The different acne myths have been misleading a lot of people for several generations already. Most of the time, these myths come from hearsays from family, friends, and other people surrounding you. Starting your journey towards being acne free should involve knowing these myths in order to avoid putting them into practice. This newly found knowledge will increase your chances of treating your acne using proper skin care methods instead of relying on hearsays that are not medically proven.

Having acne means you're dirty and don't wash frequently. This is the first myth and it is entirely untrue. Blackheads and whiteheads, which are symptoms of acne, are thought to be dirt present on the pores but they're not. Blackheads get their color from oxidation of the excess skin pigment when your pores are open. Whiteheads are typically the same as blackheads however the pores were not open during the presence of excess skin pigment on your pores thus eliminating the oxidation process.

The second myth about acne entails that washing your face a lot will help get rid of acne. This is another false belief because acne is not caused by poor hygiene. There are a lot of television commercials promoting that some impurities block your pores thus leading to blackheads, whiteheads, and even pimples. This is not true. Washing your face too much will actually irritate your skin and clog up your pores in the process.

Another unbelievable myth indicates that acne is contagious. This is entirely false because there's no way you can catch acne from someone you have interacted with. In the old days, people believe that having sex and masturbation will cause acne. In reality, they only made up this myth to discourage young people in participating in these activities.

Unproven acne myths include linking diet to the direct cause of acne. The truth is diet does not directly interconnect with acne however diet filled with so many fatty and oily foods can cause your oil glands to produce excessive oils. An oily skin is more prone to developing acne problems. Diet may not have direct cause to acne development but it is still a good idea to keep a balance diet not only for your skin but also for the other systems in your body.

A lot of people think that you can achieve an acne free skin by tanning. Tanning your skin will just mask your acne because a darkened skin makes acne less noticeable but this does not mean you are acne free. Other people even thought that wearing make-up can cause acne. Make-up can only cause acne if you do not take it off properly at the end of the day. If you have sensitive skin, you should think about choosing non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic make-up products for your skin.

Another acne myth implicates that popping your zits or pimples will help them heal faster. This myth causes the opposite of what is intended. What happens is that the germs and bacteria will go further deep in the skin when the pimples' are squeezed. Because of this, instead of being acne free, you'll be experiencing more outbreaks of pimples.