There are some acne myths that SOUND good, but are truly acne myths. A few of them are:
Premarital sex or masturbation causes acne. Not so, the myth was around before you were born (like the 1700′s) to try to prevent premarital sex or mastrubation by the youth of the society.
Stress causes acne. Not so here either. Stress can aggrivate acne, but it does not cause it. Bacteria causes acne. Plain and simple.
Diet causes acne. An allergic reaction to some foods may cause acne, but gosh, if you get acne after eating a specific food then don’t eat it. Chocolate, wine, greasy french fries and so forth do not cause acne, they may make you gain weight, but they don’t give you acne (unless you are allergic to them) so relax, just eat them in moderation to avoid the calories and fats.
If I get a good suntan my acne will go away. Nope, sorry, this isn’t true either, in fact, too much sun will cause your body to produce more sebum (the oil that your body produces to keep your skin soft and moist) which will clog your pores and make the probability of acne increase rather than decrease. That doesn’t mean you should stay out of the sun, just use common sense, sunblock and don’t burn. When you come in from the tanning be sure to gently wash off the sunblock to keep your pores clean by removing excess gunk.
Wash your face many times a day. Don’t! Wash your face twice a day using the soap that Pat has available in her store. Use your hands to wash your face rather than a Buff Puff or sponge (washcloths can be too abrasive too if you really rub hard) because they will tear your skin (you probably won’t see the tears but your pores will and the bacteria will thank you for giving them new areas to infect.) Don’t overwash, this stimulates the sebrum production and is asking for problems.
Acne is caused by poor hygiene. Nope, this too is an acne myth, it is caused by bacteria. If you wash your face twice a day with Pat’s soap (available in the store) the way discussed earlier in this post you will certainly not have poor hygiene (wash your body too to avoid body acne…not twice a day…gosh…a shower a day will do it for your body and you do that everyday anyway so you don’t have poor hygiene!)
Acne is a cosmetic disease. Of course acne makes you feel icky, of course it looks bad, but the fact is, it is not a serious threat to your health. Keep your fingers off the acne, don’t pick, pinch, dig or whatever, if you do the possiblilty of scarring is strong….then it’s cosmetic. All you accomplish by picking, pinching or digging is to open a larger area for the bacteria to grow.
Don’t wear makeup. Of course you can wear makeup. Just use the waterbased products or those that are marked noncomedognetic or nonacnegenic. These products are designed to not block your pores. Again, be sure to wash your face twice a day, the last time making sure you remove all remaining makeup to keep your pores open and clean.
Using more medicine will get your acne under control Big acne myth! If you are breaking out and over do the medicine you will dry out your skin and cause it to become truly irritated making it produce more oil and then…..yes, you will have a major breakout. Over doing medicine is NOT the right answer. Wash your face twice a day, that will do it.
Acne is for teens, as an adult you won’t get it. Not true. Adults certainly can get acne, men and women between the ages of 24 and 44 get acne. Senior citizens also get acne. Acne is not just pimples, it is also whiteheads, blackheads and cysts. Again, wash your face twice a day!
Smoking causes acne. Not so. Although smoking will certainly leave residue on your skin and damage the tissue after years causing wrinkles, it does not cause acne.
Only perscription drugs will cure acne. Not so, wash your face twice a day. Although there are some acne issues that need to be addressed by a dermatologist (severe acne) most can be addressed with a quality soap (such as Pat’s soap available on the store page…..and it’s cheap!)
The dark stuff in blackheads is dirt. Not so, it’s a combination of dead skin and oil (remember sebum?). A blackhead is a clogged pore that is open on the surface, the material inside oxidizes and turns black, therein the name blackhead.
Toothpaste or hemorriod cream will clear up your acne. Another acne myth! Although it may dry out the surface of the pimple it certainly won’t cure it. In fact, it may irritate the skin and cause more problems. Bummer!
If you have cyst acne you may need to visit a dermatologist for more specific acne treatment. Severe acne is something that
A breakout of acne is not something that will clear up over night. It can take up to 8 weeks to get it totally cleaned up. Wash your face twice a day, drink LOTS of water (to remove toxins from your system). That doesn’t mean soda or juice, it means water. Think about it, sodas and juice, coffe and tea all have substances that leave residue in your system. Water flushes your system, it’s good for you! (in more ways than just removing toxins for acne…drink water!!)