Myth: Acne is related to diet
Reality: Prevailing wisdom in the dermatology community is that diet and acne are not related. Of course science is never a 100% reliable enterprise. But at this time, there is no evidence that chocolate, sugar, oil, milk, seafood, or any other food causes acne. Some people absolutely insist that a certain food causes acne for them, or that a specific acne diet works for them. In this case, doctors sometimes recommend that they avoid that food or follow that diet. Regarding chocolate specifically, several studies have been performed, and the answer to "does chocolate cause pimples?" is a resounding "No".
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Myth: Washing your face more often will help clear up acne
Reality: Facial blemishes are not caused by dirt. Contrary to what you may have seen in commercials, pores do not get blocked from the top down. Rather, an entire pore collapses from deep within the skin, starting acne formation. Frequent washing does nothing to prevent this. Over-washing is actually irritating, and excess irritation can worsen acne. A washcloth can aggravate this situation further. Use bare hands to wash and only wash twice a day.
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Myth: Stress causes acne
Reality: Stress is not a very important factor in acne despite what you may have heard. Drugs that treat severe stress may have acne as a side effect, but stress itself is no big deal. Your time is better spent determining the right course of acne treatment rather than feeling guilt about stress.
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Myth: Masturbation or sex causes acne
Reality: This antiquated notion, originating as early as the 17th century to dissuade young people from having premarital sex, is just plain wrong. Don't believe the hype.
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Myth: The sun will help get rid of acne
Reality: The sun may work in the short-term to hasten the clearing of existing acne while reddening your skin, thus blending your skin tone with red acne marks. However, a sun tan is actually skin damage. Sun exposure causes irritation which can make acne worse. The sun is a short-term band-aid which will often bite back with more acne in the weeks following exposure.
Acne
Acne is a skin problem that usually begins in the young teenage years and can last until the early 20s or even later. It consists of mild to severe outbreaks of pimples and cysts - mainly on the face, but also on the back, arms and chest. Cysts are lumps under the skin that have pus and other tissue in them, but do not come to a head like pimples do. These can sometimes cause scarring and blotchy, uneven skin colour. Unfortunately, acne hits people at a time when they most want to look their best. Acne can make teenagers feel embarrassed and bad about themselves. There are treatments that can help if acne is causing distress. If you are concerned about skin problems or skin care, you should talk to your doctor or chemist for information about possible treatments.
Hormones and genetics
At the start of puberty, a whole lot of hormones are released into the body. One of these hormones is androgen. Both boys and girls have androgen, but boys have more of it. Androgen affects oil glands in the skin of the face, neck, back, shoulders and chest. It makes the glands grow bigger and produce more oil (sebum). Bacteria on the skin make this oil thicken so that the pores become blocked, resulting in blackheads, pimples and cysts. A teenager is more likely to get acne if one of their parents had it during adolescence. But even in the same family, some people may get worse acne than others. Girls tend to get it at a younger age than boys and it can worsen.