How to Stop Acne - Factors that Make Acne Worse – Part 1

How to Stop Acne

Factors that Make Acne Worse – Part 1
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Certain factors are known to cause or aggravate acne. Avoiding these factors contributes to better treatment results and eventually stop acne permanently, as well as preventing relapses after successful treatment.


A. Picking and Squeezing

It is common to pick at acne lesions and squeeze out the retained sebaceous materials, under the mistaken impression that this will unblock the pore and speed up healing. In fact, this often causes unnecessary skin injury, introduces bacteria, and worsens inflammation. The result is often darker, deeper and more permanent scars.


B. Premenstrual Flares

Women may complain of acne flares just before their menses. These premenstrual flares affect up to 40% of women with acne, and are related to normal fluctuations in hormone levels over the menstrual cycle. The flares usually resolve quickly after the menses end. The regular use of topical anti-acne creams may help reduce premenstrual flares.

How to Stop Acne


C. Stress

Acne often worsens during periods of stress, worry, anxiety and tension. A recent study by researchers from Stanford University published in the July 2003 Archives of Dermatology reported that acne in a group of students deteriorated with increasing stress levels in the examination period, suggesting that changing hormones and neuroactive substances produced during stress may have a significant influence on acne. Flares during stressful periods are probably also exacerbated by failure to use the anti-acne creams regularly. To prevent and minimize such flares, patients should learn stress reduction and relaxation techniques and diligently apply anti-acne creams daily over acne-prone areas, even if they have no breakouts.


D. Creams and Medicaments

Certain creams and medicaments may make acne worse, including some medicated creams and thick, oily creams. Topical steroids, often prescribe to treat eczema, may lead to a breakout if used excessively and inappropriately. This type of acne is often characterized by multiple red, inflamed monomorphic papules and pustules.


E. Drugs

Some drugs are well documented as aggravators or even causes acne. These include corticosteroids given either orally or by injections, lithium for treating manic-depressive illness and testosterone pills/injections which may ba used by professional athletes and bodybuilders to increase muscle mass. Danazol, sometimes given to women for endometriosis (growth of tissue from the uterus in parts of the body other than the uterus), similar in effect to testosterone and can aggravate acne. Avoiding all these drugs will definitely help you stop acne. It doesn’t matter how good these drugs are but bear in mind that all drugs can make acne worse, and that’s a fact.

How to Stop Acne