13 Reasons for Pimples

Author: Mary Gillespie

Shop our Acne Treatment category to get rid of acne pimples and blackheads.

Once you try us you’ll want to stay with us - discover why our customers rave and keep coming back for more. We stand behind our products 100%.  Place your order today!

What makes acne worse? Book summary from Acne Rx, author James E. Fulton Jr., M.D., Ph.D., co-inventor of Retin-A.

1. PICKING
   
   1. Putting pressure on the follicle, causing the wall to rupture spreading debris and bacteria into the surrounding tissue. This may even cause the surrounding follicles to become involved in acne.
   2. Spreads bacteria from one picked area to another picked area.
   3. Fingernails can leave white scar ridges in the dermis that are very noticeable later, often in your 50’s or 60's.
2. STRESS
   
   1. Adrenal gland product more testosterone.
   2. Yes, even good stress such as, going on vacation, staying up late to watch a movie, or study.  Any departure from your body's normal biorhythms.
3. PRESSURE and FRICTION on your skin such as,
   
   1. Clothing, athletic gear, back packs, hats, telephones, eye glasses.  Sitting in a high, hard surface backed chair can cause acne on the back from friction.
   2. Keep tinted cotton off your skin, example: shirts - navy, red, black - the tint causes acne - if you have to wear it then wash clothing many times in your washer to remove the excess tint. Wear only clean white cotton against your skin with no fabric softeners this includes fabric softener sheets in your dryer. Example: some nurses wear inexpensive men’s white cotton tee shirts under their scrubs to prevent body acne.
   3. Cupping your face in your hands.
   4. Excessive hair brushing.
   5. Face protection masks, clinical, construction work or other, head-sets. Facials, if you have acne tell your facialist not to massage your skin to prevent a break-out from pressure and friction.
4. MENSTRUAL CYCLE
   
   
5. PREGNANCY
   
   
6. BIRTHCONTROL PILLS
   
   1. Depo-Provera injection (medroxyprogesterone)
7. DRUGS
   1. Hallucinogens - some are bromides, commonly found in Day & NyQuil, chlorides, iodides, halothane.
   2. Fluorides in toothpaste can cause peri (around) oral (mouth) acne.
   3. High doses of B12 (cyanocobalamin).
   4. Oral or topical corticosteroids or steroids, oral anabolic steroids (danazol, stanolzolol).
   5. Antidepressants - some are lithium carbonate (Lithium) and amoxapine.
   6. Danocrine (Danazol - used for women who have endometriosis and infertility).
   7. Antiepileptics (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital), Dilantin.
   8. Cyclosporin
   9. Antituberculous (ethionamide, isoniazid, rifampicin).
   10. Cocaine, speed and marijuana.
8. FOOD
   1. Ingesting the oil of peanut, corn and wheat germ which contain high amounts of the hormone testosterone can make acne worse.
   2. Iodide in foods and vitamins mixes into the blood stream and is excreted through the oil glands. This excretion causes irritation in the follicle producing acne.
   3. Some foods high in iodine are salt, seafood (kelp, squid, crab, sole, clams, shark, sea bass) and dairy (cheese, butter, some milk and ice cream products). Vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, onion, corn, brussels sprouts). Meat and poultry (beef liver, turkey, chicken, stew meat, hamburger).
   4. Snacks high in salt content are chips, wheat germ, pretzels, nuts and popcorn.
9. COSMETICS
   1. Soaps, sunscreens, shampoos and conditioners.
   2. Foundations, pressed powder and blushes often cause or exasperate acne. Carefully check your product ingredients.
   3. Bumps or pimples under your blush? Use a rosy eye shadow instead since acne causing red dye is outlawed in eye shadows.
   4. Lipstick, lip liners, or lip balms sitting on the outside of the lips can cause blackheads and pimples.
   5. 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 your skin. Ingesting toothpaste can cause a fluoride acne flare.
   6. Mangoes have oil that is also found in poison oak, ivy and sumac, causing dermatitis.
10. 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.
11. SEASON changes.
12. HUMIDITY and CLIMATE
1. Swelling of your skin from heat or high water content pressurizes your follicles causing inflammation.
13. INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS and AIR BORNE OIL such as,
    1. Fry cooking, roof or road tarring, spray painting and air borne grease from working on cars or machinery.

Acne Definition | Stop Pimples
Benzoyl Peroxide BPO | Acne Info
Make-Up Acne Free Suggestions