What causes acne?
Your skin has thousands of oil glands that produce sebum to moisturize and help the skin act as a protective barrier.

Sebum within each oil gland is carried to the surface through pores. The highest density of oil glands is found on your face, especially at the nose, forehead and mid-cheek areas. The largest oil glands are found on the back and mid-chest. This explains in part why acne appears mostly on the face, chest and back.

But what actually causes acne is still unknown. Hormones may play a role in pore blockage and increased oil production. Unfortunately, you may inherit acne-prone skin — particularly the type susceptible to the more severe, scarring forms of the condition.

Who gets acne?
More than 85% of teenagers get acne,¹ but anyone can get acne, including adults.

Will I get acne if I eat junk food?
There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but foods seem to have little effect on the development and course of acne in most people.

Do you get acne because you don’t keep your face clean?
If you have acne, it does not mean that your skin is dirty.

Cleansing and scrubbing your skin excessively will not help your acne. In fact, it may make it worse. Remember that the causes of acne affect oil glands, which are well below the surface of the skin.

It is recommended to wash your face with a gentle oil-free cleanser. Ask your doctor for the best types of cleansers to use on your skin.

Where can acne appear?
You can have acne on any part of your skin where sebaceous glands are found. These are the glands that produce oil/wax for the skin. Acne can appear on the face, chest and back and even on the arms and thighs.

What is severe acne?
Severe acne is when many red, swollen, tender lumps form in the skin. These can be the size of pencil erasers or larger.

What is persistent acne?
Persistent acne, also known as recalcitrant acne, is acne that is resistant to oral antibiotics or topical antibiotic lotions, creams or gels.

What can make acne worse?
The most common things that can aggravate your acne are cleansing your skin too much, and squeezing, picking, or popping zits. Excessive cleaning, particularly with the overzealous use of abrasive facial scrubs, can irritate your skin or worsen inflammation.

The sun seems to help my acne. Is this really true?
While it is true that sun exposure may dry out existing acne, it won’t prevent new acne from forming. For some people, the sun can make their acne worse, and some acne medications can make your skin sensitive to the sun, leading to serious sunburns.

When you’re in the sun, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to help protect your skin.

Can make-up camouflage my acne?
Camouflage make-up can be used to cover acne lesions. The best types of cosmetics to use for acne-prone skin are oil-free, non-acnegenic (may not cause acne) and non-comedogenic (may not cause blackheads or whiteheads).

Questions or concerns about taking ACCUTANE^™?
Talk to your doctor or call 1-888-XEDITON (933-4866).

¹ Kraning KK, Orland GF. Prevalence, morbidity and cost of dermatologic diseases. J Invest Dermatol 1979;73: Suppl: 395-401.