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There is a lot of information distributed about acne and its causes and that information tends to be a mix of both fiction and fact. So, let us look at a few of the things that are being circulated and see if we can divide the fact from the fiction.

Food

There is no direct connection between eating things like chocolate or greasy hamburgers or drinking too many soft drinks and developing pimples. It is the case however that what we eat plays an important role in all the body's systems and so it does have a small role to play in whether acne is more or less likely.

For example, eating greasy foods does not directly convert into rising oil production in the sebaceous glands which contributes to acne, although foods that do increase oil production would have an effect. However, iodized salt is the only food substance that has been demonstrated to have any substantial effect and it simply worsens acne but does not cause it.

Hygiene

The odds of getting a spot increase when a pore becomes plugged and bacteria are trapped inside. This means that hygiene habits which work to close the pores can play a role. But this effect is only small and the dead skin cells and bacteria which become trapped and are unable to work their way out of the pore to the surface are influenced only to a minor degree by an absence of regular face washing.

Nevertheless, after acne occurs good skin hygiene is particularly important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water can help in treating acne and encouraging healthy skin in general. Cleanliness is a good idea for a number of reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne because it provides a good surface allowing medications to do their work most efficiently.

Acne spots are strongly influenced by excess sebum (skin oil) production which is triggered in the main by hormones and abrasive cleansers which are applied roughly do not just clear away this excess oil but also weakens the the ability of the skin to deal with it.

Stress

As stress tends to weaken the body's immune system and impact its hormone levels it might be thought that stress would play a part in the onset of acne. However, there is no clear evidence to suggest that stress leads to acne, but there is some evidence to show that it might play a small role after acne has arrived.

One of the problems with assessing the role of stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress also also suffer from other health problems that can complicate the picture. Bear in mind too that we are talking here about clinical stress and not merely the worries which we all have as part of the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

Medicine

Many people are tempted to raise the dosage of over-the-counter medications believing that if a little medication can do a bit of good a lot of medicine will do a lot of good. Regrettably, this is not the case and it both wastes medicine and can actually harm the skin. You should always stick to the instructions on any acne medication and if an over-the-counter medicine is not showing signs of working within a reasonable period of time then it is a good idea to talk to a dermatologist.