Ryan Galiotto

As with many conditions there is a lot of information out there about acne and its causes and that information tends to be a mixture of both fiction and fact. Accordingly, let us look at some of those things that are being said and see if we can divide the fact from the fiction.

Diet

First of all there is no direct connection between eating such things as greasy hamburgers and chocolate or drinking too many soft drinks and developing acne spots. It is the case however that diet plays an important role in the way the body functions and therefore it does have a minor role to play in whether acne is more or less likely.

For instance, greasy foods do not directly translate into increased oil production from the sebaceous glands that adds to acne, although foods that do increase the oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food substance that has been shown to have any real effect and it merely worsens acne and does not cause it.

Cleanliness

The chances of developing an acne spot are increased when a pore becomes plugged and bacteria get trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits that tend to close the skin’s pores can play a role. However this effect is only very small and the bacteria and dead cell skins that become trapped and are unable to make their way out of the pore are influenced only to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.

Nevertheless, after acne occurs good skin hygiene is especially important and mild cleansing two times a day with soap and water can help in treating acne and encouraging healthy skin in general. Cleanliness is an excellent for several reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne by providing a good surface allowing medications to do their work most effectively.

Spots are strongly influenced by excess skin oil (sebum) production which is triggered principally by hormones and harsh cleansers which are applied roughly do not merely clear away any excess oil but also weakens the the ability of the skin to cope with it.

Stress

As stress tends to weaken the body’s immune system and also influence its hormone levels it may be thought that stress would play a role in the onset of acne. However, there is no evidence that stress causes acne, although there is some evidence to suggest that it might play a minor role after acne has developed.

One difficulty with assessing the role played by stress is that people who suffer from chronic stress generally also suffer from other health problems which complicate things. Remember too that we are talking here about clinical stress and not just the worries that we all experience as part of the ups and downs of day to day life.

Medications

A lot of us are tempted to raise the dosage of an over-the-counter medication in the belief that if a little can do a bit of good a lot will do a lot of good. Unfortunately, this is not so and it is both a waste of medication and might actually harm the skin. Always follow the instructions on any medication and if an over-the-counter medication does not show signs of working within a reasonable period of time then it is a good idea to talk to a dermatologist.