Acne Myths
“Don’t eat greasy food and chocolate, because you’ll break out.”
This is probably the biggest misconception about acne. It’s OK to indulge in a couple of
slices of pizza and a candy bar every now and then. Junk food won’t cause you to break
out. However, if you want to cut back on these foods for other health reasons, go for it!
“ You should scrub your face hard, because dirty skin causes acne.”
We all should practice good hygiene. Who wants to walk around school with a grimy
face? You should wash your face at least once or twice a day. Washing your face a lot and
scrubbing it too hard won’t clear up your acne; instead, it could aggravate the skin and
make it worse. Acne is formed under the skin where soap and water can’t reach.
“You have to let acne run its course.”
No way! Acne is a treatable condition. No need to wait for acne to clear up on its own.
The longer you wait, the more likely your chances are of permanent scarring. If your
over-the-counter treatment isn’t working, it’s time to see a dermatologist.
“Make-up won’t make your zits worse.”
Wrong. OK, well, it’s partially wrong. Some make-up is designed to help treat and
prevent acne. Others, however, contain oil that can worsen the acne. If you choose to
wear make-up, choose products labeled noncomedogenic, non-acnegenic and oil-free
(meaning they don’t cause blackheads and whiteheads).
This is probably the biggest misconception about acne. It’s OK to indulge in a couple of
slices of pizza and a candy bar every now and then. Junk food won’t cause you to break
out. However, if you want to cut back on these foods for other health reasons, go for it!
“ You should scrub your face hard, because dirty skin causes acne.”
We all should practice good hygiene. Who wants to walk around school with a grimy
face? You should wash your face at least once or twice a day. Washing your face a lot and
scrubbing it too hard won’t clear up your acne; instead, it could aggravate the skin and
make it worse. Acne is formed under the skin where soap and water can’t reach.
“You have to let acne run its course.”
No way! Acne is a treatable condition. No need to wait for acne to clear up on its own.
The longer you wait, the more likely your chances are of permanent scarring. If your
over-the-counter treatment isn’t working, it’s time to see a dermatologist.
“Make-up won’t make your zits worse.”
Wrong. OK, well, it’s partially wrong. Some make-up is designed to help treat and
prevent acne. Others, however, contain oil that can worsen the acne. If you choose to
wear make-up, choose products labeled noncomedogenic, non-acnegenic and oil-free
(meaning they don’t cause blackheads and whiteheads).
“Suntanning reduces acne.”
While a suntan can temporarily dry up some of the oil, the drying factor could actually
encourage the skin to produce more oil, thus, causing more acne. Besides, over-exposure
to the sun will cause wrinkles, age spots, blotchy spots and sagging skin sooner than
usual. We all know that exposure to the sun without wearing sunscreen SPF 15 or greater
is a skin cancer factor. Sure, you may look good now, but skin cancer is a high price to
pay for trying to clear up acne.
While a suntan can temporarily dry up some of the oil, the drying factor could actually
encourage the skin to produce more oil, thus, causing more acne. Besides, over-exposure
to the sun will cause wrinkles, age spots, blotchy spots and sagging skin sooner than
usual. We all know that exposure to the sun without wearing sunscreen SPF 15 or greater
is a skin cancer factor. Sure, you may look good now, but skin cancer is a high price to
pay for trying to clear up acne.
acne myths
