Acne is not due to greasy food, excessive carbohydrate in
the diet, chocolate, nuts or dairy foods; nor will drinking copious amounts of water help. There is no scientific evidence that diet has any influence on acne whatsoever, which may come as a surprise to people who are convinced that chocolate causes `breakouts'. Long hair and greasy fringes falling forward over the face and forehead do not make acne worse. Sometimes the hair style is a deliberate ploy by the acne sufferer to help hide the affected skin.
Acne has nothing to do with lack of cleanliness. This common misconception probably comes about because the black substance of blackheads is mistaken for dirt. Acne does not magically clear on your 21st birthday, nor necessarily vanish after the first baby. Some women develop acne for the first time after the age of 20, and a significant number still have acne in the late 20s and early 30s. Acne often improves in pregnancy, but in some women it occurs for the first time or worsens during pregnancy.
Sun exposure is not a good acne treatment. What actually happens is that a tan camouflages pimples to some degree. In addition, the accelerated shedding of skin surface cells which follows sunburn may temporarily alleviate sebaceous duct blockages. This process of `exfoliation' (or inducing a mild peel) is actually the basis of some external treatments used in acne. But the benefits are shortlived, and should be weighed against the potential long term harmful effects of ultraviolet exposure. Self-treatment with sun lamps is not advised in the light of what we know about the causes of skin cancer and photoageing.
It is a myth that deep cleansing facials will help acne. The completely illogical suggestion that pores, which are in reality the openings of pilo-sebaceous ducts, can be `opened up' and cleansed deep down to remove `impurities' is a myth. It is true that blackheads can be expressed and that pre-steaming may facilitate this by softening the keratin around the plugged duct opening, but blackheads will reform within days, and unless other treatments are used to reduce black-head formation, there will be no net benefit. Pores cannot be closed or tightened with `toners' or `astringents', nor can any other applied cream stimulate sluggish circulation and remove `toxic waste'. Acne masks and astringents have a mildly irritant action on skin, causing a minute degree of wvelling around sebaceous pores and thus making them temporarily less conspicuous. Some of these agents are also degreasing and help temporarily make the skin feel less oily.
Washing with soap and water will achieve the same result.
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