10 factors that worsen acne

1) The Stress Connection

2) Hormone Fluctuations

The modern American woman undergoes constant hormone changes that can aggravate a complexion problem. Her brother may have had an acne problem, but the American woman have had beautiful complexion until the twenties when she went on or off birth control pills or went through a pregnancy. These hormone changes may flare up a minor acne problem condition and make it flare up. Some birth control pills are actually male dominant like Lo Ovral. These may flare up an acne condition or the birth control pills may flare up an acne condition when they are discontinued. Similar to a pregnancy, the complexion may get worse the first couple of months of the Pill, and then improve after several months only to flare up 90 days after the Pill is discontinued

3) Cosmetics

Since women are working and have more of a disposable income; they buy more products and wear more make-up. Cosmetic acne can develop after several months. Often, the American women are completely unaware of the aggravating factor of some particular ingredient. This type of acne is often manifested as closed comedones on the cheek area. See Vasseur Skincare’s ingredient list of costmetics

4) Hair conditioners and hair pomades.

Hair conditioners can irritate the skin and cause the impactions especially on the forehead. This is also true of hair pomades, which may contain isopropyl, myristate or similar ingredients and cause a flare up on the forehead and temple areas. A simple mixture of petroleum and mineral oil can make an excellent hair pomade without the use of detergents and surfactant such as isopropyl myristate which may cause a flare up. The sudsing agent sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium laurth sulfate has been a skin irritant for a long time, causing a skin rash of small red bumps on forehead and sides of face.

5) Fingernails

Another major culprit is the fingernail. Many women have minor acne but bad fingernails. A compulsive habit of excessive use of the fingernail may rip off the surface of the skin and lead to flare ups and inflammatory pigmentation problems. It may be necessary to wear cotton gloves at night to break this habit. Popping a blemish can almost double its life span from one week to two. Breakouts can bring out our most aggressive side. Squeezing a pimple just pushes bacteria deeper into the pores, causing inflammation, infection scarring and almost doubling the zit’s life span from 1 to 2 weeks. When you break the skin, the bacteria that’s on your finger and your face can penetrate it, and the contents of the pimple get pushed deeper . All that irritation is going to take much longer to heal and can lead to scarring.

6) Diet

Many of the dietary factors are myths such as chocolate. However, one truth is iodine. Excessive iodine or iodides are excreted out the pore and flare up acne. Excessive iodine is obtained by eating taco chips that are salted with sea salt or using a lot of kelp either sprinkled on food or used as a wrap. Another source may be cows liver, which concentrates salt from the salt lick in the pasture. Some vegetables concentrate iodine such as asparagus. Once of the reasons acne may be worse in the United States compared to Europe is that we iodize our salt ten times higher than they do in Europe. Please read The facts about clear skin. By Melanie Vasseur

7) Mechanical conclusion acne

The chronic use of a headband or an under wire bra or a pack on the back can lead to a pore conclusion and acne flare ups. Even a phone on the chin all day long can clog pores and cause an acne flare up.

8) Drugs

Certain drugs can aggravate acne such as Lithium used for mental states, Dilantin used for Epilepsy, or Hydrocortisones used as anti inflammatory. These can all sensitize the pore to acne flare ups.

9) Sunlight

Sunlight can make your condition either better or worse. There is a condition in Europe called Myorca Acne from the island of Myorca. The mainland women go for a two week vacation and when they get back home there chest and back are flared up. Although sunlight sometimes improves acne, it can also cause reactive state that leads to a flare up of small inflammatory papules. Whether items like chronic sunlight exposure may or may not improve your acne, is not image clear, but sun damage will cause fine lines and skin cancers for sure.

10) Therapeutic products

It’s sad to see an acne flare up in individuals trying to improve their complexion using acne products that contain irritating ingredients such as Retin-A cream, which contains isopropyl myristate or Desquamax 10% benzoyl peroxide which contains Laureth 4.

By: James E. Fulton, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.