We now offer Telemedicine
With everything that happens socially during puberty, the last thing anyone wants to think about is acne. And pubescent teens aren’t the only ones living with acne. Sometimes painful, always annoying, chronic issues with acne can lead to minor skin infections and scarring. Despite the annoyance and pain of acne, it’s a common condition, and people spend over a billion dollars every year treating it.
At Hines Dermatology Associates, we’ve treated more than our fair share of people living with different types of acne. Dr. Yvonne C. Hines understands how acne can change your everyday life and become a nuisance. She knows acne can make you self-conscious and even affect your self-esteem. Everyone recognizes acne when it becomes an issue — the collection of red bumps with raised white centers that appear on your face or body is unmistakable.
Understanding acne is the first step in treating it. We’re happy to help you along the way, but make sure that you know what you should and shouldn’t do to your skin when you’re living with acne. The more guidance you have when it comes to controlling your breakouts, the easier it is for you to heal from acne. Let’s take a look at the following myths.
Your acne, and it’s severity, is strongly dependent on your genetics. A hormonal imbalance can cause the overproduction of oil in your hair follicles. This oil can easily be trapped, instead of expressing at the surface of your skin, so pimples and other types of blemishes form on your face or body.
Skipping showering or not washing your face several times per day doesn’t create acne. Plenty of people who bathe multiple times per day still struggle with acne.
While maintaining a healthy diet is important, it won’t make or break your acne. Greasy foods have long been blamed for excess oil on the body. Chocolate, too, has previously been linked with worsening acne, but this myth has been debunked.
It’s important to wash your face as part of proper hygiene, but washing your face frequently doesn’t control your acne. Acne-prone skin can often be sensitive, and overwashing your face can irritate it and dry out your skin.
The opposite is true. Popping pimples provides more psychological relief than physical relief, and it doesn’t help acne. Popular shows like “Dr. Pimple Popper” may heighten the appeal of popping pimples before treating them, but the show’s featured doctor performs pimple-popping procedures in her medical office.
As counterintuitive as it may sound, it’s important to continue to moisturize your skin when you’re having an acne flare-up. Your skin still needs moisture to stay healthy and rebuild after your acne treatments.
Acne is caused by several factors, including a family history of the condition, hormones, and stress. The use of certain skin-care and cosmetic products can aggravate acne, but to be clear, products don’t cause acne: Acne begins in the body, usually as a result of the hormone imbalance caused during puberty.
Dr. Hines can recommend several over-the-counter skincare products that are gentle and effective in helping control your acne. While hundreds of millions — into the billions — of dollars are spent for relief of acne, this doesn’t mean a $40 cleanser is guaranteed to work for you.
Acne treatments are typically drying. This is good for pimples, as it absorbs the irritating excess oil, but bad for skin, as it can overdry unaffected skin. Overdrying skin, whether you’re living with acne or not, can cause premature aging of the skin, and dehydrated skin can easily wrinkle or become flaky.
Don’t believe the hype that certain types of acne can’t be cleared. While your own acne may require a little extra care, it’s extremely rare that someone deals with incurable acne. If you’ve followed your doctor’s recommendations and routines without results, it’s possible that you may not have acne at all.
Staying in touch with your dermatologist is important. With medical assistance, you can get the relief you need. Call us today at 508-222-1976 or book an appointment online. You’ll be one step closer to soft, clear skin.
