Accutane - the most common acne myths

There are a lot of myths about acne that patients seriously believe and ask their doctors about. To clear things out a bit and help you look like a serious person with your physician, here are some of the most common myths that people believe about acne:

Myth 1 - The more often you wash your face the faster you'll get rid of acne

Despite what commercials made you believe, acne is not caused by any dirt that gets accumulated in pores. The process of inflammation starts from deep inside the pore where bacterias start multiplying. By washing your face too often you will only irritate the skin raising the chance of having acne in other areas too. Do not wash your face more than twice a day, use a mild soap or water only and gently soak it with a towel after you're done.

Myth 2 - Acne is caused by stress

Of course, excessive stress may cause hormonal imbalance that will theoretically lead to acne. However, instead of trying to minimize your stress it would be much better if you'd go to a doctor to define the real cause and get a real treatment for acne. There's more sense in that.

Myth 3 - Sex and masturbation help form acne

This myth goes way back to the 17th century when doctors used such misinformation in order to keep the morals intact and prevent young people from such ungodly things as premarital sex or masturbation. There's no actual scientific base to this belief, however people tend to take it as true even in the 21st century.

Myth 4 - The sun helps eliminate acne

The sun has more of a cosmetic effect rather than treating the acne. Tanned skin has a similar tone with acne and they are not observed as easily as without a tan. However, excessive sun exposure dries up the skin and can cause more acne breakouts later. Besides, too much tanning is known to cause rapid skin aging and skin cancer. So it's definitely not a solution for treating acne.

Myth 5 - Acne is caused by poor diet

Despite the fact that the link between diet and acne is purely theoretical, many people tend to believe that it's poor diet that causes acne. Of course, eating too much fats and sugar is never good for your health, but there's no direct relation to any substance that we get with food that might be causing acne.

Myth 6 - Pop the pimple to make it go away faster

Popping pimples may have a temporary effect, but instead you will cause more irritation and skin damage that will ultimately cause acne scars.

Myth 7 - Acne is a cosmetic problem, not more

Of course, acne is an external problem that doesn't have any profound impact on the function within the body. Still, acne can cause serious psychological problems and lower self-esteem because a person with acne usually believes that the problem is very noticeable. People with acne tend to avoid socialization and communication, and that alone can be a serious problem.

Myth 8 - You have to let the acne alone and it will wear off with time

You can surely leave the acne alone, but why suffering from it when there are effective remedies such as Accutane and other similar drugs? The psychological implications of acne can be quite unpleasant, especially for a teenager or young adult. So why leaving the problem as it is when you can use Accutane and get rid of the most severe types of acne?