Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Acne Myths And Old Wives Tales

By Jack Wristen

Acne is defined as a skin disorder that is caused by the sebaceous glands on the epidermis which become infected. Sometimes glands swell and burst. Infection can become a big problem if left untreated. Teenagers are mostly affected but adults can also become infected with acne. There are a lot of myths associated with acne, we will take a look at some of these myths and determine if there is any truth to them or if they are just old wives tales.

The consequence of this wrong information is that acne and the individual with the skin condition are often treated badly and may lead to other complications or wastage of resources.

The following information will help you differentiate between the old wives tales and medical information.
Let's first examine what causes acne. The most common cause is from the body exuding the excess fat and other excreta. Since adolescents are actively developing they have more waste to get rid of causing them to be affected more often than adults. This condition leads to swelling of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. When burst, there is a risk of becoming infected by bacteria and sometimes dark spots are left on the skin.

This therefore rules out the first myth that acne is only problem of the adolescents. It has been observed in people beyond the age of 20 or far beyond adolescents.

The #2 myth is that acne is caused by poor hygiene. This is false, although poor hygiene can cause infections, it does not cause acne.

Another myth is that what we eat can be a factor in development of acne. This is simply one of the acne myths. Some of the foods that are often wrongfully banned include chocolates and high fat content foods. These foods can only end up supplying you with high glucose levels and even be converted to fat in the adipose tissues. These cannot however lead to formation of acne.

Keeping you body clean can prevent acne, this is partially true. While washing may not prevent acne it will help keep the infection down.

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