13 Aggravators of Acne

1. STRESS
   1. Stress is any positive or negative change on the body, less sleep from parties, exams and family holidays can mean more pimples for acne suffers.
   2. Adrenal gland produces more testosterone
2. HUMIDITY and CLIMATE
   1. Swelling of the skin from heat or high water content pressurizes the follicle, causing inflammation
3. PRESSURE and FRICTION on the skin from:
   1. Clothing, athletic gear, back packs, hats, telephone, eye glasses
   2. Cupping face in hands
   3. Excessive hair brushing
   4. Face protection masks either clinical or construction work
4. PICKING
   1. Putting pressure on the follicle, causing the wall to rupture, spreading the debris and bacteria into the surrounding tissue. This may even cause the surrounding follicles to become involved in acne.
   2. If using fingernails, can leave white scar ridges in the dermis that are very noticeable later (in 50’s or 60's).
   3. Spreads bacteria from one picked area to another picked area.
5. INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS and AIR BORNE OILS from
   1. Fry cooking
   2. Roof or road tarring
   3. Spray painting
   4. Air borne grease from working on cars or machinery
6. IODIDE in foods and vitamins mixes into the blood stream and is excreted through the oil glands. The excretion causes irritation in the follicle, producing acne. Some foods high in iodine are
   1. Salt
   2. Seafood (kelp, squid, crab, sole, clams, shark, sea bass)
   3. Dairy (cheese, butter, some milk and ice cream products)
   4. Vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, onion, corm, brussel sprouts)
   5. Meat and poultry (beef liver, turkey, chicken, stew meat, hamburger)
   6. Snacks high in salt content: chips, wheat germ [Lots more than this, e.g., pretzels, nuts, popcorn, etc.]
7. COSMETICS
   1. Soaps
   2. Sunscreens
   3. Shampoos and conditioners
   4. Foundations, pressed powder and blushes often cause or exasperate acne. Carefully check your products ingredients.
   5. Lipstick, lip liners, chap stick or lip balms sitting on the outside of the lips can cause blackheads and pimples
   6. A clinical instructor at the University of California in San Francisco, Kathy Fields, MD., says toothpaste can cause acne-like breakouts. Most notorious is tartar control, cinnamon flavoring and blue, red and or green tints that have irritating additives. Switch toothpastes to see if there is any change, and use less if the product is flowing onto the skin. Ingesting toothpaste can cause a fluoride acne flare.
   7. Mangoes have oil that is also found in poison oak, ivy and sumac, causing dermatitis.
8. MENSTRUAL CYCLE
9. PREGNANCY
10. BIRTHCONTROL PILLS
    1. Depo-Provera injection (medroxyprogesterone)
11. SUNLIGHT
    1. 20% of acne patients become worse with heat and sunlight.
    2. Heat causes swelling, reducing the size of the follicle opening, sealing in oil and bacteria.
12. SEASON changes
13. DRUGS
    1. Hallucinogens -- some are bromides, commonly found in Day- & Ny-Quil, chlorides, iodides, halothane; and fluorides (toothpaste)
    2. High doses of B12 (cyanocobalamin)
    3. Oral or topical corticosteroids or steroids, oral anabolic steroids (danazol,stanolzolol)
    4. Dilantin, antidepressants -- some are lithium carbonate (Lithium) and amoxapine, Danocrine (Danazol - used for women who have endometriosis and infertility)
    5. Cyclosporin
    6. Cocaine
    7. Speed
    8. Marijuana
    9. Antiepileptics (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital)
    10. Antituberculous (ethionamide, isoniazid, rifampicin)