There are a lot of different acne myths out there triggered off by statements that are arbitrarily made about acne. These statements have no scientific basis at all and can easily be dismissed with common sense if we give it a little bit of thought.
Acne Myths - Diet
Contrary to popular notion, greasy food does not cause grease in our pores. Hamburgers and fries will not cause an outbreak. Chocolate does not cause acne and soda pop will definitely not make your skin break out in pimples. Diet does play a role in how well our systems function; specific allergies may influence acne development and food that causes an increase in oil production, such as like iodized salt, can make an acne problem worse. However, and this is important; it is not the cause of acne.
Acne Myths - Hygiene
Another common acne myth is that it is caused by poor hygiene. While hygiene does play a role in helping to clear acne and even preventing it, there are thousands of people out there who do follow a good skin care regimen and still have an acne condition. It is true that when pores are clogged, acne can develop easier and faster. Clogged pores keep oils, bacteria and dead skin cells trapped. That causes the skin to be inflamed and pus to develop in clogged pores.
Hygiene habits have a minimal effect on whether acne develops in the first place but taking good care of your skin after acne breaks out is an essential part of treatment.
Cleansing the area with a mild cleanser twice a day is the best way to keep your skin clean and healthy. Don’t overdo it with the scrubbing, though, as scrubbing only hurts the skin. The same is true for harsh cleansers. Over cleansing with scrubbing and harsh cleansers can make the problem worse because it strips away layers of skin that are meant to be protective.
Acne Myths - Stress
Stress itself does not cause acne breakouts. Stress does have an influence on hormone production and hormones have their role to play in acne formation. Still, the role of stress is more general than specific when it comes to acne. Stress impacts our health in general. If someone is dealing with a lot of stress over a period of time, their body will react in a negative manner. This may trigger acne in those who are prone to it. Being stressed out over a test does not make you get pimples.
Acne Myths - Medication
Contrary to another of the more popular acne myths, more medication does not mean better prevention. Using too much of an over the counter or prescription medicine will not make the acne go away faster than using it as recommended. Over medicating can dry out the skin and eventually make the problem worse. If you are using over the counter treatments and you are still having problems after a couple of weeks, it would be wise to call a dermatologist as you may need a change in medication. When using any acne medication it is important that you follow the instructions carefully in order for the medication to be effective.
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