Acne Myths Exposed

First of all there is no direct connection between eating such things as chocolate or greasy hamburgers or drinking too many soft drinks and developing acne. What is true is that food plays a role in all the body's systems and therefore it does have a minor part in whether acne is less or more likely.

For instance, greasy foods do not directly turn into rising oil production in the sebaceous glands that contributes to acne, although foods that do increase the oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is as yet the only food substance that has been shown to have any real effect and it just worsens acne and does not cause it.

Hygiene

The odds of developing an acne spot rise when a pore gets plugged and bacteria are trapped inside. What this means is that hygiene habits that work to close the pores can play a role. However this effect is only very small and the dead skin cells and bacteria that get trapped and are unable to make their way out of the pore are influenced only to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.

However, once acne arrives then good skin hygiene is especially important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water can help in treating acne and encouraging healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is an excellent for many reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne because it provides a good surface allowing medications to work most efficiently.

Pimples are strongly influenced by excess production of skin oil (sebum) which is triggered principally by hormones and abrasive cleansers that are applied roughly do not only clear away any excess oil but also damages the skin's ability to handle it.

Stress

As stress has a tendency 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 clear evidence that stress results in acne, although there is some evidence to suggest that it may play a minor role after acne has arrived.

One of the problems in assessing the role of stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress normally also suffer from additional health problems which complicate things. Do not forget too that we are talking here about clinical stress and not merely the worries that we all experience as part of the trials and tribulations of day to day living.

Medications

A lot of individuals are tempted to raise the dosage of an over-the-counter medication in the belief that if a little does a little good then a lot of medication will do a lot of good. Regrettably, this is not the case and it is both a waste of medicine and might actually damage 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 you should consult your dermatologist.

By: Donald Saunders

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