Chocolate DOESN’T cause breakouts and a low GI diet can improve your skin: Doctor debunks the most common acne myths of all time
- An Australian doctor has debunked the most common acne myths of all time
- Dr Preeya Alexander revealed everything you need to know about the condition
- Acne occurs when the pores of your skin become blocked with dead skin or oil
By Cindy Tran for Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
An Australian doctor has debunked the most common acne myths of all time.
Dr Preeya Alexander, from Melbourne, revealed everything you need to know about the skin condition so you can clear up your complexion with the right treatment.
The general Practitioner, who publishes medical insight on her Instagram as The Wholesome Doctor, said acne occurs when the pores of your skin become blocked with dead skin cells, oil or bacteria.
‘Acne is a complex process,’ she said.
‘It involves three processes; abnormal laying down of the top skin cells, sebum (an oily substance) plugging of little sebaceous glands and infection with a bacteria called P.acnes can occur – this is when you get red, inflamed acne.’
Dr Preeya Alexander (pictured) has debunked the most common acne myths of all time
Dr Alexander said one of the biggest misconceptions of acne is people believe it’s cased by having ‘dirty skin’, eating too much chocolate and junk food.
There is no evidence showing that chocolate or junk food triggers acne. In fact, the causes of acne are a buildup of dead skin cells, an excess of skin oil, and bacteria.
She said other misconceptions include ‘exfoliating skin vigorously with a glove will fix acne’ and squeezing pimples gets rid of them.
‘Squeezing can actually cause scarring and deeper skin infections,’ she said.
Dr Alexander said you should avoid spending money on expensive skincare products because they can actually do more harm than good.
‘Myth: Expensive lotions and potions are needed to treat acne – actually lots of these can make it worse by irritating the skin,’ she said.
The GP said acne occurs when the pores of your skin become blocked with dead skin cells, oil or bacteria (stock image)
She said research has shown that a low GI diet can improve the impact of acne.
The GI – or glycaemic index – is a way of ranking carbohydrate-containing foods based on how slowly or quickly they are digested and increase blood glucose levels.
Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion have a higher glycaemic index. These high GI carbohydrates, such as a baked potato, release their glucose into the blood quickly.
She said there are multiple treatment options to effectively treat acne including the contraceptive pill.
For normal cases, Dr Alexander recommended the topical therapies such as Adapalene, Benzyl Peroxide or Clindamycin – or oral therapies including antibiotics or isotretinoins if it’s more severe.
‘The treatment aims to target the three processes if they are all occurring,’ she said.
‘Antibiotics are used if there is inflammation (redness) and the other therapies like Adapalene and Isotretinoins help deal with abnormal skin turnover.
‘The combined oral contraceptive pill is also a great weapon in women with acne – essentially “the pill” mops up extra testosterone floating around helping to reduce sebum plugging of glands.’
She added: ‘Acne can significantly affect confidence – so seek help if you need it. Your GP or dermatologist can help.’
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