There are several common acne myths and certain beliefs about the causes of acne that simply don’t square with reputable scientific studies. The facts are usually indisputable but the fiction seems to hold sway.
Fact or Fiction – The Myths surrounding Acne.
Fortunately, you don’t have to understand the science to be able to separate fact from fiction. Simple, common sense can do that.
1. Acne Myths – Diet and Acne?
There’s no direct link between eating chips, chocolate or greasy cheeseburgers and the onset of acne. Neither do sugary soft drinks increase the odds of developing acne.
What is true is that diet plays a role in all your bodily functions and has a minor part in whether acne is more or less likely.
For example, eating greasy foods doesn’t directly translate into increased oil production from the sebaceous glands that contribute to acne, but foods that do increase the oil production would.
However, excess iodized salt is the only food substance that has been shown to have any substantial effect. However, it only makes existing acne worse, it doesn’t cause it.
2. Acne Myths and Personal Hygiene …
Diet and hygiene are closely linked, but that’s because unhygienic people tend to have dirty habits.
A large percentage of people who eat an unhealthy diet lacking in nutritious foods, tend to have poor hygiene habits too. But even here the influence on the development of acne is minor at best.
The odds of acne are increased when your pores get blocked and bacteria are trapped inside.
White blood cells rush to the area to combat the bacteria. Trapped dead skin cells then contribute and the result can be inflammation and the creation of pus, a component of one type of acne.
So, hygiene habits that tend to cause your pores to close can play a role, but the effect is minimal. The dead skin cells and bacteria that get trapped and can’t make their way to the surface of your skin, are only slightly influenced by whether you wash your face regularly.
However, if you have acne, good skin care is particularly important.
A mild cleansing twice a day with soap and water, not heavy scrubbing several times per day, is best. This helps encourage healthy skin regeneration in general.
But acne is strongly influenced by excess sebum production (a natural skin oil), triggered primarily by hormones. Good hygiene is a good idea for many reasons. But it helps more in treating acne that has already occurred by providing a good surface for medications to do their work most effectively.
Harsh cleansers applied roughly don’t just clear away the excess oil that plays a role in acne formation. Rather, it weakens the skin’s ability to deal with it. Also, contemporary makeup formulations will rarely increase the odds of forming acne.
3. Does Stress Cause Acne?
As a factor that weakens the immune system and influences hormones, stress might be thought to play a role in the onset of acne.
But no clear correlation is found in major studies. Stress can have a small effect on acne that has already formed, but as a possible cause it ranks very low on the list.
Here again, though, people who experience excess or chronic stress tend to be in the cluster of those who have other health problems. Always a good thing to avoid.
Remember that stress and being challenged by events in everyday life are not the same thing. Stress occurs when someone thinks they’re not up to the task of dealing with those everyday challenges very well.
4. Medication and Acne Myths …
Increasing the dosage of over the counter or prescription medications to treat acne is harmful, not helpful. At best, it wastes medication. At worst, it can actually harm your skin.
Stick to the instructions for each particular medication.
If over the counter medications don’t clear up the condition within a couple of weeks, seek advice and guidance from a dermatologist, who will suggest specific treatments for specific types of acne.
So look for acne facts not acne fiction.
If you do suffer from acne make sure you find out what type of acne you have and the best treatments for that type.
Always maintain a good daily healthy hygiene routine and eat a proper nutritious diet.
Acne is affected more by what you put inside you than what you put on you.
