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There is a great deal of information distributed about acne and what causes it and that information is a mixture of both fact and fiction. Accordingly, let us take a look at some of those things which are being circulated and see if we can work out the fact from the myth.

Food

First of all there is no direct connection between eating such things as greasy cheeseburgers and chocolate or drinking excessive soft drinks and getting spots. What is true is that food plays an important role in the way the body functions and so it does have a small part in whether developing acne is more or less likely.

For instance, greasy foods do not directly translate into increased oil production from the sebaceous glands that adds to acne, although foods that do increase the oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food substance that has been shown to have any real effect and it merely worsens acne and does not cause it.

Hygiene

The chances of getting a pimple increase when a pore gets blocked and bacteria are trapped inside. What this means is that hygiene habits that work to close the pores can play a role. But this effect is only small 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 an absence of regular face washing.

Nevertheless, once acne occurs good skin care is particularly important and mild cleansing two times a day with soap and water can help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is an excellent for a number of reasons but it helps most in treating acne by providing a good surface for medications to work most effectively.

Spots are strongly influenced by excess skin oil (sebum) production which is triggered principally by hormones and harsh cleansers which are applied roughly do not merely clear away any excess oil but also weakens the the ability of the skin to cope with it.

Stress

As stress tends to weaken the body’s immune system and also influence its hormone levels it may be thought that stress would play a role in the onset of acne. However, there is no evidence that stress causes acne, although there is some evidence to suggest that it might play a minor role after acne has developed.

One difficulty with assessing the role played by stress is that people who suffer from chronic stress generally also suffer from other health problems which complicate things. Remember too that we are talking here about clinical stress and not just the worries that we all experience as part of the ups and downs of day to day life.

Medications

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

Tags: Beauty