Myths about Acne and Pimples
Like myths about many things in life there are also acne myths. It is common for a really smart “philosopher” makes a new discovery and begins to inform people of his/her discovery. Word-of-mouth communication takes over and like the game where you whisper a phrase from person to to the next person you often get a completely different meaning after it is told from one person to the next.
Some of the myths about acne are:
“Washing Your Face Frequently Will Clear up Acne”
Dirt or grime on the skin is not a cause of acne despite popular belief. This is the first most common myth about acne. In all actuality, pores are not clogged from top to bottom. The real problem lays deep within skin. Impurities are to blame as the walls of a pore stick together within in the skin creating a formation. Since acne is not a surface problem, excessive washing will only irritate and even create blockage of the pores. It is best to gently wash your face only twice a day with only your bare hands. Washed clothes could irritate people’s skin because of the chemicals in the detergent. Always consider detergents without fragrances and that are hypo-allergenic.
“Stress Causes Acne”
In theory, stress could create a hormonal imbalance that could possibly promote acne, yet, a good acne regimen is more powerful to control acne flares than any burst of stress. Therefore, stress is not something that should cause anyone anxiety. Make sure you maintain an acne regimen that works for your skin type.
“Sex and Acne don’t Mix”
This myth has been going around as early as the seventeenth century to keep youthful adults from having premarital interactions with one another. Sex and/or masturbation do not worsen acne. There is not scientific evidence to support this acne myth.
“The Sun Will Help Prevent Acne”
There is no scientific evidence that the sun has any positive effects on acne. Having tanned skin may temporarily hide acne, but sitting in the sun can cause further and more extensive acne outbreaks not to mention premature aging like wrinkles and age spots on the skin and possible skin cancer. It is wise to use some type of skin protection with a minimum SPF rating of 15. It is essential to read all product labels before purchasing sun blocks and only use noncomedogenic or nonacnegenic because these products will not contribute to plugging your pores.
“Squeeze Pimples to Make Them Heal Faster”
Squeezing pimples is actually one of the worse ideas out there. Since each pimple consists of bacteria, dead skin cells and oil; squeezing them will force this infectious trio further into the skin prolonging the healing time. In some cases acne spreads due to squeezing pimples and having the pus spread on the skin. Permanent scaring of the skin is another good reason to not squeeze pimples whether they are whiteheads, blackheads or nasty red bumps.
There are more acne myths than this and you see how believing these acne myths can cause a person a lot of emotional suffering.
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Comments on Myths about Acne and Pimples
This was really helpful. I was told just yesterday to not eat pizza (:
Now I am really happy that I can eat pizza.
Robert,
We are glad that you found this helpful and it is true that grease and oil has not been proven to irritate acne or cause acne breakouts but dairy products have been shown to increase acne flare ups. Get the pizza with pepperoni and no cheese… (:
No really, you should go for a couple weeks without any dairy to see if there is an improvement in your skin. Then try some pizza and see if you don’t experience a breakout in the next 7-10 days. Unfortunately we are all different and so we cannot give one rule for all.
We did an article on How to Prevent Acne and we do mention dairy. I want to write a more extensive article on the relationship of dairy to acne so get on our newsletter and you will get that article when we finish it.
i like this blog, this is really a good acne treatment.
Some of the craziest ideas circulate out there about acne.
Someone was telling me their brand of toothpaste caused their skin to flare up.
Can you believe this ideas? Have you ever heard of these things?
Vic
Someone told me that MSG causes acne, is this another myth? I did not find anything else online.
Angie
A friend and I were talking about the various myths about acne that people believe. My friend brought up such an unusual one that I cannot even think of it right now. Thanks for the list.
Doug
What a great summary of acne myths.
Thanks
Sierra
I have suffered, though not severely, from acne since the start of puberty some 35 years ago. Acne seemed like a life ender when I was 12; it wasn’t, however, it effected my self esteem negatively. I tried every single thing that came along and with no success. The more I scrubbed the worse things were. I had naturally oily skin and hair; so I was told. After I was a little older, 19, and while serving in the military I got a tattoo; it was during the care of a new tattoo that I discovered something that worked to control acne for me; still does. I was told by the tattoo artist to clean my tattoo a few times a day with an liquid foaming anti-bacterial soap that was fragrance free and put a very light coating of moisturizer on my tattoo about 15-20 minuets afterwards to keep it from drying out. This was to avoid infection and to help it heal without scabbing up; which can destroy a tattoo. As I had to shower daily, obviously, I used the same anti-bacterial soap for showers and used cooler water than I typically would have. WoW, within days my acne was virtually all gone. After thinking about those results I started using fragrance free products for laundry as well as bathing and have been rewarded with very few pimples since. This may work for you as well. Cheap an simple. I agree with only using your hands to wash your face and body; wash clothes are not needed to keep yourself clean and generally are far too abrasive for your skin. Be sure after bathing or washing your face and hands to not “Rub” yourself dry with a towel but rather “Pat” your skin dry with a clean towel. One acne product I found worked as a teenager, though with limited success, was Clearasil cream (Tube), but not always. Wash your hands frequently to avoid contact with germs, not just for acne but there are many other things that can bring you problems; such as MRSA. Many people, including doctors, forget about the elevated risk to MRSA when you have acne due to infections of the skin and openings or acne wounds that can give MRSA and other bacteria a direct path to the blood stream. When wearing cologne, do not apply it to your face or neck, try applying it to your clothing or if you feel you must apply it to your skin, apply it to the palm of your hand and wipe it on yourself in an area you may not see when wearing summertime clothing… You would be surprised how little it takes if you apply it to the bottom of your heels; feet sweat; lasts all day. Remember, you are not the first person to have a pimple; you won’t be the last. Also, believe it or not, no one cares if you have one or a hundred. Your friends like you for you, just like you like them for them. One other thing I have discovered, what you eat can and will effect the amount of oil your body produces. McDonalds fries taste great but fatty, starchy foods not only make your skin oily, they make it hard to stay in a healthy body weight. In addition, when you are an adult you may find those fries are still with you and will show up as high cholesterol or some other medical condition that will shorten your life. Eat more salads, vegetables, drink plenty of water. Avoid greasy, fatty foods as not only will they cause problems listed above but do change the way you smell to other people. Every thing that goes in makes you, well, YOU. Greasy foods, soda pop, and heavy creams make your body odors thick and pungent in addition to making your skin greasy or waxy; think blackheads and acne. I hope this information helps you; I had to figure them out for myself as the internet was not around when I was young. The dinosaurs were already gone as well; though just barely. My .02
Hi L Spears,
Thank you for sharing those valuable thoughts. Certainly something for people with pimples to think about.