Ladies, we all know how frustrating a pimple can be, especially when it decides to sprout up before an important day. By now, you must have been privy to at least one hundred different folktales about how to get rid of blemishes faster. Read on to find out if the word around town is fact or fiction!
You can’t eat chocolate if you suffer from acne.
Whilst it is true that your diet does have an impact on your skin (two flawed studies in the sixties and seventies said otherwise – these have now been disproved), there is no need to give up chocolate entirely. The problem has nothing to do with the cocoa found in this sweet treat, but rather with the sugar and dairy content. Opt for dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or more and you will be just fine.
Adults should not get acne.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is one of the biggest lies ever told. Adult acne is far more common in women than in men. Whilst hormonal changes are the root cause of severe acne during teenage years, women experience these changes throughout their life, making it extremely common for ladies to have acne again as they grow older.
Make up makes acne worse.
Ladies, this one is a half-truth. Yes, certain makeup can clog up your pores and make your skin condition worse, but using the right products can actually improve your acne and keep it in control. Using a water based foundation allows you to have the coverage your desire without having a detrimental effect on your skin. Brownie points if you opt for a foundation with soothing ingredients like silica, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide which will have a cooling effect on your skin. Same goes with sunscreen so no more excuses about SPF, please!
Toothpaste can banish my zits in no time.
Again, this is a half-truth. Toothpaste contains baking soda, menthol, essential oils and other ingredients which cool your acne and can help in drying pimples out. However, you must remember that this product was not made to be used on your skin! Toothpaste can often cause irritation and rashes – basically, you are swapping one skin problem for another. Use a spot treatment which contains benzoyl peroxide instead – it will be far more effective and your face won’t smell like spearmint!
Stronger products are more effective.
Busted! Have a look at the labels of the acne products available at your local pharmacist. Most of them will contain two key ingredients – benzoyl peroxide to kill the bacteria and salicylic acid to unclog your pores. Having said that, going overboard (especially with benzoyl peroxide) can actually have an adverse effect on your skin because strong products often cause irritation and inflammation. As a rule of thumb, stick to products that contain roughly 2% of benzoyl peroxide – nothing less and nothing more.
