Acne Myths
There are many myths about acne, it's causes and how it should be treated. To set the record straight we have identified the most popular of these myths which are often misleading and sometimes result in acne sufferers causing themselves permanent harm.
Myth #1: Acne is caused by poor hygiene. If
you believe this myth, and wash your skin hard and frequently, you can actually make your
acne worse. Acne is not caused by dirt or surface skin oils. Although excess oils, dead
skin and a day's accumulation of dust on the skin looks unsightly, they should not be
removed by hand scrubbing. Vigorous washing and scrubbing will actually irritate the skin
and make acne worse. The best approach to hygiene and acne: Gently wash your face twice a
day with a mild soap, pat dry--and use an appropriate acne treatment for the acne.
Myth #2: Acne is caused by diet. Extensive scientific studies have not
found a connection between diet and acne. In other words, food does not cause acne. Not
chocolate. Not french fries. Not pizza. Nonetheless, some people insist that certain foods
affect their acne. In that case, avoid those foods. Besides, eating a balanced diet always
makes sense. However, according to the scientific evidence, if acne is being treated
properly, there's no need to worry about food affecting the acne.
Myth #3: Acne is caused by stress. The ordinary stress of day-to-day
living is not an important factor in acne. Severe stress that needs medical attention is
sometimes treated with drugs that can cause acne as a side effect. If you think you may
have acne related to a drug prescribed for stress or depression, you should consult your
physician.
Myth #4: Acne is just a cosmetic disease. Yes, acne does affect the way
people look and is not otherwise a serious threat to a person’s physical health.
However, acne can result in permanent physical scars--plus, acne itself as well as its
scars can affect the way people feel about themselves to the point of affecting their
lives.
Myth #5: You just have to let acne run its course. The truth is, acne can
be cleared up. If the acne products you have tried haven’t worked, consider seeing a
dermatologist. With the products available today, there is no reason why someone has to
endure acne or get acne scars.
Myth #6: Masturbation Cause / Prevents Acne.
There is no correlation between acne and masturbation, sexual activity, or sexually
transmitted diseases. Masturbating does not cause pimples. Masturbation is a perfectly
normal healthy activity, for girls and guys, for women and men. Some people may worry that
masturbation is harmful because they've heard myths or stories (such as the lies preached
by Americans for Purity) but they are not true. In fact, masturbation is one of the body's
ways to relieve stress. Most guys notice changes in their body, like facial hair growth
and ejaculation, between the ages of 10-14 while girls develop breasts and body hair. Most
often the changes are complete by the age of 20. These changes are all a part of
puberty.Puberty is a time when hormones stimulate change in all parts of the body. Both
guys' and girls' sweat glands will produce greater amounts of sweat and oil glands will
produce greater amounts of oil. As a result, acne may appear. The hormonal changes of
puberty that cause acne also cause a greater interest in sex. It is important to remember
that although increased masturbation may occur at a time when acne develops, masturbation
does not make acne happen nor will it make it stop.
Myth #7: Squeezing Comedones (A Myth That Can Hurt and Cause Serious
Damage)
Myths about acne die hard. Comments from Acne Heal Website visitors indicate that acne
myths are not only alive but thriving by being passed along on the Internet. A persistent
myth about acne is that acne clears up faster when blackheads are squeezed. Not only is
this myth false, squeezing blackheads may result in harm to the skin.
As tempting as it may be to squeeze open or closed comedones (blackheads and
whiteheads)—don’t do it. Squeezing comedones is much more likely to make acne
worse than to improve it.
All scientific evidence indicates that blackheads should not be squeezed. Neither should
they be removed at home using a "blackhead extractor" for sale on the Internet
or in magazine advertisements. The fully developed blackhead does usually not become
inflamed unless it is manipulated by squeezing. The trauma of squeezing can (1) injure the
sebaceous follicle and the tissue around it, and (2) force contents of the blackhead
deeper into tissue as well as extruding it to the surface of the skin. The result can be
initiation of an inflammatory reaction (1) to tissue injury and (2) to bacteria and their
chemical products contained in the blackhead’s contents. Left alone, fully developed
blackheads usually do not become inflamed.
Squeezing or picking whiteheads (closed comedones) or microcomedones is potentially even
more harmful. The microcomedo (a "sandpaper comedo"—almost too small to be
seen but may be felt as roughness on the skin), and the whitehead (closed comedo) are more
likely than blackheads to become sites of inflamed lesions. Depending on the site and
extent of inflammation, the microcomedo and closed comedo may eventually evolve into a
pustule or a papule. Any attempt to manipulate these acne lesions by squeezing or picking
can aggravate the inflammatory process.
In any case, squeezing a microcomedo or closed comedo will not extrude its contents. The
microcomedo is an undeveloped comedo, so there is really nothing to squeeze. The closed
comedo (whitehead) differs from the fully developed open comedo (blackhead) in that (1)
the follicular opening is so small as to be invisible, so little or no comedo contents can
be extruded through it by pressure of squeezing, and (2) the contents of the whitehead are
not as compact as the contents of blackhead, so unlike the paste-like contents of a
blackhead it cannot be extruded by pressure.
The difference between an "open" and "closed" comedo is apparent in
their description. The solid contents of an open comedo (blackhead) is continuously being
extruded from the sebaceous follicle to the surface of the skin. In contrast, the contents
of a closed comedo (whitehead) is completely retained within the sebaceous follicle. The
contents of a closed comedo includes inflammatory chemicals and bacterial by-products that
can produce an inflamed acne lesion. Acne investigators have called closed comedones
"time bombs" waiting to explode into inflamed lesions [Strauss JS, Kligman AM.
The pathologic dynamics of acne vulgaris. Arch Dermatol 1968; 82:779-782.].
Picking or squeezing can cause tissue injury and reactive inflammation that complicates
the complex inflammatory environment inside a closed comedo.
When closed comedones follow a pattern of development into pustules and papules they
should be treated by a dermatologist. A regular program of treatment based upon your
medical needs is the best way to keep acne under control.
Information Source Reference(s)
i. Cunliffe W. The Acnes. 1989.
ii. American Academy of Dermatology