Myths about Acne

Published:January 27th, 2012

Acne is the most common skin disease, especially in teenagers. Since it is usually a benign condition, many myths and false beliefs have been prevalent in the society. These myths are passed on over generations. You hear about them so often, either from family or from friends, that ultimately you think some of them to be true. This misinformation actually may lead to an aggravation of the condition.

Let’s talk about some of the common acne myths:

Acne is caused by diet

One of the most common myths that is prevalent is that eating oily and fatty food such as burgers, French fries, pizzas and chocolates can cause an outbreak of acne. Medical science does not support this fact. In fact there is no correlation between what you eat and outbreaks of acne, as long as you eat everything sensibly and in moderate amounts.

Repeated washing of face cures Acne or Acne is caused by poor hygiene

You must have been lured by saucy commercials into buying useless face washes and soaps, claiming to clear your skin of acne if used multiple times a day to wash your face. One of the most important reasons behind the success of these commercials is the prevalence of the myth that poor hygiene may result in acne formation. The cause of acne is excess oil produced beneath the skin surface, which clogs the pores; alas you cannot reach there
and clean it. You may actually end up irritating the skin pores by washing and rubbing them again and again, which can lead to bacterial infection and pimple formation.

Acne is cured by sun exposure

This is again a myth. Sun exposure causes tanning or darkening of skin. Your facial redness due to acne gets concealed temporarily by this tan. As soon as the tan disappears, the acne is again visible. Moreover, excessive exposure to sun increases the risk of skin cancer and may also result in premature aging of skin.

If you want to cure acne, squeeze the pimples

This is a common misconception that if a pimple (also whitehead and blackhead) is squeezed in the very beginning, it will get cured. On the contrary, this can lead to spreading of bacterial infection thus aggravating the condition. Repeated squeezing also increases scar formation which looks ugly and difficult to treat.  So curb that habit of squeezing a bump as soon as you spot it.

Make up use can cause Acne

Nowadays several nonacnegenic or noncomedogenic cosmetics products are available in the market which can be used without getting an acne outbreak.

Sex and masturbation can cause acne or Sex can cure acne

Both of these are misconceptions prevalent in the society. There is no correlation between acne and sex or masturbation.

Acne is a contagious skin infection

Acne is not an infection skin disease. If one of your friends has acne, you will not contract it from him.

Acne affects only teenagers

Though teenagers are most affected by acne, it is not uncommon for adults to have it too.

Believing in misconceptions like these, may act as a hindrance in your assessment, prevention and cure of acne.

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