The Facts And Myths About Acne

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

Food

There is no direct connection between eating greasy cheeseburgers and chocolate or drinking too many soft drinks and getting acne. What is true is that diet plays a role in all the body's systems and therefore it does have a small part in whether developing acne is more or less likely. For example, greasy foods do not directly translate into rising oil production from the sebaceous glands that adds to acne, but foods that do contribute to an increase in oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food that has been shown to have any measurable effect and it merely worsens acne but does not cause it.

Cleanliness

The odds of getting an acne spot rise when a pore gets plugged and bacteria are trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits that tend to close the skin's pores can play a role. But this effect is only minimal and the bacteria and dead cell skins that become trapped and are unable to make their way out of the pore to the surface are influenced only to a small degree by insufficient regular face washing.

Nevertheless, after acne occurs then good skin hygiene is especially important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water can help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is an excellent for many reasons but it helps most in treating acne by providing a good surface for medications to do their work most efficiently. Pimples are greatly influenced by excess skin oil (sebum) production that is triggered in the main by hormones and abrasive cleansers that are applied roughly do not just clear away this excess oil but also damages the skin's ability to deal with it.

Stress

Because 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 evidence that stress leads to acne, although there is evidence to show that it might play a small role once acne has arrived. One of the difficulties in assessing the role of stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress also also suffer from additional health problems that complicate the picture. Do not forget also that we are talking here about clinical stress and not merely the worries that we all have as part of the ups and downs of everyday living.

Medications

Many us are tempted to increase the dosage of an over-the-counter medication in the belief that if a little can do a little good then a lot of medication will do a lot of good. Unhappily, this is not so and it is both a waste of medicine and might actually harm the skin. You should always stick to the instructions on any medicine and if any medicine is not showing signs of working within a reasonable period of time then it is a good idea to talk to your dermatologist.

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