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AcneNet This Month
October 1999
Tip of the Month
Despite the lack of any good evidence that acne is caused or
worsened by foods, by weather, or by psychological stress, these
myths about acne just won’t go away.
The "food myth" may be perpetuated by purveyors of
certain vitamin preparations, herbal lotions and medicines, and
"health foods" that are claimed to prevent or cure acne.
However, just as there is no evidence that acne is caused by
eating certain foods (chocolate is one of the foods most often
blamed for causing acne), neither is there any good evidence that
acne can be prevented or cured by changes in your diet. A
healthful diet is good for all parts of your body, including your
skin, but you just cannot prevent or cure acne by what you eat.
The "weather myth" may get some support when a person
returns from vacation with a suntan that makes acne lesions less
apparent. While a suntan may have a temporary cosmetic effect in
camouflaging acne, the long-term effect of the sun on acne is
probably nil. It is also important to remember that excessive
exposure to the sun damages skin, and can have the effect of
making acne worse by increasing inflammation.
Psychological stress does not cause acne, but a person with
acne may be made to feel even worse about himself or herself
during periods of stress. In this respect, psychological stress
may make acne seem worse because it makes the person with acne
feel worse. Psychological stress also may promote the production
of excess hormones, and thereby aggravate a case of existing acne.
Fact of the Month
If one or more of your parents, or a brother or sister has
acne, should you expect to also have acne?
Not necessarily, but there is some evidence of a genetic
connection in acne. Acne seems to "run in the family" in
many instances. However, the genetic connection may be more of a
predisposition than a direct cause of acne. In studies of twins
with acne, the acne is often more severe in one twin, indicating
that factors other than genetic inheritance are at work in the
development of acne.
Having acne in the family doesn’t make one’s acne any worse
or untreatable than acne without a family connection. Genetic
inheritance may predispose some people to the possibility of
developing acne, but the factors that cause acne are the same in
everyone and they can usually be controlled by effective
treatment.
Question of the Month
Each month we pose a question that is answered the following
month. This month’s question:
What is azelaic acid and why is it used in the treatment of
acne?
We’ll have the answer, and a discussion of the answer, on
AcneNet next month.
Answer to last month’s Question of the Month
Last month’s question was:
I’m a back packer, and I’ve started to get what looks like acne on areas
of the skin where my pack rubs and I sweat a lot. Is this possible?
Answer: Yes. Friction and sweating can be associated with the development of
acne or acne-like lesions.
There are names for acne or acne-like lesions associated with constant
friction and sweating. "Fiddler’s neck" is a condition affecting
some violin players; pigmentation, skin redness, and inflammatory papules
or pustules occur on the skin where
the violin fits under the chin at the angle of the jaw and neck. Soldier’s
acne is a description of acne or acne-like lesions occurring on areas of the
skin constantly rubbed by a military pack; it may be more common in soldiers
serving in tropical areas.
High school and college football players may develop acne on the forehead,
where the football helmet fits tightly. This form of acne in adolescent boys may
actually represent an irritation of micro-comedones
already present on the skin of the forehead, and made more inflamed by helmet
friction.
Overly vigorous cleansing and washing of the facial skin also can be a source
of friction that can aggravate acne.
Acne that seems to be associated with friction may be alleviated or prevented
by removing the source of friction. However, acne already present may require
ongoing treatment.
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