What Doesn't Cause Acne

As important as it is to understand the causes of acne, it's just as important to realize what doesn't cause it so that you are not treating the cause with something that doesn't work or that is just going to make the situation worse.

Sweat. 

Believe it or not, sweat doesn't cause acne per se.  Sweat itself doesn't contain bacteria and germs the way people think; it's just water the body releases onto the skin to keep it cool.

What does cause acne with sweat is when the sweat passes over dirt and bacteria on the skin and traps it in pores without being washed away.  The sweat itself doesn't harbor these bacteria or any of this dirt, but may allow it to get trapped if underneath the skin.  It's rare that a person gets acne under their arms, but when you exercise that's one part of the body where you sweat the most!  So it's not really the sweat itself but the dirt and bacteria that are already present that is causing the breakout.

If you sweat because you've just exercised or for another reason, you don't always need to immediately clean your face for fear of acne.  The sweat itself is typically harmless.  This is true especially if your face was clean before you began your workout routine.

Cosmetics. 

Keep in mind that there needs to be some type of clogging of the pores or hair follicles for acne to happen.  Just having dirt and bacteria on your face isn't enough to cause acne; this dirt, bacteria, oils, and other substances need to get caught or clogged in pores in order for it to grow into the bump we call a pimple.

Many years ago the materials used to make women's cosmetics were a common culprit for acne sufferers.  They were made of heavy metal materials and were often oil-based, meaning that they just sat inside your pores and helped to collect and trap dirt and oils inside.  It wasn't unusual for women especially to have acne in the areas where they used the most cosmetics, including their chin, forehead, and nose.

So why do we say that today it's rare that cosmetics cause acne?

Simply put, dermatologists and cosmetics manufacturers have done quite a bit more research and study about their product and how it has affected the face.  They have learned that they can still produce a great product with much better ingredients, and most cosmetics today are water-based rather than oil-based.  This water obviously doesn't clog the pores or trap dirt and bacterial the way oil would.  Many of the other ingredients that caused breakouts have been removed from most cosmetics; when this was first practiced, cosmetics manufacturers used to advertise that their product was "non-comedogenic," meaning that it didn't clog pores.  Today, so many products that are sold in the cosmetics aisle are free of these agents that most manufacturers don't even need to put this on the label any longer. 

As a matter of fact, today many cosmetics are actually good for the skin.  They often contain a wealth of vitamins and products such as vitamin E oil which actually moisturizes the skin and keeps it soft.  They also provide some sunscreen properties, keeping the face protected from the harmful rays of the sun.  As a matter of fact, many women with acne are actually told to use cosmetics every day so that it can form a protective barrier between the dirt and dust in the atmosphere and their skin's pores.  As long as makeup is removed every day then it really shouldn't cause a problem with acne.

Poor hygiene. 

Many people assume that since acne is caused by a buildup of bacteria and dirt then this means that someone with acne is just not cleaning their face properly, right?

In reality it's not the oil and dirt that causes acne; those with this condition usually have no more oil, dirt, bacteria and other harmful elements on their face than anyone else.  Rather it's the condition wherein the skin above those clogged pores or hair follicles does not break the way it should, allowing all this dirt and other elements to be washed or rinsed away.

Everyone has dirt, oil and bacteria on their face but not everyone gets acne.  It's true that some are more prone to oilier skin than others, but this too doesn't mean that they're not cleaning their face properly anymore than someone with dry skin is not taking care of their skin either!  These preexisting conditions may be caused by diet and other external factors, but usually it's just something that a person is born with.  Having extra oil on the face isn't necessarily a sign of poor hygiene, and neither is acne.

Putting This All Together

It's important to understand all these various factors of what does and doesn't cause acne in order to treat it properly.  If you're doing something that is aggravating your skin, just stopping that may help lessen your breakouts.  Or if you're not doing something that your skin needs to be healthy, then you can probably very easily pick up on this and start taking better care of your skin and your face.

Acne is not that difficult to get rid of, regardless of what a lifetime sufferer may assume.  There are usually a few small mistakes that he or she is making when it comes to their skincare routine that, if changed, can clear up those breakouts for good.