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7sevenheaven t1_iyo5swp wrote

Reply to comment by its-octopeople in Has teen acne been around since prehistoric times? Did cave-dwellers have zits? Or is it related to modern eating, exercise, pollution, etc.? by Snoo-35252

Sounds like it would be correlated with bmi then? Maybe higher fat reserves results in more sebum production?

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MoiJaimeLesCrepes t1_iyon4mt wrote

Acne, high BMI and insulin resistance are correlated by way of hyperandrogenism (a form of excess of sexual hormones). If you go on google scholar and type "acne bmi correlation" you will see the sources for this.

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do note that lean hyperandrogenism is also possible. I am an unlucky sufferer. Always underweight yet bad acne.

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mosquito_christ t1_iyojm3c wrote

Acne is associated with high amounts of sex hormone. This is why acne comes in puberty, goes away in adulthood, but comes back if you take hormones on a steroid cycle.

Being obese reduces sex hormones, so probably not. I reckon there is some correlation between obesity and bad hygiene though.

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daywalkker t1_iyt1xpj wrote

Yup, it is an immune reaction to the sex hormones that causes dermal inflammation. Inflammation makes capillaries "leaky" and causes serum to ooze out of them. That serum is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria resulting in infection secondary to the immune response.

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