There is a lot of information distributed about acne and its causes and this information tends to be a mixture of both fiction and fact. Thus, let us take a look at some of those things which are being circulated and see if we can separate the fact from the fiction.
Food
First of all there is no direct link between eating such things as chocolate or greasy hamburgers or drinking too many soft drinks and getting acne spots. It is the case however that food plays a role in all the body's systems and thus it does have a small part in whether getting acne is more or less likely.
For instance, greasy foods do not directly convert into rising oil production within the sebaceous glands which adds to acne, although foods that do increase oil production would of course have an effect. However, iodized salt is as yet the only food substance that has been shown to have any appreciable effect and it simply worsens acne and does not cause it.
Hygiene
The odds of getting a spot increase when a pore gets plugged and bacteria get trapped inside. What this means is that hygiene habits that work to close the pores can play a role. But this effect is only minimal and the bacteria and dead cell skins which become trapped and cannot make their way out of the pore to the surface are only influenced to a minor degree by insufficient regular face washing.
But, once acne arrives then good skin care is particularly important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water can help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Good hygiene is an excellent for a number of reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne because it provides a good surface allowing medications to do their work most efficiently.
Acne spots are strongly influenced by excess production of sebum (skin oil) which is triggered in the main by hormones and harsh cleansers that are applied roughly do not only clear away this excess oil but also weakens the skin's ability to deal with it.
Stress
As stress tends to weaken the body's immune system and also influence its level of hormones it might be thought that stress should play a part in the onset of acne. However, there is no clear evidence to suggest that stress causes acne, although there is some evidence to show that it may play a minor role once acne has arrived.
One problem in assessing the role played by stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress normally also suffer from additional health problems that complicate things. Bear in mind also that here we are talking about clinical stress and not merely the worries that we all have as part of the trials and tribulations of day to day living.
Medicines
Many individuals are tempted to increase the dosage of an over-the-counter medication in the belief that if a little does a bit of good then a lot will do a lot of good. Unfortunately, this is not so and it both wastes medicine and might actually damage the skin. You should always follow the instructions on any medicine and if an over-the-counter medicine does not show signs of working within a reasonable period of time then you should talk to a dermatologist.
It is also worth noting that there is no such thing as the best acne medicine. We are all different and a medication that proves to be the best acne medication for one person will not necessarily work for somebody else.
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