Myth #1: Acne is not caused by diet. This is one of the most common acne myths that dermatology textbooks will emphasize. They often state, emphatically, that eating sugary foods such as candy, cookies and cakes or fried foods such as french fries, onion rings or potato chips make no difference.
This ‘fact’ has been the dermatologist’s company line for many decades. Naturally one would assume that many clinical studies had been carried out on the subject to back up these claims, how else could the scientific community have reached this unanimous decision? You would be wrong to assume this is correct. This long time misconception was built on just a handful of poorly-designed studies.
The main study that supports the diet-doesn’t-affect-acne myth was done over 40 years ago and was highly flawed. Two groups of teenage acne sufferers were given specifically manufactured candy bars. Group 1 was given bars with high amounts and chocolate and group 2 received bars with high levels of vegetable oil. Both groups were then observed for a thirty-day period. Because the bars had the same caloric value it was claimed that the study was controlled. Using a bit of common sense shows the flaws in the study’s design.
First of all:
1. There is no mention of the teenagers’ diets at the beginning of the study. This leads to endless questions – were they fast food junkies? did they also eat a lot of chocolate, pizza, carbonated beverages and candy? None of these questions were asked.
2. The teenager’s were already suffering from acne. Therefore, introducing candy bars provided no insight into what caused the acne to begin with. The study didn’t address the unique set of conditions that existed for each of the participants
and what contributed to their disease. The most the examiners could hope for, under these testing conditions, was to discover what impact the two types of candy bars might have on the teens’ existing acne.
3. The testers provided for no controls of what the teens ate during the study! This fact alone creates a real problem when evaluating the merit of the studies findings. This makes the term ‘controlled study’ absolutely false.
So it’s no surprise that the findings concluded that neither group of teens showed any change in their condition after eating the candy bars for the month.
This poorly designed study has lead to one of the greatest, and most-perpetuated, myths in dermatology and has deprived acne sufferers of the knowledge that what they eat does have an effect on their condition.
Acne is an inflammatory disease and all acne lesions are inflammatory. A poor diet, one full of pro-inflammatory foods, will cause the body to break down and age prematurely, leaving it susceptible to a variety of diseases including acne. This is just plain common sense. Please take a look at some further reading on a proper acne diet.
Myth #2: Acne is caused by poor hygiene. Acne is not caused by dirt or surface oils. Your follicles do not get blocked from the skin surface down by a build up of “impurities”. If you wash your skin harshly and too often, you can actually worsen your acne by irritating the skin. Gently wash your face once or twice a day with a mild acne soap, pat dry and use an effective acne medication.
Myth #3: Acne is only a cosmetic disease. Although acne does affect the way people look and is not otherwise a major threat to a person’s physical health, acne can result in scars. Scars, and acne itself, can definitely affect one’s self image. Fortunately, there are a growing number of acne scar removal options.
Myth #4: Acne just has to run its course. The truth is there are many options for clearing up acne . If the acne products you’ve tried to date haven’t worked you can always consider visiting a dermatologist. With the wide variety of products on the market today there is no reason to endure acne or risk an acne scar.
Myth #5: The sun will help get rid of acne. There is no proof of this. Sun exposure can cause skin irritation which can worsen acne. You may even notice your skin breaking out as it heals from any sun damage. Sun exposure is not all bad, we do get vitamin D from it, for instance. However, limiting your sun exposure on acne prone areas is most likely a good idea, but a limited amount is certainly okay.
Myth #6: Masturbation or sex causes acne. Truly a myth. It originated in the 1600’s as a dishonest attempt to dissuade young people from having premarital sex. It has absolutely no scientific basis. We do know that higher levels of male androgens (like testosterone) can lead to an increased sex drive. Studies have also proven that higher levels of these male hormones can be related to increased acne. So it’s not the increased sex drive that is related to acne but the higher hormone levels that are another cause.
Myth #7: Stress doesn’t cause acne. This one is debated but there is evidence that when we are under stress a chemical messenger called a cytokine can cause the cells within the pores to become sticky which results in clogged pores. However, effective acne treatments are more powerful than a bout of short term stress. Rather than feeling guilty about stress, your time is better spent finding the right acne treatment.
Myth #8: Popping Pimples will get rid of acne. Though popping a pimple may seem like a good idea, it can cause the lesion to remain longer. Popping pimples can push bacteria deeper into your skin, making the area around the break-out even more inflamed. Sometimes, popping a pimple will cause a scar to form that could last for months and some scars and imperfections can last forever.
Myth #9: Overusing medication will speed healing. Using too much OTC or prescription medication can lead to worsening of acne since it often leads to irritation, dryness and more break outs. Keep in mind that prescription acne medication, when taken as directed, often requires several weeks to provide a noticeable effect (Accutane is normally prescribed for a 20 week course). If your condition doesn’t improve, usually by 6 to 8 weeks, you should consider talking to a dermatologist.
Myth #10: The stronger the medication, the better. Some acne suferrers believe that if a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide solution is working, then a 10% solution will work even better. The truth is, if a lower dose is working well, then increasing it will not necessarily have a better effect on your acne and may only end up costing you more money. Remember, the lowest level of medication with therapeutic value is usually to best way to go, stronger treatments should be reserved for more severe cases such as acne vulgaris.
Myth #11: Drying out your skin will heal your acne. Our skin surface needs a certain level of sebum (oil) and products that over-dry your skin will just cause an increased production of oil. Trying to strip all oil from your skin is one of the greatest acne myths, it will often just make it red with irritation and can worsen acne.
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