Many Supposed Causes Of Acne Are Just Myths

The truth is that there is surprisingly little known about what the actual causes of acne are. There are many leads and a lot of theories, though. There is also hard evidence that points to certain things such as certain medications and, especially certain hormones that the body produces. All that being said, there is no clearly laid out chain of events that goes on inside the body that can explain how acne is caused, from start to finish. What can be confirmed though, what a lot of evidence and research can back up, is that a lot of the mythical causes of acne are simply untrue.

Those myths have existed for a long time, and new myths continue to get produced today. Why not? Acne is an incredibly bothersome condition for so many people, and anyone will believe anything and do anything if it means they’ll be able to get rid of it. Some of the mythical causes of acne even seem to have valid reasoning behind them. In the end though, they are still not to be believed.

Chocolate causes acne. That’s one of the biggest ones. For years people have said that eating chocolate, or eating too much chocolate, will result in a bad outbreak of pimples. No one really knows what started this myth but there’s a very good chance that it came from parents who wanted their kids to stop eating junk food. With that being said though, chocolate is a dairy based food, and recent research has supported the idea that certain dairy products may in fact cause acne. That research still remains questionable.

Another enduring myth is that sex causes acne. This could have evolved due to the fact that it’s about the same age that people become sexually curious that acne starts. It’s more likely that the myth was started by, again, concerned parents who thought it would be a well serving lie. Perhaps ironically, another enduring myth actually states that sex cures acne. Needless to say, neither claim has any merit.

Bad hygiene, in certain degrees, can help breed acne; however, not washing your face isn’t a cause all by itself. That’s because dirt isn’t one of the causes of acne. Perhaps this myth came from the idea that black heads look like dirt caught inside of a pimple. This isn’t the case. In fact, normal face washing can’t reach the places where acne originates, which are deep down inside of a pore.

It should also be noted that acne isn’t contagious, and is therefore, not caused by being around or touching someone who has acne. Pimples simply don’t work that way. Even kissing someone with acne won’t make you any more likely to take on the condition yourself.

As with anything, when it comes to acne you should watch what you believe. Some of these myths are very likely things that you, or your friends, have spread around and even believed. Just think, by questioning the things you hear and by doing a little research yourself, you could have been eating a lot more chocolate in your teenage years.