Myths on anti-acne lifestyle tips
If you search the web for anti-acne tips, you’ll find a lot of them have to do with lifestyle. Reading these articles makes you think that changing your habits might just be the cure to your breakouts.
But how well do these actually work? Let’s find out.
Acne is caused by eating the wrong food.
We know for a fact that our diet affects our body. And given that the skin is the largest organ of the said body, then it must mean that eating the wrong things can make us break out. Right?
Not quite. Scientific studies have yet to prove that food causes acne. The more accurate way to put it is that food influences acne. The difference may seem semantic, but it spells a world of difference if you’re choosing between which interventions to prioritize. Between using a dermatologist-approved skincare regimen and refraining from eating “acne-causing” food like chocolate or dairy products, the former is likely to have a much greater impact on the condition of your skin.
Controlling your diet with the primary goal of clearing your skin isn’t about restricting consumption of particular food, but rather, your diet in general. The evidence that chocolate or dairy cause acne is shaky at best since it’s difficult to hold all variables constant among participants save for the consumption of these foods.
But there is some headway in associating diet with acne. Research shows that high glycemic index food is related to more severe and frequent breakouts. The mechanism is not yet fully understood, but it makes sense given what we already know about this skin disease. Consistently eating food with high glycemic index may cause the body to increase insulin production, which in turn ups the production of androgens. Androgenic hormones are known to increase sebum production, which is a direct factor in the pathogenesis of acne.
However, much research is still needed before dieting becomes a bonafide anti-acne treatment.
But changing your lifestyle to support a healthier, more balanced diet may not have a great effect on your skin, but it will have a host of other benefits that make it worth the effort.
Sweat is bad for acne.
A lot of people with acne do not want to play sports or be active out of fear it will worsen their acne. For some, that fear is compounded by the worry that they cannot hide their blemishes with make-up because the sweat will wash it off anyway.
The pathogenesis of acne has nothing to do directly with sweat, but is related to other factors that frequently occur when you are sweating. Back or truncal acne may be exacerbated after playing sports, but the culprit is not sweat--it’s the friction from tight sports clothes and bacteria-encouraging humidity from increased body heat and moisture. Facial acne may worsen because of frequent wiping off of sweat, and use of helmets or other occlusive material.
The benefits of sweat-inducing activities far outweigh its ability to worsen acne. There are many ways you can stay active while keeping zits at a minimum. Taking a bath or washing your face after a game, changing into breezy, clean clothes after playing, and using a new set of clothes each time you work out are good ways to prevent acne while still getting your sweat on.
Drinking water will clear your skin.
In interviews and magazine articles, actors and models will often say that drinking loads of water is the key to maintaining their clear skin. So is the cure to acne simply staying hydrated?
As much as we wish it were that easy, it’s not. There is no conclusive evidence to say that drinking 8 or more glasses of water a day will give you blemish-free skin. However, it can provide benefits if you’re not drinking as much as the human body needs.
A study found that people who drink less than 3.2L of water a day showed marked improvement in the superficial and deep hydration of their skin when their water consumption was increased. The same study found that those who normally drink more than 3.2L of water a day did not have any significant improvement, likely because they already reached the amount they needed.
While it does help with keeping your skin healthy, there is no evidence to suggest that it could clear up acne. Water will not remove the clumps of dead skin cells and sebum that clog your pores. It will not destroy the bacteria that proliferate within these plugs. It does not have a significant effect on the hormones that underlie these processes.
It is important to our general health that we get our fill of water, but expecting it to remove blemishes is sadly not realistic.
Conclusion
If you want to clear acne, you should target the causes of it, not just the factors that influence it. Relying on lifestyle changes alone is likely not going to make a dramatic difference in the condition of your skin. You have a much better chance of getting the results you want by using dermatologist-recommended anti-acne medications consistently and properly.
That being said, there are a lot of other benefits to eating healthier, staying hydrated, and being physically active. While it may not affect your skin as much as you wish it would, it will greatly improve your wellbeing and happiness--making it a worthwhile endeavor.
This content is for general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice.
Resources:
Markovic, M., Soldatovic, I., Bjekic, M., & Sipetic-Grujicic, S. (2019). Adolescents' self perceived acne-related beliefs: from myth to science. Anais brasileiros de dermatologia, 94(6), 684–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abd.2019.02.005
Magin, P., Pond, D., Smith, W., & Watson, A. (2005). A systematic review of the evidence for 'myths and misconceptions' in acne management: diet, face-washing and sunlight. Family practice, 22(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmh715
Palma, L., Marques, L. T., Bujan, J., & Rodrigues, L. M. (2015). Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 8, 413–421. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S86822
Pappas A. (2009). The relationship of diet and acne: A review. Dermato-endocrinology, 1(5), 262–267. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.1.5.10192
Robyn N Smith, Neil J Mann, Anna Braue, Henna Mäkeläinen, George A. Varigos, A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 86, Issue 1, July 2007, Pages 107–115, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.1.107
