What Causes Acne?
There are plenty of theories about what causes acne and no shortage of opinions shared on the Internet; however, doctors still don’t know the exact cause of acne and why one person is affected while another is not.
Although there is still some mystery surrounding acne, research has made many discoveries and dermatologists do know much about the causes acne and what you can do to control it.
Let’s take a look at some of the myths about what
causes acne:
- Chocolate – This is one of the most persistent myths and one of the most annoying to those of us who are afflicted with both acne and a love of chocolate. There has been no studies to date that have shown chocolate to cause or aggravate acne. Milk chocolate does contain fat and can be high in calories, therefore definitely contributes to weight gain. Yet a small amount of chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, is good for everyone, including those with acne. Acne is depressing enough, so go ahead and enjoy a little chocolate.
- Fast food – particularly greasy foods and soft drinks are often blamed for acne. I wonder if these myths came about because these foods are so popular with teenagers and teens often have acne. While fast food is certainly not healthy for a variety of reason, there is no connection between any particular food and acne.
Some people will insist a particular food makes them break out and it is possible they have some allergy to that food. If you notice a break out with any particular food, you can try avoiding it and see if your acne improves, but don’t let people blame you for your acne because you enjoy a particular food.
There are some theories that a high sugar or high glycemic diet can be a cause of acne, but there aren’t enough conclusive studies yet that have clearly determined a food-acne connection.
I’m sure experts will learn more about this in the future, but for now it makes good sense to take care of your body with a healthy diet. There is some evidence that certain nutrients can help with skin problems, therefore following a healthy diet should be part of an overall plan to control your acne.
- Acne can be cured.Be aware of anything claiming to be a miracle cure for acne. There are no miracle diets, supplements, cleaners or other cures for acne. When there is a cure for chronic acne, I will be the first to try it and will let you know.
- Lack of cleanliness – Many still think dirty skin is what causes acne and it can be cured by washing your skin more often. It makes sense since oil and bacteria are involved in acne, but acne can occur no matter how clean your skin. There are many factors involved and just washing your face is not going to cure your acne.
In fact, many acne sufferers are overzealous with scrubbing their faces and can make some acne, particularly inflammatory acne, worse by irritating the skin. A good cleansing program in important but do not think you have acne because you have dirty skin.
- You will outgrow your acne: While for many teens this is true, for others it is not. I don't advise any teenager to just "let acne run its course" until it resolves on its own. Acne is not just painful physically, it can do plenty of psychological damage as well, especially during the teen years when kids can be cruel and you are going through enough stress. For teens with severe acne, waiting to outgrow your acne can result in permanent scars that can be even harder to live with than the acne that caused them.
- Acne is only a problem for teens Unfortunately many adults have acne far passed the teen years and some well into their 50s. Adult acne can be difficult to treat and chronic acne is not curable and needs to be treated continually. Adult acne is on the rise so if you are still dealing with acne past your teen years, you are not alone.
- Sunbathing is good for acne. Many people have noticed their skin clears up after sunbathing and this does help; however, there are drawbacks to treating your acne with the sun. One major concern is that both prescription and over the counter acne medications can make your skin much more sensitive to the sun. Of course skin cancer and sun damage that will age you prematurely begin with sun exposure in your childhood and teen years. If you protect your skin when you are young you will be thankful when you are older. Sunlight can dry oily skin and a little tan can cover red spots, but the sun is not preventing or curing your acne.
- Makeup causes acne. While some makeup can clog pores and aggravate acne, there are wonderful options today of specifically designed
makeup for acne prone skin.
Look for makeup that is oil-free and labeled "noncomedogenic" or "nonacnegenic". This means the do not contain oil or any other ingredient that will clog pores and cause acne. There are also medicated coverups that have acne fighting ingredients that can be put directly on pimples to hide and heal them. If you are very embarrased by your acne, there is no reason you cannot use makeup to improve your appearance and boost your self esteem.
So what do we know about what causes acne?
Hormones: Every teen has heard that it is their raging hormones causing the acne and this is actually true. Both boys and girls begin to make higher levels of the male hormones called androgens. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands (oil glands) to enlarge and produce more oil. This excess oil can clog the pores and pimples and acne can result.
Some women have an ongoing problem with acne after adolescence due to hormonal fluctuations from birth control pills, pregnancy, normal menstrual cycle and during the menopause transition. Unfortunately a small percentage of men have a continual problem with acne past their teen years as well.
Heredity – There is definitely a genetic factor in acne and it runs in families. If one or both of your parents had acne, your chances of getting acne are much greater as well. This is particularly true for those with chronic acne that lasts well past the teen years and where other medical causes have been rule out.
Environment sometimes environmental factors can cause acne. Oily hair products, oily makeup, hormone therapy and certain prescription drugs can cause acne.
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