the condition where bacteria intensify. However, you will always have to also ensure that the bacterium on your skin is kept at an optimal level.
About the Author:
Mike Walden is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Acne No More . For Further Information: Acne Treatments
