Addressing the Other Causes of Acne

Sub-Cause #1: Retention Hyperkeratosis or "The Other Skin Cancer."

Excessive skin oil causes a process known as retention hyperkeratosis, or what we refer to as "the other skin cancer."

Everyone's skin goes through a cycle of shedding old cells and producing new ones. It is a normal process for the skin to replace itself every 28 to 45 days. Retention hyperkeratosis is when the skin's cell production cycle is rapidly increased, which subsequently causes between 3-8 times the normal amount of dead skin cells to be sloughed off.

On the skin's surface, it isn't a problem. The dead skin cells fall off naturally. But deep within the lining of the pores, it causes a major problem. When excessive dead skin cells are released in the lining of the pore, they can get gummed up together along with the excess oil, and eventually harden, forming a plug (also known as a comedo).

The oil gland continues to produce oil, expanding and enlarging the pore, creating a small balloon of oil.

However, it is not the trapped oil alone that causes a pimple to form.

Sub-Cause #2: Bacteria, (also known as propionibacterium acnes) exist everywhere on the skin including the pores. This is normal, as the bacteria's presence alone doesn't cause acne. These bacteria eat the sebum released from the pores, however, under normal circumstances their population is kept at low levels because sebum still flows freely out the pore.

When the oil becomes blocked because of the retention hyperkeratosis, the bacteria continue to feed upon the oil and rapidly multiple to dangerously high levels, causing an infection in the pore.

Sub-Cause #3: Inflammation: the immune system sends antibodies to fight off the bacteria and the infected pore, and a pimple breaks out. A comparable example would be when a mosquito bites you. The bump that forms is not a result of the bite itself, but actually of the immune system trying to fight off the infection caused by the bite. The difference with acne is that the infection is much more severe.

Depending on how deep the plug is in the pore, and how much bacterial infection there is, the pimple could be a small papule or it could be a large cyst.

The Science Behind How Each Step Works

Almost every study that's been conducted on salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and benzoyl peroxide has found each of these products to be effective at reducing acne.

However, by themselves each product's effectiveness is limited and only provides "manageable relief" at best. The reason why the Skin Advancement System is more effective, is because it addresses all three sub-causes by using the products in combination along with ice allowing the benzoyl peroxide to be absorbed deeper within the pore and by reducing inflammation.

When you combine these 3 steps along with using B5 Supplements to stop the oil at it's source, virtually all of your acne will be eliminated. We put our money where our mouth is and that's why we offer a money back plus $50 guarantee!

1. J.E. Fulton. Acne RX (J.E. Fulton, 2001), 44-57.

2. Terry, Dubrow, Brenda Adderly. The Acne Cure (Rodale, 2003.)