Acne, the curse of teenagers, is being put under the spotlight by scientists at Bradford University.

Experts are hoping to pinpoint what exactly stimulates the glands beneath skin that results in the dreaded outbreak.

Acne is most commonly associated with the explosion of hormones during puberty and sufferers are often dismissed with the prescription that only getting older will improve the condition. Professor Anthony Thody, who is leading the research at the university's Department of Biomedical Sciences, said everyone could get a touch of acne.

"In fact, dermatologists say you are abnormal if you don't get it," he said.

"The big problem is that some unfortunate individuals are severely affected by it."

Much work had already been carried out on what causes the sebaceous glands just beneath the skin to become overactive, Professor Thody said.

There was no hard evidence yet that diet or eating chocolate, for example, was to blame, although stress could be a factor.

Professor Thody, who has just been appointed to the chair in experimental dermatology, said the bad news was that a cure for acne was not in sight.

Retinoids, the vitamin A-based compounds which 'switch off' the glands, were only effective in very severe cases.

"There are no really good treatments for acne," he said.

"Otherwise, cleansers and creams might have some use because they help keep the skin clean, but they do not get to the root of the problem."

Professor Thody is hoping to attract funding to do research into the factors regulating the activity of the sebaceous glands.

Identifying these factors could lead to an effective drug therapy for the skin problem.

Ultimately could even lead to a cure, he said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.