Acne, if nothing else, is not an uncommon ailment.
It is a harmless yet aggravating condition that many of us struggle with.
There are many fallacies about acne as well.
Hopefully you will be able to distinguish facts from fiction by the end of this article.
Fact: Oil secreted by the skin causes acne.
Yes, oil that is secreted by the sebaceous gland is one of the major components of acne.
The sebaceous glands are found in the skin of all mammals.
Fact: Blocked pores cause acne.
Yes, the pores in the skin are blocked by excessive secretions of oil and dead skin cells.
The bacteria Propionibacterium acnes begin to grow in the blocked pores.
These bacteria sometimes cause people to have an allergic reaction.
Finally acne is formed as a response to inflammation in the body caused by all these factors.
Fiction: Improper hygiene causes acne.
Even though we are aware that blocked pores cause acne, it cannot be prevented by better hygiene.
The blocking or unblocking of pores cannot be done by all the scrubbing in the world.
Blockages are well hidden deep below the skin's surface.
Fiction: Diet causes acne.
Even if you were to change your diet to exclude oilier foods, it is not likely to help since acne is caused by excessive secretions of oil.
These secretions of oil are controlled by fluctuations in hormones and are not diet related.
Fact: Hormones are related to acne.
Hormones largely control the causes of acne.
Puberty is one of those times that everyone goes through a big hormonal change.
Excessive secretions of oil are caused by hormones and hormonal changes.
Hormones also affect other factors that are related to the causes of acne.
Fact: Medications cause acne.
Yes, evidence does show that certain medications and chemicals cause or trigger acne flare ups.
Anabolic steroids are one of these chemicals.
Any medication that contains high amounts of chlorine compounds or halogens are more likely to cause breakouts.