Acne Myths

By: Michelle Conliffe : Freelance health writer

Despite the raising awareness about acne worldwide there still exist some astonishing myths about the cause of the condition within the general public. These half-truths and exaggerations are networked between friend’s family members and are even published in well-known beauty magazines, giving them disturbing inappropriate credibility.

For those of us who suffer from acne this misinformation can result in acne regimes and practices that can actually make acne worse. This section acnesolutionshome.com is intended to dispel some of the common myths and better help educate you.

Acne is caused by dirt. Dirt does not cause acne. Acne is formed when dead skin sells mix with sebum (the body’s natural oil) and form a plug in the hair follicle or your skins pores. This has nothing to do with dirt and so over washing you face i.e. washing more than 2-3 times per day will not help your acne. In fact over washing can make acne worse since harsh abrasive scrubs triggers the skin to produce more sebum (oil) thus continuing the cycle.

Acne is a Teenage problem – You will grow out of it This is harmful since many teenagers may wait it out instead of seeking treating; the result can be permanent scaring of the skin, poor self-esteem, depression and withdrawal. The second problem is that adults who presently have acne may think that there is something seriously wrong with them and may fail to seek treatment. Acne has no age limit.

Spot treatment works. The truth is that this is not totally true. While some over-the-counter products do offer some alleviation to the problem they do not solve the problem. Typically a blemish takes 2-3 weeks to develop so if you are treating the symptom rather than the cause then you will be trapped in this cycle of spot treatments. The best way to treat acne is to find a solution that stops the blemishes from developing in the first place. This may mean a daily topical treatment regime and a serious check on nutrition and diet

Certain foods cause acne. Not true, French fries, chocolate, pizza and coca cola did not give you the zits that you have today. Medical science has not been able to find a direct link between these foods and your pimples. This is no excuse to binge of course and a health diet is always best. Remember in you fight against acne you will need a healthy immune system, and a body that rids itself of waste daily.

Make-up causes acne. By know I thing that you know that keeping your pores clear is important and so you should be using makeup that is non-comedogenic, which means they won’t clog your pores. When shopping for cosmetics, look for products that are non-comedogenic, oil-free (water-based) and hypoallergenic (no added fragrance). However please understand also that strenuous exercise can cause make-up, even the right kinds, to migrate across the skin and into the pores — so do not wear makeup when you exercise

Acne is caused by too much sex. Androgens are the hormones that become puberty and are one of acne’s contributing factors. These are the hormones that initiate sex drive but they have no effect on your acne.

Antibiotics reduce the effects of oral contraceptives. In the past several doctors believed that combining oral contraceptives with certain antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills and there fore increase the risk of pregnancy. Studies on a large numbers of patients have failed to find any relationship between the two. Therefore, once you have consulted with you doctors you should not let this myth prevent you from finding a cure for your acne.

Sweating cleans out your pores. Working out is important to health; however, it can cause flare-ups for some people. Vigorous exercise stimulates oil production, which in combination with heat, perspiration and frication can aggravate acne on the forehead, chest and back. You can minimize irritation by wearing loose cotton clothing and by showering immediately after exercising.

Sun exposure helps acne. Not true, minimal amounts of sun exposure may initially improve the appearance of acne since, as the skin darkens the dark spots becomes less noticeable. However, prolonged exposure promotes rapid exfoliation of dead skin cells, and can result in the clogging of pores. Additionally, post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation and mascules will get darker if they are exposed to the sun for a prolonged time.

Stress Causes acne. Exaggerated a bit, for while stress does not cause acne it can trigger a flare-up. When the body is over stressed it increases the production of cortisol, which causes the sebaceous gland to produce more oil. Since, and individual response to stress varies it is difficult to gauge the effect on the skin.

Acne is curable. Not yet, but we are at the point where we can effectively treat the symptoms with much success. The best regime is to intercept the cycle. There is a wide range of treatments available, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find one that works for you. The thing to remember is that even if your blemishes go away, your acne is not cured. It’s important to be diligent about your treatment plan, even after your skin is clear. Please visit acne treatments for more information.