Exposing Acne Myths

I enjoy exposing acne myths. Let's dispel some acne myths and get to the facts. There's plenty of myths about acne out there, so you may hold some incorrect beliefs.

Exposing Acne Myth #1: Food Does Not Cause Acne

This is probably the most widely held belief about acne these days. It is still reinforced by many authoritative doctors, dermatologists, and web sites. However, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

This myth was started by a few studies done many decades ago, which have now been shown to be flawed. While the flaws do not prove food causes acne, they certainly debase any claims made by those studies. The problem is that these studies which state food has no relationship to acne greatly influenced the entire scientific community. The influence was great enough that it will take many more conclusive studies which support the claim that food does play a role in causing acne in order to "change the minds" of doctors, dermatologists, and scientists throughout the world.

On the flip-side, there have been many studies that show a link between certain types of food and acne. Specifically, any foods that can spike our blood sugar levels (i.e. foods with a high glycemic-load) wreak havoc on our bodies which can affect the skin as well. Of course, more research needs to be done to really hammer down the science but there is no doubt a link exists between food and acne.

There is a chocolate acne myth that is related to this bigger myth. It is likely the sugar and other ingredients with a high glycemic-load in your chocolate bar can trigger acne. However, the raw cacao bean is actually a very healthy super-food - it's all the junk companies mix it with that can make chocolate bars unhealthy.

If you want to get technical, I believe food is more accurately described as a trigger for acne. The cause-effect chain for acne is very complicated, so it is hard to pin point any one specific cause. That's because there isn't one!

The thing is, if you let this technicality of semantics get in the way... you can confuse people and lead them to believe that there is no link between food and acne. You are what you eat, and it's no different with acne.

Avoid high glycemic-load foods such as sugar and grains. It's not easy, but there are many other health benefits apart from clearing your skin.

Exposing Acne Myth #2: Dirt Causes Acne

Dust and dirt don't cause acne. The blockages/clogs/plugs occur deeper inside your skin, from all the dead skin cells, sebum, and other material that wants to get out of your body.

Think about it. If dirt caused acne, then coal miners would have the worst breakouts in the world!

In fact, washing your face too often could actually make your acne worse. Washing your skin causes irritation, and that increases the chances for acne to develop. In addition, you strip away the protective oil barrier your glands excrete to lubricate your skin and hair.

I used to wash my face several times a day - pretty much any time I went into the bathroom. I did this because my skin felt greasy and I felt that washing would help my acne problem. What I didn't know was that my sebaceous glands would then compensate and excrete more oil.

More oil coming out means a greater chance for acne. Washing my face too often made my acne worse! Your skin wants to be in a state of balance. Once I stopped washing my face as often, my skin felt and looked better.

Wash your face with your hands and avoid a washcloth to prevent excess irritation. Be as gentle as possible with your skin. Either pat gently or air dry. Do not rub your face.

Exposing Acne Myth #3: Sex or Masturbation Causes Acne

This is an old-wives tale from many centuries ago that was used to encourage abstinence amongst young people. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.

Whenever this claim is made though, there can be some confusion. This is because sex drive and acne are at least partially triggered by androgens (hormones). It's this similarity that can make some people think the two may also share a cause-effect relationship.

There is some evidence that shows that hormone levels do rise slightly after an orgasm, but not at a significant amount or for a long period of time.

Exposing Acne Myth #4: Popping Zits Make Them Go Away Faster

Popping a pimple may make it seem like it is less noticeable, since you can get rid of the whitehead which has a stark contrast to the rest of your skin. However, the irritation will make your skin redder which is more noticeable anyways.

Also realize that nobody is as harsh a critic as you are about your skin. If you've got mild acne, most people don't even notice. They will barely notice moderate acne. And if you have severe acne, you really don't want to be popping those pimples.

Why? Well when you pop a zit, not all of the bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells come out. Some of it will always be pushed back into the skin. This will cause more redness, swelling, and a relapse of that zit and potentially more zits in that area. Not only that, you make the potential for scarring worse - which is already pretty bad for severe acne.

I know it can be hard. I used to be a regular pimple popper myself. This takes some mental effort and control, but you can do it!

Exposing Acne Myth #5: Tanning Gets Rid of Acne

I used to be a believer of this myself, but my own personal experience and research has shown that it's just not true.

Yes, you do get a short term improvement in the look of your skin. This is because exposure to the sun causes your skin tone to blend in with the acne marks. But this is just a mask and doesn't actually treat the acne.

Getting too much sun and burning is actually extremely irritating for your skin, and that can make your acne even worse. You will find that new breakouts may form as your skin tries to heal from the previous damage.

I would always find my acne to be at its worst in the fall months, when I'd get less sun. It's like all the irritation I caused to my skin over the summer would come back to bite me. I live in Canada and during the winter I get very little sunlight. During the summer I'd try to get as much of a tan as I could.

This large change in the amount of sunlight I'd be taking throughout the year would wreak havoc on my skin. I now know that moderation is key.

In fact, the sun has many benefits. It can boost your mood and reduce stress, which is a plus in general as well as for preventing acne.

Even just because of our common sense we know that the sun is good for us. Science knows that too; sun enables our body to generate vitamin D. You just have to be careful not to get burnt, because sooner or later you'll get burnt by your acne problem too.

What to Believe?

I hope to have dispelled some myths about acne that you have had. Exposing acne myths can be a tough job with all the conflicting information out there, but I'm glad to do it to give you the most accurate information possible. There are even some sources that claim to be exposing acne myths that are in contradiction to what I'm saying! It's hard to know who to believe, so I recommend you experiment and see for yourself as to who is correct.

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