Professor of dermato-epidemiology and co-director of the Centre of Evidence-based Dermatology at Nottingham UniversityAlthough a lot is known about the causes of acne, including genetics, the role of hormones, bacteria including Cutibacterium acnes and inflammation, very little scientific information is available on the causes of acne flares or “breakouts”. There is no doubt that flares occur — just as in other chronic inflammatory skin conditions that wax and wane like eczema — but good research into what triggers such flares is lacking. Nearly all acne treatments take weeks to work, so there is no quick fix. They all work by preventing new spots from forming rather than zapping existing ones. If you have worked out a cause for your flares from past experience and

Source: The Times May 13, 2021 15:56 UTC