A flawless skin is
one thing that everyone desires, and that’s precisely the reason people try to
take all the advice/remedies to get a glowing face and skin. Its important to
separate the myths from the facts so we make the right choices. Today’s article
we would try to bust some myths and share some facts with you, a step that
would help you to make a step towards a health skin.
ACNE (PIMPLES)
Acne affects 85% of the people during adolescence and early youth
Ø MYTH: Acne is very common and does not require active care and
treatment.
Ø FACT:
o
True,
acne is very common and is part of hormonal changes that occur during puberty.
o
Acne
beyond 25 years is unusual and are triggered by hormonal changes, cosmetics and
stress.
o
Acne
need treatment if
§ simple
measures like washing face three times a
day and avoiding oily creams don’t help
§ pimples
are increasing in number and size ,become red coloured or develop pus in them or
leave marks on healing
§ pimples
occur beyond 25 years of age.
Ø MYTH: Squeezing pimples to release pus leads to early healing.
Ø FACT: Squeezing or even frequent touching
pimples deepens inflammation and increases chances of acne scars and
pigmentation. So, never fiddle with your pimples and don’t
rub your face vigorously after washing.
Ø MYTH: Oily food increases tendency for pimples
Ø FACT: Studies so far negates this fact, so
avoid fatty food not for your face but for your heart.
Ø MYTH: Steroid creams like betnovate, lobate, tenovate, steriderm
etc. decrease pimples.
Ø FACT: All these are potent and super potent
steroids which are contraindicated for facial application. They reduce pimples
temporarily. Long term use of these steroid creams on face causes thin skin,
increase hair growth and redness of face.
Ø MYTH: There is no treatment for acne scars.
Ø FACT: Acne scars can be reduced by procedures
like TCA peels, derma rollers and lasers depending on patient’s requirement.
MELASMA
Ø MYTH:
Pregnancy is the only
trigger for blemishes.
Ø FACT: Precipitating factors include
o
Pregnancy
o
hormonal
replacement treatment or oral contraceptive pills
o
menstrual
irregularities
o
thyroid
abnormality
o
stress
o
iron
or other dietary deficiencies
o
medications
o
cosmetics
o
sun
exposure – stimulate pigment forming cells
§ Sun exposure restriction is of prime
importance which can be achieved by regular use of medicated sunscreen and
covering your face with cloth.
ECZEMA (ALLERGY)
Ø MYTH: Eczema is usually triggered by food we
eat.
Ø FACT: Eczema can be classified as exogenous and
endogenous depending on whether external factors or body’s own constitution is
predisposing to eczema respectively. Exogenous eczema is rarely triggered by
eatables, rather allergens that come in contact with skin cause allergic
manifestation. Common allergens include
o
nickel
(in artificial jewelry, door handles, key chains, coins, belts etc.)
o
PPD
(in hair dye and kali mehendi)
o
plants
(most common Congress grass in India) etc.
Ø MYTH: Steroids are the only treatment for
eczema and they are completely unsafe.
Ø FACT: Most important is to recognise the
allergen and avoiding it altogether as in case of hair dye. But allergens which
can’t be completely avoided require long term treatment. Steroid creams and
tablets if prescribed in adequate amount and strength are safe. If patient is
still not controlled, steroid sparing agents are now available though they are
more expensive.
HAIR FALL
Ø MYTH: Hair fall is due to change in water or
shampoo.
Ø FACT:
Hair fall is one of most
common symptom of chronic stress, besides this iron deficiency, thyroid
abnormality, menstrual problems, certain medications, crash dieting are common
causes in females. While Male pattern baldness is common cause in males and
requires a long term treatment.
FUNGAL INFECTION (RING WORM)
Ø MYTH: Fungal infection is common in summer and rainy season.
Ø FACT:
True, fungal infection
usually occur in body folds like groin, arm pits under breast or in between
toes and fingers due to collection of sweat during hot and humid climate. Patients
should thoroughly dry these folds after washing and wear cotton garments.
WARTS
Ø MYTH: Warts are due to repeated pressure on skin.
Ø FACT: Warts are caused by a virus while corns
are caused by chronic friction or pressure on skin of sole. Warts can spread by
contact, so patients should not share their towels and soaps and take treatment
early before warts increase in number.
As a dermatologist, I get patients who come looking
for cure of open pores on their face which are impacting their looks and
confidence. I have not read about open pores as a disease and couldn’t find any
reference to the same in my standard dermatology textbooks. Hence, I decided to
research about “open pores” and started to look for scientific data; this is the summary of information gathered and my
understanding of open pores.
