In order to shed the light of truth on some frequent Acne urban legends, here goes the debunking of some of the most popular pimple lore:
Poor hygiene causes Acne.
FALSE!
Your personal hygiene is not necessarily a contributing factor to your acne. As it turns out, washing your face too much can actually make your acne worse! If your skin is too dry, your body will react by producing even more oil, which in turn clogs your pores more, and worsens your acne situation.
Instead, it is recommended to wash your face twice a day with an appropriate face-wash, and patting your face dry to avoid any irritation from vigorous rubbing.
Eating junk food causes Acne.
FALSE!
Believe it or not, there is NO connection between food and acne. Scientists have tried to find a link between acne breakouts and bad diet, and haven’t found hard-proof evidence either way.
If you think that eating a certain food makes your acne worse, try to avoid that specific food to test how your skin responds. As we all know, eating a balanced diet with a lot of fruits, vegetables, and drinking water, will help improve how you feel anyway.
Stress makes my Acne worse.
TRUE and FALSE!
In some cases stress is related to hormonal levels, which is linked to acne and acne flare-ups. In reality, it is more likely that acne causes more stress for you than your stress causes acne.
Studies show that by getting your acne under control, you will improve both the way you feel and look.
Acne is just about appearance.
FALSE!
While it is true that acne is not a disease with serious health risks, it is still a medical condition that can seriously damage your skin, and cause permanent scarring both physically and emotionally. One of the most serious results of acne is how negatively it can affect our self-esteem.
Tanning or sun exposure helps get rid of acne.
FALSE!
While some people feel that a tan or a tanning-bed can help improve acne, there is no scientific proof that this is true. In fact, too much ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning bed can irritate your skin even more. (Not to mention you are unneccesarily putting yourself at risk for skin cancer, premature aging, wrinkles, and skin discoloration.)
For those with acne that are getting sun exposure anyway– make sure to check with your doctor first to make sure that none of your acne treatments make you more sensitive to light.