Busting Acne Myths Requires
Individualized Treatment and More Research
By Naweko San-Joyz
If you have acne, you know the deal- everybody has
a cream or suggestion to help you get clear skin.
But how do you separate myth, medicine and folklore
to find an acne treatment that works for you? That’s what researcher
Parker Magin set out to do in a study entitled, A systematic review
of the evidence for ‘myths and misconceptions’ in acne management.
Magin and co-researchers from the University of Newcastle,
New South Wales, conclude that clinicians cannot be “didactic” when
making acne treatment recommendations that are based on diet, hygiene
and sunlight exposure. According to Magin, acne treatments should
be individualized.
Meanwhile, the Academy of Dermatology has published
a press release touting, The Stubborn Truth About Acne: Myths and
Misconceptions. Though this article discusses a recent Stanford University
survey that examined acne myths held among young adults, it offers
no solid advice for securing an acne antidote. Moreover, its meaning
is paradoxical.
For example, the article headlines Alexa Boer Kimball,
M.D. who is an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard University.
Dr. Kimballs sums up the survey on acne by saying “that substantial
differences still exist between popular belief and scientific support,
yet this does not change the way patients attempt to care for their
acne.”
Dr. Kimballs’s comments at the Annual Meeting of the
American Academy of Dermatology casts a discrediting shadow over her
groundbreaking research that aimed to separate acne fact from fiction.
Just two years ago in 2003, Dr. Kimball was apart
of a Stanford University study investigating the effect of stress
on acne. Then, Dr. Kimball concluded that, “increased acne severity
was significantly associated with increased stress levels… while self-assessed
change in diet quality was the only other significant association.”
The results of this study suggested that the link
between acne, and diet and stress are no longer hypothetical but warrant
further examination.
Another investigation aiming to demystify acne came
for Dr. Loren Cordain. Cordain and his associates explored the link
between diet and acne in a study called Acne Vulgaris: A Disease of
Western Civilization. Cordain noted that Kitavan Islanders of Papua
New Guinea and the Aché hunter-gatherers of Paraguay had no active
cases of acne.
This prompted the question, “So why does acne vulgaris
affect 79% to 95% of the adolescent population in westernized societies?”
Cordain found that genes alone do not cause the disparity
of acne incidences between non-westernized and modernized societies.
Other factors must enter the equation.
Acne can arise from hormonal shifts, stress upheavals
and a host of other causes. Your best defense against acne is observing
yourself and noting what conditions, foods and emotions aggravate
your acne situation. From there, you can use self-care to reduce acne
flare-ups.
Health author and Noixia campaigner Naweko San-Joyz
lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. Her works include “Acne
Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne” (ISBN:
0974912204) and the upcoming work “Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we’re still
not getting this dieting thing” (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in
June of 2005.
For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.Noixia.com
