Acne Myths Exploded

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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There is a great deal of information distributed about acne and its causes and that information tends to be a mixture of both fact and fiction. So, let us look at a few of those things which are being said and see if we can sort out the fiction from the fact.

Diet

There is no direct connection between eating greasy cheeseburgers and chocolate or drinking too many soft drinks and developing acne. What is true is that food plays an important role in all the body's systems and thus it does have a minor part in whether getting acne is more or less likely.

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

Cleanliness

The chances of developing a spot increase when a pore becomes plugged and bacteria get trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits which tend to close the pores can ...
... play a role. But this effect is only small and the bacteria and dead cell skins which get trapped and cannot make their way out of the pore to the surface are only influenced to a minor degree by an absence of regular face washing.

Nonetheless, once acne occurs then good skin hygiene is especially important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water will help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Cleanliness is an excellent for many reasons but it is most helpful in treating acne by providing a good surface for medications to do their work most effectively.

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

Stress

Because stress tends to weaken the body's immune system and also influence its level of hormones it could be thought that stress would play a role in the onset of acne. However, there is no evidence that stress produces acne, but there is evidence to show that it could play a minor role once acne has arrived.

One problem in assessing the role of stress is that people who suffer from chronic stress normally also suffer from other health problems that complicate things. Remember also 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 day to day life.

Medications

A lot of us are tempted to increase the dosage of over-the-counter medications in the belief that if a little medicine does a little good then a lot will do a lot of good. Unhappily, this is not the case and it is both a waste of medicine and can actually damage the skin. Always stick to the instructions on any medicine and if an over-the-counter medicine does not show signs of working within two or three weeks then you should consult your dermatologist.