Acne Myths

It is so difficult when you are a teenager trying to figure out what to do about your acne and you hear stories about why its caused and how to treat it that don't seem to make sense to you. You think that if people are telling you things they must be true. Right? Wrong. Many of the things you'll hear about acne are myths, old wives tales, and fiction created over many years by people who were looking for the answers to the mysteries of acne.

Someone needs to dispel these myths. You've probably heard that chocolate and fatty foods cause acne. This is not true. Studies have proven that the only thing in your diet that can aggravate your acne is iodized salt. Diet is completely unrelated to acne outbreaks. Enjoy the foods you love to eat. But if you suspect that something you eat is affecting your acne what you are likely seeing is a food allergy. Talk to your health care provider at once. 

Some people think that only teenagers get acne. This is not true either.  Twenty percent of all infants have an episode of acne.  Five percent of all women over forty still deal with acne problems and will until menopause. At the same age one percent of men still have some acne problem.

Many of you will have heard that poor hygiene cause acne. No, it doesn't.  Usually people with acne actually over wash their faces trying to rid themselves of the blemishes. This actually isn't good as it can irritate the acne.  Acne is caused by an overproduction of body oils that clog the pores and no amount of washing or scrubbing can change that. At the same time acne sufferers believe that lying in the sun will benefit their skin condition by drying out these access oils. Unfortunately, the suns rays do nothing for your skin accept cause wrinkles, and potentially lead to skin cancer.

If you are taking antibiotic medication to help clear up your acne once the acne is gone do not stop taking the medication. Many people think that is okay to stop since they cannot see any reason to take it once the blemishes have cleared. This is wrong. You must never stop taking any kind of medication without your doctor's agreement.  Stopping the medication before its time could easy cause it to come right back. 

Other odd myths that people still believe include that sex causes acne; this is not true at all.  What about stress causes acne?  This too is not correct. Though stress has been known to make acne worse if doesn't cause it. This is not as silly as suggesting leave it alone and it'll go away. Although if you have acne you are encouraged not to touch it or pick at it, you needn't ignore it either. There are some things that will help improve your acne though if you've heard there is a cure, sorry but that one isn't true either.

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