We have all had spots at some point. But while with harmless physiological acne the blemishes disappear on their own, with clinical acne hard lumps and painful, inflamed pustules keep appearing, especially in areas with a lot of sebaceous glands such as the face, chest and back. One trigger for this is male hormones. The sebaceous glands are designed to constantly produce what is known as sebum. This passes from the glands via the hair follicle canal to the surface of the skin, where it forms the acid mantle together with sweat, which protects against intruders and water loss. But if the male hormones are overzealous during puberty, they stimulate the sebaceous glands and the production of horny material too much - and the ducts become blocked. This can affect girls and boys equally, because both have all the sex hormones - just in different concentrations.
If we are affected, we should use products for thorough cleansing that contain mild surfactants, but no fragrances, dyes or alcohol, which would attack the acid mantle. A pH value of around 5.5 is ideal, as the acne bacteria Propionibacterium acnes multiplies best at a pH value of 6.8 or higher. Gentle enzyme or fruit acid peelings are better for acne than aggressive mechanical peelings.