There is a lot of information available about acne and its causes and that information tends to be a mix of both fact and fiction. Thus, let us take a look at some of those things which are being said and see if we can separate the fact from the myth.
Food
There is no direct connection between eating things like greasy hamburgers and chocolate or drinking excessive soft drinks and developing pimples. What is true is that what we eat plays an important role in all the body's systems and thus it does have a small part in whether developing acne is more or less likely.
For instance, greasy foods do not directly turn into rising oil production within the sebaceous glands which contributes to acne, but foods that do contribute to an increase in oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food substance which has been shown to have any appreciable effect and it merely exacerbates acne but does not cause it.
Hygiene
The odds of getting a spot are increased when a pore gets blocked and bacteria get trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits which tend to close the pores can play a role. However this effect is only minimal and the bacteria and dead cell skins which become trapped and cannot make their way out of the pore are influenced only to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.
But, after acne occurs good skin care is especially important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water will help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is a good idea for many reasons but it helps most in treating acne by providing a good surface for medications to work most efficiently.
Acne is strongly influenced by excess production of sebum (skin oil) that is triggered in the main by hormones and harsh cleansers which are applied roughly do not merely clear away this excess oil but also weakens the the ability of the skin to cope with it.
Stress
Because stress tends to weaken the body's immune system and also influence its hormone levels it may be thought that stress would play a part in the onset of acne. However, there is no clear evidence that stress causes acne, although there is evidence to show that it may play a minor role once acne has developed.
One problem in assessing the role of stress is that people who suffer from chronic stress generally also suffer from additional health problems which complicate things. Bear in mind too that here we are talking about clinical stress and not just the worries that we all experience as part of the ups and downs of day to day living.
Medicine
A lot of individuals are tempted to raise the dosage of an over-the-counter medication believing that if a little does a bit of good then a lot will do a lot of good. Unhappily, this is not the case and it both wastes medication and could actually harm the skin. Always stick to the instructions on any medicine and if any medicine does not show signs of working within two or three weeks then it is a good idea to seek the guidance of your dermatologist.
It is also worthy of note that there is no such thing as the best acne medicine. We are all different and a medication which proves to be the best acne medication for one individual will not necessarily do the trick for somebody else.
