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
permaneot 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 I 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-Iike 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.
