Acne Myths Exploded

There is a lot of information distributed about acne and what causes it and that information is a mixture of both fact and fiction. So, let us look at a few of the things that are being said and see if we can sort out the fact from the myth.

Food

First of all there is no direct connection between eating such things as greasy hamburgers and chocolate or drinking too many soft drinks and getting acne spots. It is true however that diet plays an important role in all the body's systems and therefore it does have a minor part in whether acne is less or more likely.

For example, eating greasy foods does not directly convert into rising oil production from the sebaceous glands which contributes to acne, but foods that do contribute to an increase in oil production would have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food substance that has been demonstrated to have any substantial effect and it simply exacerbates existing acne and does not cause it.

Hygiene

The odds of developing a pimple are increased when a pore becomes blocked and bacteria get trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits that tend to close the skin's pores can play a role. However this effect is only very small and the dead skin cells and bacteria which become trapped and cannot make their way out of the pore are influenced only to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.

Nevertheless, once acne occurs then good skin hygiene is especially important and mild cleansing two times a day with soap and water can help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Cleanliness is an excellent for a number of reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne by providing a good surface for medications to work most effectively.

Spots are greatly influenced by excess skin oil (sebum) production that is triggered in the main by hormones and harsh cleansers applied roughly do not just clear away this excess oil but also damages the the ability of the skin to deal with it.

Stress

As stress tends to weaken the body's immune system and impact its hormone levels it could be thought that stress would play a role in the onset of acne. However, there is no evidence to suggest that stress leads to acne, although there is evidence to show that it might play a small role after acne has developed.

One difficulty in assessing the role of stress is that people who suffer from chronic stress normally also suffer from additional health problems that complicate the picture. Bear in mind too that we are talking here about clinical stress and not merely the worries which we all have as part of the ups and downs of everyday living.

Medication

A lot of people are tempted to raise the dosage of an over-the-counter medication believing that if a little medicine can do a little good then a lot of medication will do a lot of good. Unfortunately, this is not the case and it is both a waste of medication and could actually harm the skin. You should always stick to the instructions on any medication and if any medication is not showing signs of working within two or three weeks then it is a good idea to talk to your dermatologist.

It is also worth noting that there is no such thing as the best acne medicine. Each of us is different and a medication that proves to be the best acne medication for one individual will not necessarily work for someone else.