5 Acne Myths

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Although we are all familiar with the struggles of having acne at some point or other during our lives, a recent remark from a friend made me realize that, despite all the information that is available, there are still some long lingering myths about dealing with acne.

Here are 5 acne myths along with the truths behind them:

1. Scrubbing will help.  There is a long-held belief that the harder you scrub and more often you wash, the better it is for the acne.  Completely not true!  Acne is the result of excessive sebum (oil) along with a build-up of dead skin cells that clog pores, leading to what are known as pimples.  The more you over cleanse and scrub the skin, the more you remove the natural layer of oil, forcing the skin to produce more oil in order to compensate.  More scrubbing, more oil, more acne.  More scrubbing, more oil, more acne.  It’s a vicious circle.

2. Pimples need to be dried out. This one is rather an archaic way of thinking about pimples.  Older acne treatments may have had a tendency to be harsh and cause drying of the skin and peeling, thus feeding the belief that pimples have to go through a process of “drying out”.  A combination of glycolic acid and salicylic acid is still the most common and effective treatment for uncomplicated acne.  And although some AHA’s can be a bit drying, it’s not a necessary evil in order for the treatment to work, which brings us to the next myth…

3. If you have acne, you don’t need to moisturize. There is a common misconception that having acne and oily skin go hand-in-hand.  However, it is possible to have acne and DRY skin at the same time.  By moisturizing, we are encouraging the skin to produce a ‘normal’ level of oil.  Moisturizing also helps to maintain a health skin barrier function, keeping external irritants and bacteria out.

4. You’ll outgrow it.  We may typically think of teens when it comes to acne but there are plenty of men and women who deal with it well into their twenties and beyond.  Just when you think you’ve got it beaten, it can come back during menopause due to hormone fluctuations.  The use of a retinoid (Vitamin A) preparation can go a long way toward treating acne.  As a matter of fact, although we associate retinoids with anti-aging benefits, they were originally developed to treat acne some 40 years ago. Apothekari A is for Anti-Aging with retinaldehyde delivers effective yet gentle treatment.

5. Tanning will help with acne.  The source of this particularly puzzling myth may be twofold.  Firstly, that having a tan may seem to mask the more prominent appearance of blemishes against the color of the skin. Secondly, that sunscreens can clog pores and eventually lead to more pimples.  In fact, it’s essential to use a good, broad-spectrum sunscreen every day as some acne treatments, like retinoids and AHA’s, can make the skin more sun sensitive.  In the long-run, tanning and unprotected sun exposure can accelerate the visible signs of aging and lead to other unwanted skin conditions such as dark spots, wrinkles and even melanoma.  Luckily, many sunscreens, including Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Melt in Cream, are non-comedogenic and provide excellent sun protection.

For more severe cases of acne, see your dermatologist who can help choose a treatment that’s most suitable for your skin.

 

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Tyler Thonon

    Great post. Acne is a quite common skin disorder. It occurs in people of all ages because of certain reasons. There are so many common acne myths and we should aware of it to prevent acne.

  2. J. Mark

    You made some very good points in your article. Thanks for sharing. Yes, hard to believe that there is still so much disinformation out there about acne.

  3. Jennifer Bunce-Stone

    Thank you for posting this! I was looking back in the archives and found your post on the comedogenic ingredient ratings and was wondering where you found these numbers. I found an old article (1989) with ratings that were completely different from those you posted. The old article calculated how comedogenic an ingredient was by using a rabbit ear assay with only a 10% concentration of the ingredient dissolved in propylene glycol. I don’t see how that would accurately determine whether it would cause pore blockage on a human. Are there any other ways they calculate this? I really like the numbers you presented better. They seem more logical to me.

    Thank you for your time!

    Jennifer

    1. Sharmani

      For Jennifer,
      Thank you for your question and comments. The comedogenic ingredient list was consolidated from information obtained through various sources. Keep in mind that the type of formulation (Cream, gel, serum) along with the concentration of any active ingredient will have an impact on how comedogenic any ingredient is. And, individual differences can play a role as well. This list isn’t by any means exhaustive and should be used merely as a guideline. Non-comedogenic does not automatically mean hypo-allergenic, so with any new product, a skin patch test is recommended.
      Best, Sharmani

  4. Arthur Quentin

    You are doing really good job. Today people have so many myths about acne and that is why people do many mistakes while deal with acne scars. So some time people looking for escape from acne problem and situation got worse. This post will guide them in a proper way.

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