Despite the scientific advances, there are still many myths and rumors floating around about them. If you are dealing with acne breakouts, it is quite essential that you are aware of the real facts about those. Some of the most popular acne myths and the real facts behind them are given below, go through them carefully as it can help you out in dealing with this problem more efficiently.
1. Fried and oily foods cause acne
You must have observed that when you are having an acne breakout, everyone just suggests to stay away from fried, oily and fatty food as it is a common belief that these food products can cause acne. However. let me tell you one thing, this is nothing more than a misconception as there is no scientific basis supporting this opinion. But still, this myth can be quite useful as you can make your children prefer fruits and vegetables over those less nutritious pizza and chocolate bars. There are certain food items which worsen the situation, such as food products having high iodine content (seafood) or high calcium content (milk), but they do not cause acne.
2. Acne is caused by makeup and cosmetic products
This is something which cannot be claimed to be entirely untrue because there are certain cosmetic products which can cause unhealthy clogging of the skin pores and therefore, they are not advisable. However, not all makeup products are harmful as the one which are “noncomedogenic” or “nonacnegenic” can be safely used, even if you already dealing with acne breakout. In fact, some of these cosmetic products even contain acne-treating ingredients, thus they are capable of providing you relief.
3. Squeezing them is the best way to get rid of acne
Most of the people are of the opinion that the best possible way to get rid of acne is to squeeze them out, however, we would like to make you aware of the fact that such action could only aggravate the spreading of bacteria, thus making the situation worse. One other negative impact of such an attempt is that it can eventually lead to formation of scars on your face. In some grave cases, the scars formed by squeezing or popping pimples can even be permanent.
4. Acne can be cured by exposure to sun
Exposure to sun can only temporarily conceal the redness of the acne but it is definitely not a cure. This happens because the skin becomes darker when it is exposed to sunlight (this is often referred to as tanning), but as the tan disappears, the acne again becomes visible. In fact, prolong exposure to sun can cause dryness and irritation of the skin which can even lead to premature aging.
5. Poor hygiene is primarily responsible for acne
Acne are caused by the combination of the oil with the dead cells beneath the surface of the skin. Although skin infection may be related to acne in some ways, but poor hygiene cannot be made entirely responsible for acne formation. But you can definitely reduce the bacteria by gentle washing with mild soap and water. These bacteria can cause infection which eventually lead to acne.
6. Sex and masturbation can result to acne
This myth came into existence because of the fact that the male sex hormone testosterone can cause the outbreaks of acne. This is a fact and even we accept it, however, sex and masturbation has absolutely no relation with the occurrence of acne and pimples.The roots of this belief are traced back into the 17th century, where it was used to discourage young people from engaging themselves in premarital sex.
7. Acne is caused only in teenagers
Although most of the cases of acne breakouts are observed in teenagers but that doesn’t means that you can’t have acne if you are not a teenager. It has been proven scientifically that acne is for everyone; not just teenagers. This is because acne are caused by hormones and their effect on oil glands in the skin. So, even adults can face acne breakouts as they also have hormones.
8. Toothpaste is a cure for acne
Many people will suggest you to apply toothpaste on the acne in order to get rid of it. However, till date no such scientific explanation is known to exist which supports this belief. So, next time when you are dealing with acne, opt for something which is more meaningful than applying toothpaste.
9. Scrubbing your face can cure acne
Now you know that acne is not caused by dirt, so you must have even understood that exfoliating and scrubbing your skin will not make the acne go away. In fact, this action can only increase the irritation and make the situation even worse if you already have sensitive skin.
10. It is sufficient to treat only the spot where the acne is
If you are going through some treatment then make sure that you are treating the whole face, not just the spot where the acne is because acne is just a symptom of the underlying problem which is within your skin and oil glands.