Acne statistics
Acne is estimated to affect 79–95% of the adolescent population in the West as well as 40–54% of individuals over twenty-five years old. These are outrageously high numbers and just go to show the desperate need of acne remedies that work.
Now thirty-three, I have suffered from acne for over half of my life. Each of us that is afflicted by acne is an individual therefore the acne treatment that we require should also be decided on a case by case basis.
Scientific research is inconclusive when it comes to trying to determine what factors can help reduce the incidence of acne throughout the population. Acne remains rare in non-Westernized societies so it has been hypothesised that amongst other potential factors, diet may play a role in the incidence of acne. As populations become more Westernized, so the rate of acne is seen to increase.
Acne and diet
It is a comforting thought to believe that diet may play a role in effective acne removal and treatment. There are scientists as well as many acne sufferers who believe that diet is a factor while opposing views hold that in the studies conducted so far, the precise role diet plays has not been isolated. Genetics and levels of physical activity may have also played a part in the rate of acne.
Even though the science is inconclusive, of the available acne remedies, the best treatment for me has been to alter my diet. For me dairy products definitely seem to affect my skin condition drastically. Drinking 200ml of milk on a daily basis will within a week produce an outbreak of acne on my face, neck and upper torso. All dairy products have this effect on my skin if eaten on a daily basis for more than a few days.
Discovering that by almost eliminating my dairy consumption I could severely reduce the severity of my own acne was a landmark in my quest for an effective acne remedy. What's interesting about the human body is that what works very well for me may have absolutely no effect on others looking for an appropriate acne treatment.
Staying hydrated also has a bearing on my skin condition. When I am drinking about two liters of water a day, I can get away with increasing my dairy consumption.
Acne and skincare
Soap has been advocated as an acne treatment since the 19th century. Now-a-days we have a much wider array of chemical treatments of varying price and that effect us to various degrees.
The research while indicating that soap and other treatments sometimes appears to have a beneficial effect upon the severity of acne has been unable to conclude that this is the case due to so called deficiencies in the experiment design. However just because scientists can't agree doesn't mean that there isn't a positive effect to be found.
What there does appear to be consensus on is that excessive and/or aggressive washing, with or without soap or other acne treatments, may be traumatic for the skin and cause irritation. This in turn may actually increase the severity of acne!
Acne and sunlight
Convincing direct evidence of the positive effects of sunlight exposure on acne is lacking. Recent findings that suggest various artificial lights are effective as an acne remedy might not be directly generalizable to natural sunlight. Another factor to consider is that the long-term exposure to sunlight as well as artificial UV light for acne treatment may increase risk of skin cancer. This reminds us that there are fates worse than acne.
Sun and artificial light may be beneficial for some of us. I used to visit a tanning salon, not for the tan but to improve my acne. It definitely seemed to reduce the severity of my acne. However the research suggests that even though it may have a positive effect for some of us, the effects of sunlight on acne are not generalizable.
Acne and you
All of this shows that while some acne treatments work for some of us they don't unfortunately work for all. This means that more research is needed into acne remedies so that we may eventually have a treatment that benefits everyone.
In the meantime the best approach appears to be conducting our own experiments. If you are unhappy with your current acne treatment, rather than continuing with a regime that isn't serving you well, consider making isolated changes to your lifestyle, diet or cleaning program. Find your own acne care treatment. Observe the results and be your own judge as to which acne remedy is best for you.
