eli5: Is there a medical downside to acne? Or is it purely a societal beauty standard issue?
In: Biology
The medical downside is the acne. It’s the pores in your skin reacting to being clogged with bacteria or other particles, so your immune system needs to work harder. It can cause scarring. It can increase cortisol levels due to stress. Untreated acne gets more difficult to treat over time and can turn into a full on staph infection.
While it’s not just a societal beauty standard, it shouldn’t be seen as a personal failure, since some people are more predisposed to getting acne due to genetic and hormonal factors. That said, if you have acne and aren’t at least trying to do what you can to minimize it with proper skin care, you really ought to take better care of yourself.
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