Article: Acne attack: Dr. Marjorie Seidenfeld answers your health questions.(your body & mind)

I have really bad acne. I feel like people think that I'm dirty, but I wash my face like four times a day! What can I do for this?

--Samantha in Minnesota

Acne has nothing really to do with being dirty. Washing your face more than twice a day is not necessary and won't really help the situation. Acne starts in the pores of the skin on your face, chest, back, and upper arms. It is caused when too much sebum (an oily, sticky substance made in the skin) blocks the pore. Bacteria like to grow in the sebum and trigger a reaction in the skin that causes the inflammation (pain, swelling and redness) that can sometimes occur with acne. Hormones and stress ...

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