Acne Myths Exploded
April 25th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
As with most conditions there is a great deal of information out there about acne and what causes it and that information is a mix of both fiction and fact. Thus, let us look at some of those things which are being circulated and see if we can work out the fact from the myth.
Diet
There is no direct connection between eating things like greasy cheeseburgers and chocolate or drinking too many soft drinks and getting acne. What is true is that food plays a role in the way the body functions and therefore it does have a minor role to play in whether getting acne is more or less likely.
For instance, eating greasy foods does not directly convert into rising oil production within the sebaceous glands that adds 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 shown to have any appreciable effect and it merely exacerbates existing acne but does not cause it.
Cleanliness
The chances of developing a spot are increased when a pore becomes plugged and bacteria get trapped inside. What this means is that hygiene habits which work to close the skin’s pores can play a role. But this effect is only very small and the bacteria and dead cell skins that become trapped and are unable to work their way out of the pore are only influenced to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.
But, once acne occurs good skin hygiene is particularly important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water helps in treating acne and encouraging healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is a good idea for a number of reasons but it helps most in treating acne by providing a good surface allowing medications to do their work most effectively.
Acne is greatly influenced by excess production of skin oil (sebum) which is triggered in the main by hormones and harsh cleansers which are applied roughly do not merely clear away any excess oil but also affects the the ability of the skin to cope with it.
Stress
As stress tends to weaken the body’s immune system and influence its level of hormones it may be thought that stress would play a part in the onset of acne. However, there is no clear evidence to suggest that stress causes acne, but there is some evidence to suggest that it could play a small role once acne has developed.
One of the difficulties with assessing the role played by stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress also also suffer from additional health problems that complicate things. Remember also that here we are talking about clinical stress and not merely the worries that we all have as part of the ups and downs of day to day life.
Medicines
Many individuals are tempted to increase the dosage of over-the-counter medications believing that if a little medication can do a bit of good then a lot of medicine will do a lot of good. Unfortunately, this is not the case and it is both a waste of medication and could actually damage the skin. Always follow the instructions on any medication and if an over-the-counter medicine does not show signs of working within two or three weeks then it is a good idea to seek the guidance of a dermatologist.
It is also worthy of note 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 person will not necessarily do the trick for someone else.
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