Busting Acne Myths
You might believe some old acne myths that are sabotaging all your efforts. It’s not your fault. Acne is a very common condition that affects pretty much everyone at some point or other. Yet, there’s so much misinformation about how to get rid of it.
All the acne myths out there make it impossible to figure out what works from what doesn’t. Time to bust them, don’t you think?
So, here are some acne myths you need to stop believing right now, so you can finally treat acne the right way and get your clear skin back:
Washing Your Face Often Prevents Breakouts
Washing your face 10 times a day to make it squeaky clean won’t make your acne go away. It’ll just irritate your skin and inflame your acne even more. Ouch!
Here’s the deal: your skin is covered by an acid mantle that’s NOT bacteria-friendly. When you raise the pH up several notches – this happens EVERY time you wash your face with a high pH cleanser or even water alone – you’re weakening the acid mantle.
What to do Instead:
Wash your face twice a day, morning and evening, with a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser that removes all dirt and impurities without drying out your skin.
If You Have Acne, You Can’t Wear Make-up
Who came up with this nonsense? Of course, you can wear makeup! And nope, I’m not talking just about those thick, full-coverage foundations you use to cover your acne up. You can wear any makeup product you want – as long as it does NOT contain any comedogenic ingredients.
Little disclaimer: comedogenic ingredients aren’t a problem for everyone. If you have oily skin, you can slather your face in coconut oil and not get a simple pimple. Oily skin isn’t that lucky. Your skin is already producing way more oil than it needs. So when you’re using makeup high in oils and other occlusives, you’re clogging your pores. And clogged pores ALWAYS lead to acne.
What to do Instead:
Use non-comedogenic makeup products. But, don’t trust the labels. Instead, opt for mattifying and gel products over moisturizing creams. They help keep the shine at bay and help you put your best face forward.
Tanning Helps Heal Acne
Don’t use acne as an excuse to get tanned! Sure, a tan will cover up the redness… and dry out your skin, inflame it and give you wrinkles and dark spots. And don’t get me started on skin cancer.
Here’s what no one tells you about a tan: that sun kissed glow is a sign of sun damage. Your tan is your body’s self-defense mechanism. When your skin darkens, it’s your body’s way of telling you that UV rays are damaging it. Destroying your collagen. Generating free radicals. Killing cellular DNA.
What to do Instead:
Wear sunscreen every day. First off, it protects your skin from UV damage and the inflammation it causes. Inflammation is the main cause of cancer, so you need to tone that down ASAP or even the best acne medications won’t work. And while we’re on the subject, those acne medications often make skin more susceptible to the sun, so this isn’t optional.
Popping Pimples Is the Best Way to Get Rid Of Them
Popping a pimple is NEVER a good idea. I know you hate seeing that big zit on your face and that seeing all that gunk ooze out gives you a weird sense of satisfaction. But this is a case where instant satisfaction leads to long-term issues.
When you pop a pimple, you’re just spreading bacteria all around your skin, slowing down the healing process and possibly even causing scars. And those are way harder to treat than a pimple. Not worth it, is it?
What to do Instead:
Try a spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide or sulfur. They have antibacterial and peeling properties that kill acne bacteria and exfoliate skin to get rid of pimples faster.
Having Acne = Bad Hygiene
This is one of those acne myths that just won’t die – and it’s NOT true. Having acne doesn’t mean that you’re dirty or have bad hygiene. Quite the opposite.
Data actually shows that those who have acne tend to over-cleanse their skin to reduce oil production. And that’s not good either. Over-cleansing dries out skin – triggering your body to produce more sebum (its natural moisturizer) to restore the balance!
Cleansing too often also won’t get rid of acne because dirt is not what causes acne! Acne forms when excess sebum gets stuck in your pores. There, it mixes with dead skin cells, forming a mixture acne bacteria love to feed on. This usually happens when your hormones go into overdrive and trigger the production of too much sebum. So addressing that and exfoliating often to keep your pores clear from clogs is what will make your acne go away.
What to do Instead:
Cleanse skin twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Every other night, exfoliate with salicylic acid. It gets inside your pores, removing everything that’s clogging them up and speeding up acne recovery.
If you’ve been falling for these acne myths, don’t feel bad. With so many misconceptions out there (anyone can write anything on the internet), it’s hard to know what to believe. But now you know the truth, you can course correct and take proper care of your skin, so you can finally give acne the boot.
Seeking expert advice is definitely essential in terms of keeping acne away. Consult ours!
Call our Patient Care Lines: (+632) 7-368 5238 l (+63) 917 862 7454 l (+63) 921 217 0517 for inquiries, questions, and appointments or talk to our consultants via LiveChat at https://shinagawa.ph so we can address and answer them for you.
