Acne & Health

I’m sure I’m not alone in that my acne gave me problems for years. I fought with it for over a decade and I was only able to get rid of it for good by visiting a doctor. For the several years that I had acne, however, everyone I knew tried to advise me on what was causing it.

I was told that acne is caused by eating too much fried, greasy food. As it turns out, there’s actually no relation between the two. Parents like to use it as a way of discouraging their children from eating these unhealthy foods, but there’s no actual link there. It is true, however, that getting grease on your skin can clog up the pores and lead to flare ups.

Some people said that my acne was caused by poor hygiene. That’s not true either. Of course, it never hurts to practice good personal hygiene, but failing to wash one’s face doesn’t cause acne. The problem comes from beneath the skin, where oil and dead skin cells cause breakouts.

It was suggested that I get out in the sun and get a tan. While the darkening of the skin may hide the acne a little, it doesn’t address the root of the problem. Getting too much sun is dangerous anyway in that it can cause skin cancer later on and ages the skin more quickly.

Here are the real facts about acne.

Don’t let your hair fall in your face. Hair contains lots of oils that can clog up pores and lead to acne. Keep it away from your face to avoid this problem altogether.

Makeup is sometimes responsible for breakouts. If you think that your makeup is causing your acne, look for the special brands that are made for people with such problems. You might find that it eliminates your acne completely.

Elevated stress levels can cause acne to develop. Some people are more likely to experience this than others.

If you suspect that your breakouts are stress-related, think about your recent stress levels when your next breakout occurs. If the two seem to be related, you might be able to reduce your acne by eliminating your stress.