For women, it starts during puberty, and many continue to experience the need for acne treatment to varying degrees with their monthly cycle. Pregnancy also causes drastic hormonal changes, and most women want some acne treatment during this time.

What other factors contribute to a "pizza face'? Well, steroids cause a huge jump in testosterone levels, and the need for acne treatment is one of the less-severe side effects of these dangerous drugs. High insulin levels associated with diets heavy in refined sugar and with a pre-diabetic or diabetic condition also cause acne. With these conditions the skin actually becomes insulin resistant, and the sugars are passed through the oils on the skin, instead of absorbed by the body, and again, this causes the bacteria on your face to become out of balance, start an infection in a follicle, and require acne treatment.

Extreme stress also raises blood pressure and oil production on the face, so a breakout around finals or a big report is not surprising. A recent study has found that milk products that are not labeled organic cause a jump in growth hormones (and therefore elevated testosterone levels) and, you guessed it, acne. Finally you may have a mild food allergy. If you suspect a food is causing your acne, just cut it out of your diet for a few weeks, if it goes away, managing your diet may be the best acne treatment!

Acne comes with puberty, but with a proper acne treatment regimen, keeping refined sugars down, and avoiding the other major causes of acne, you may be able to curb your acne down to the occasional pimple. If none of this seems to work, it may be time to see your dermatologist to determine if medications may be helpful.