Archive for the ‘Myths’ Category
Why Are Most Acne Products On the Market Ineffective?
There are many acne sufferers going from product to product in hopes of finding a treatment to clear up the acne that is destroying their self-esteem. Unfortunately, the products on the market do not offer any long-term solution for this skin disease that affects millions and millions of people. How many of you have tried a product that works for a few weeks or months and then all of a sudden your acne is back full blast? You become discouraged and hopeless. Then you bust out your wallet to spend more money on the next product that offers the same results as the last. Tired of the old routine?
What’s the Deal?
The acne products available today are overloaded with chemicals and synthesized ingredients. How can products like this help treat and prevent acne when all they are doing is inviting more toxins and free radicals into the body? This only adds to the problem, causing your acne to break out even more because the products on the market are not made with natural ingredients.
Ever hear the phrase, “You are what you eat?” Everything you put into your body affects it. If you have a poor diet then most likely you will have poor health, which means poor skin. Experts have not found a link between acne and a poor diet; however, why wouldn’t a poor diet affect your skin if it affects your whole body? Isn’t your skin part of your body? The same goes for the products you put onto your skin which travels into the blood stream.
It’s important to overall health to maintain a proper diet and drink plenty of water each day to help flush out the toxins in your body. This also means it’s a good idea to leave the chemically man-made products alone.
Myths, Misconceptions and Muddles!
If you have acne, then it means you are unhygienic and dirty
This is certainly the most common statement I’ve heard, especially in teenagers still at school. I have had countless teens come to me insisting “I don’t know why I have it – I’m always cleaning my face!” or where-ever else their problem may lie! The simple fact of the matter is that Acne has nothing to do with being hygienic or unhygienic. Acne is an inflammatory disease…which leads me quite neatly onto…
Disease? That means it’s contagious!
The word ‘Disease’ often conjures up images of pox-ridden Plague victims in dirty hovels (well…it does to me anyway! Maybe I paid a bit too much attention to that bit in my English History classes…) However, disease does not necessarily mean that it is contagious or ‘catching’. For example, Heart Disease cannot be caught. Dictionary.com describes Disease as;
“a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment”[1]
Yes, certain diseases are contagious (like Tuberculosis), but Acne is certainly not one of them. If it was, then surely every dermatologist in the world would have it? I can assure you they don’t!
Eating chocolate & greasy food causes Acne
This is very very slightly true, but ultimately no – diet does not cause Acne. Acne is a skin disease that can be caused mainly by genetics & hormones, and in some cases even medication. However a poor diet can lead to poor health which in turn makes itself shown on your skin. Foods which are high in sugar, such as carbonated soda drinks, can be really detrimental to your health. They give you a quick rush of energy for a short period of time, then you have a complete lethargic slump. Having these ups and downs all the time is really detrimental to your body – one minute you’re madly rushing around, the next you just want to curl up and go to sleep. These types of drinks, along with caffeines, add toxins to your body but don’t wash them out. Depression, low energy, poor digestion (that’s gas to you and me!), muscle aches and migraines are all linked to not getting a good and varied enough diet.
Getting enough fruit and vegetables in your diet can really help with all of the above, including problem skin. Drinking water also helps your body wash all those nasty toxins out and away. For those who find it difficult to drink water (I should know, I’m one of them!), concentrate on having one glass of water when you wake up in the morning, and one before you go to bed. These are the two most important times of the day for getting your water in, as it will get working immediately doing what it does best – making you healthier! So yes, you can still eat chocolate and other goodies, but make sure it’s part of a healthy diet and your whole body will feel the benefits of it.
Scrubbing my face every day will clear my skin!
This is probably one of the worst things you can do to yourself, and as someone who became quite addicted to facial exfoliators in my teens, I can sympathise!
Scrubbing away at your skin will cause irritation, redness, puffiness and will also make the skin create sebum (grease / oil) at a much higher rate. The tip here is to cleanse your skin, but do not be too harsh. Unfortunately, the more you remove the sebum, the harder your skin produces it. Think of it like this – Your skin is producing lots of sebum because it thinks there isn’t enough. You remove all the sebum and what does the skin think? It thinks it’s still not producing enough, so works even harder!
Solving this problem is a difficult conundrum, but can be solved. Keep your skin care routine simple, gentle and regular and above all don’t use bottle after bottle of harsh abrasive chemicals. It will do your skin much more harm than good!
Acne only affects teenagers
Well, the truth is that Acne can affect any age at any time. Some people develop acne when they are a teenager and have it well into their adulthood. Acne usually develops at puberty when the bodys hormones are going mental inside your body, but there are cases of acne not developing until adulthood. Seems like no one is safe!
Using a sunbed or tanning booths will get rid of Acne
Again, this is one that is partially true. Basically, the right idea has been dealt with in the wrong way – Sunlight helps, and so people assume that means getting a tan, so they use sunbeds. Sunlight helps the skin to produce Vitamin D which is vital for the body. It helps not only with your skin but can also help with depression, obesity and other mineral deficiencies.
The skin needs to be exposed to the sun just enough to let it get all the vitamin D it needs, this does not mean you should sit out in the summer sun all day without sunscreen!
Getting a tan will not help – in fact, it will only make things worse. Your skin will become scarred deep down and your skin will become tougher (like leather!) so it will be harder for your acne to heal.
Sunbeds and tanning booths will not help as rays holding the Vitamin D producing radiation cannot penetrate glass, ie. Cannot get through the glass light bulbs of the tanning booths lights!
The best way to do this is just to make sure your acne is exposed for short periods outside – when I was a teen, I would pin back my hair to expose my forehead then go out into the garden for a little while. This can be done summer or winter, whenever the sun is shining!
Be careful if you suffer from eczema or psoriasis, as sun exposure can make those conditions worse. It is always best to consult your doctor.
Make-up & cosmetics will only make Acne worse
It is always best to leave your acne exposed. Some kinds of make-up, particularly heavy concealers or foundations, can block up the pores and make the problem worse. However, there are many new cosmetic ranges available now that are specifically designed for problem skin, and many of them are medicated so that wearing the make-up can in some ways actually help! Basically you need to look for cosmetics that are oil-free and non-comedogenic (means that it can irritate acne or cause skin blockages). Speaking to your dermatologist can help you get expert advice on exactly what kind of products are best for you.
Do you have any myths or rumours you want solving? Let us know!
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disease
Can your skin be too clean?
Cleansing your skin is an essential step to help eliminate acne and blemishes. Daily cleansing helps do away with dirt, oils, impurities and bacteria that build up after a long day. But can you really have too much of a good thing?
Your skin is designed to produce certain amounts of oil. It’s common for some to over produce oil and the result is often acne or breakouts. Over a period of time, regular treatments, whether it is done at home or preformed by a trained professional, are designed to balance the amount of oil your skin produces. If you over cleanse your skin you can make matters worse by stripping the skin of the oil that it has produced. When this happens the skin thinks it is not producing enough oil and begins producing even more oil then when you started.
So how do you know if you are over cleansing your skin? It is recommended that you clean your face twice daily. There is not better way to start your day then by washing your face in the morning. Cleaning you skin in the morning helps remove any sweat and dirt that may have built up over the night not to mention that it helps wake you up and get ready for the day ahead. It is a smart idea to cleanse your face at night right before you go to bed. Through out the day you sweat, touch your face, and are exposed to pollution and other free radicals that may clog your pores and cause a breakout. Cleaning your face at night is a sure fire way to get rid of all that build up and get you ready for a peaceful night’s sleep.
You may also want to clean your face after any physical activity. If you go swimming, chlorine may cause your skin to dry, if you do other physical activities you may sweat. Sweat is your body’s way of eliminating toxins and waste. Although sweat does not actually cause acne, leaving sweat on your face may allow bacteria to grow and therefore cause a blemish.
Other than cleaning your face twice daily and after extraneous activities, you shouldn’t need to clean more than that. Doing so not only takes more time out of your already busy schedule but it is unnecessary and will cause more damage than good.
Does sweating cause or worsen acne?
It’s logical to think, “If I am sweating then I am bringing more oil to the surface of my skin and this is causing me to breakout.” As logical as it may sound, this is not the case. Sweating does not cause or worsen acne. There are two types of glands found on your skin, sebaceous glands and sudoriferous glands.
Sebaceous glands are responsible for producing and excreting oil. The oil’s purpose is to protect the surface of the skin. By creating a protective barrier on the skin oil also helps your skin maintain hydration. However, sometimes overproduction of oil causes the pores in the skin to more easily clog resulting in a blemish. If the problem is severe enough it could lead to acne.
Sudoriferous glands eliminate waste products by secreting sweat. There are two different types of sudoriferous glands, apocrine glands and eccrine glands. Apocrine glands are generally found under the arms and in the genital area. These are more active during emotional changes. Due to the interaction of secretion and bacteria on the surface of the skin, often times there are orders associated with the sweat eliminated from these glands. Eccrine glands located all over the body but are predominant on the forehead, palms and soles. Eccrine glands are most active when the body is subjected to physical activity and or high temperatures.
Because the sweat glands and the oil glands are completely distinct glands sweating does not produce more oil on the surface of your skin and therefore does not cause or worsen acne. However, it is a good idea to wash your face after participating in activities that cause you to sweat. Remember, sweat eliminates waste and toxins from your body, washing away the sweat will help completely get rid of any waste that your body is trying to eliminate.
Does Sunscreen cause Breakouts?
I just read a question that was posted on Yahoo nine minutes ago. The young lady said she’d just dissolved ten zinc tablets in water, put them on her blemishes, and then her skin started to itch severely. She was asking for some insight into why that would happen.
First, I’m thinking that the fact that it happened is not a good thing. I’m also thinking that unless the bottle said to administer them in that manner, she shouldn’t have done that. The itching could easily be due to an inappropriate dose of zinc being delivered to the skin.
I see these types of questions all too often and it’s really a concern. I beg of you, please don’t use medications in a manner other than how the manufacturer directs on the bottle. You could really harm yourself.
I know you’re probably wondering how that relates to the title of this article. When I was researching the zinc-on-the-zits question, I came across another one: Does sunscreen use lead to breakouts? According to Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, there may be a correlation, “Most of the sunscreens on the market today are based primarily on UVB absorbing ingredients, such as octylmethoxycinnamate, oxybenzone, homosalate, etc. Many also have UVA absorbing ingredients, such as avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide, as secondary sunscreens. All of the UVB sunscreens and avobenzone function by transforming ultraviolet radiation to heat energy through a process known as resonance delocalization…In some patients, I believe that the increased sweating induced by the sunscreens accompanied by the warm sunny weather cause increased activity by the eccrine glands”.1
I remember having trouble with this when I was younger. I’m fair-skinned, so the sunscreen was really important, but I hated wearing it because I broke out after. And now that I think about it, it was usually twenty-four to forty-eight hours later, just like Dr. Draelos notes in her article. The result of my decision was some pretty nasty sunburns, which I’m paying for thirty years later.
Wearing the sunscreen is important, but who wants to add to their outbreaks? If you’re having this trouble, Dr. Draelos recommends avoiding sunscreens that release heat and try the following instead: “…these patients should consider the use of physical sunscreens, such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which primarily reflect ultraviolet radiation with only minimal absorption. These products do not produce heat yet provide excellent UVB and UVA protection”.1
I wish I would have known that thirty years ago. Instead, I spent a lot of time with a red, peeling face, and now I’m on the constant prow for new skin cancer lesions. But your story can be different. Find the product that gives you the protection you need, without the outbreak that follows. Wear the sunscreen. Protect your skin. In thirty years, you’ll be so glad you did.
More Acne in Western Countries?
Is acne an American skin disease that spread throughout the world?
It would seem so, but to put the blame on a particular country would be unfair. But it’s pretty obvious when you look at the statistics – acne prevalence is much, much higher in Western (and developed) countries, while it’s much lower (sometimes even zero) in third-world countries, or in parts of the world not yet reached by civilization.
Is acne caused by bigger portions of food? Or more polluted air? Or higher stress levels? Whatever the cause, it would seem that acne seems to get a stronger foothold as a locality gets more and more developed.
Some suggest that since Eastern diets are a lot more conservative than Western ones, there isn’t much to trigger anabolic reactions in the skin. This, they say, explains why so many citizens of third-world countries have crystal-clear skin. If you watch the Discovery Channel once in a while, you’ll probably know what they mean.
On the other hand, acne is perennially on the rise in first-world countries like the United States and many countries in Europe. It’s also on the rise in developing Asian nations.
I guess the best way to combat the rise of acne is to turn back to the East. Much of Eastern culture revolves around natural means, and if we could align our lifestyles a little closer back to nature, then maybe our acne problems can actually take a turn for the better.
It worked for me. Since I started exercising, cutting down on preservative-laden food, and working at home more, I’ve been feeling a lot better – I now have more energy, I’m getting sick less, and I’m able to cope with stress more. And as an added bonus, I’m keeping acne at bay.
If it works for me, then it’ll probably work for you!
Toothpaste on Acne
Toothpaste on acne. Okay, this is a new one for me. But, it was recommended on a Yahoo blog to someone who was desperate for some relief. Yep, just put a dab on that blemish, and presto! From the posted response, apparently it worked. Since I’m a nurse, and I’ve had acne most of my life, I’d sure like to know why in the world toothpaste on acne works. So, I did a little research, which started in my bathroom cupboard.
A quick review of the scary contents of my toothpaste tube revealed the likely culprit of relief: calcium peroxide. Since the peroxide family is so prevalent in skin care products, particularly those aimed at treating acne, the calcium peroxide in the toothpaste is most likely the reason for the improvement. Of course, the drying effect of the propylene glycol (alcohol) probably has something to do with it as well. However, I’m not saying that the drying effect of alcohol is a good thing for anyone’s sensitive skin.
Another possibility is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a common ingredient in many skin care products. According to Dr. Helen Torok, medical director of Trillium Creek Dermatology & Surgery in Medina, Ohio, “Tea tree oil is a topical herbal remedy that can be used for acne, because it has antiseptic and antibacterial properties.”1 It’s also a common ingredient in natural toothpastes. There’s the answer to the blemish resolution if you’re using natural toothpaste for that miracle cure.
Overall, let me just say that there’s nothing in the research to support the use of toothpaste on acne blemishes. Maybe it’s just me, but I always think it’s a good idea to try to figure out why something works well. It’s nice to know that what I think is a positive result isn’t actually an unknown toxic side effect that will later be published as a direct cause of some incurable disease.
I mean, come on. Toothpaste on acne? Let me just list the rest of the nasty ingredients on my toothpaste label: Sodium monofluorophosphate, glycerin, hydrated silica, water (okay, I can handle that one), sodium bicarbonate, pentasodium triphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium lauryl sulfate, flavor (that’s not so bad, either), sodium saccharin, carrageenan, cellulose gum, and titanium dioxide.
Even if the good stuff in there works for a good reason, who knows what the rest of that mess will do to my skin? Forget my acne. I may never brush my teeth again.
1http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatologytimes/Special+Report%3A+Dermatitis/Herbal-topicals-Natural-products-can-be-useful-but/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/500925?searchString=tea%20tree%20oil. Retrieved April 13, 2008
