Food

First of all there is no direct link between eating such things as chocolate or greasy hamburgers or drinking too many soft drinks and developing acne. It is true however that diet plays an important role in the way the body functions and therefore it does have a small part in whether getting acne is more or less likely.

For instance, greasy foods do not directly convert into rising oil production in the sebaceous glands that contributes to acne, although foods that do contribute to an increase in oil production would have an effect. However, iodized salt is as yet the only food substance that has been shown to have any measurable effect and it merely exacerbates existing acne but does not cause it.

Hygiene

The chances of developing an acne spot increase when a pore becomes blocked and bacteria get trapped inside. What this means is that hygiene habits that work to close the pores can play a role. But this effect is only small and the dead skin cells and bacteria that become trapped and cannot work their way out of the pore are only influenced to a small degree by an absence of regular face washing.

Nonetheless, once acne arrives then good skin care is particularly important and mild cleansing two times each day with soap and water will help to treat acne and encourage healthy skin in general. Cleanliness is an excellent for many reasons although it is most helpful in treating acne because it provides a good surface for medications to work most efficiently.

Spots are strongly influenced by excess production of sebum (skin oil) that is triggered chiefly by hormones and abrasive cleansers which are applied roughly do not only clear away this excess oil but also affects the skin's ability to cope with it.

Stress

Because stress has a tendency to weaken the body's immune system and also influence its hormone levels it might be thought that stress would play a part in the onset of acne. However, there is no clear evidence that stress causes acne, but there is evidence to show that it might play a small role after acne has developed.

One problem with assessing the role of stress is that people who are suffering from chronic stress also also suffer from other health problems that can complicate the picture. Remember also that we are talking here about clinical stress and not just the worries that we all experience as part of the ups and downs of everyday life.

Medicine

A lot of individuals are tempted to increase the dosage of over-the-counter medications in the belief that if a little medicine does a bit of good then a lot of medication will do a lot of good. Unfortunately, this is not so and it both wastes medicine and might actually damage the skin. You should always follow the instructions on any medicine and if an over-the-counter medicine does not show signs of working within a reasonable period of time then it is a good idea to consult your dermatologist.