7 WRONG NIGERIAN MYTHS ABOUT ACNE AND PIMPLES....

Acne, acne, acne...I have been a chronic acne sufferer for about 5 years now. Being a Nigerian suffering from acne/pimples hasn't been easy, and no I do not mean all those fine freshed face girls like my friend (Chioma) who will see one dot of pimple on her face and start freaking out..lol, I mean like bad severe scar leaving pimples. In secondary school, I was a fresh faced and all of a sudden some days to my graduation I developed really bad cystic acne (If not that I was such an I don't care, it was bad enough to ruin my graduation). Over the years, it got pretty bad that whenever I looked at my face in the mirror I would literally burst into tears, people didn't help my situation either everyone kept asking me, Nelly, what is all this on your face? kai I suffered (people really do need to learn how to talk). My acne led to endless research and experimentation, (I think it might have contributed to my product junkie issues) and trust me when I say I wasted a lot of money and time because I was desperate.

MYTH 1: HOME REMEDIES DO NOT WORK FOR ACNE 

There are a lot of you tube videos and articles online that make us so convinced that these home remedies will work and so we go out there and buy all the lemons, honey, avocado, yoghurt and eggs and instead of eating it, we sacrifice it for the sake of good skin, kai, it will not work infact it may end up clogging your pores if you have sensitive skin and you'll end up making things worse.

EXCEPTION: Apple cider vinegar, as a result of its acidic pH mixed with water makes for a good toner for all skin types, this however will not cure your acne but i will make it appear better.

MYTH 2 : THE MORE YOU WASH YOUR FACE THE LESSER YOUR ACNE

 

Nigerians believe that once you have acne or pimples, it means you are dirty. If you have acne prone skin, as a matter of fact you should wash your face at most every 12 hours, that is two times a day. Washing your face too often will irritate your pores and make them produce more sebum which will cause acne. This brings me to my next acne myth.

MYTH 3 : DO NOT MOISTURIZE YOUR FACE WHEN DEALING WITH ACNE.

Thou shall not moisturize skin if thou haveth acne, especially if thou skin art oily..LIE!!!. People with oily skin are very prone to acne and it can be caused by excessive sebum production. Sebum production is worse if the skin has no moisture at all. Moisturizing your face can help to reduce the oiliness of your skin as well as your acne because your skin doesn't feel the need compensate for the dryness of the skin as it is already moisturized. The key is to get moisturisers which are non comedogenic and hypoallergenic that are good for acne prone skin. I will have a post on moisturizers for acne prone skin soon

MYTH 4 : FACIAL PEELS CAN TREAT ACNE

Chemical peels are really good for acne especially glycolic acid peels but they do not cure acne, they just make the skin appear better. It is a really expensive temporary fix to a permanent problem.

MYTH 5 : DIET AND ACNE ARE RELATED

We should all eat healthy because what we put in our body reflects on our bodies, this is true but in the case of acne it is very hormonal and gene related and food has nothing to do with it "most" of the time. I remember when I started having acne and everyone told me to stop groundnut and stew, still nothing happened. Dairy on the other hand is my acne trigger and is for many people actually, so apart from diary most other foods in Nigeria don't affect hormones like milk may have the power to.

MYTH 6 : ACNE HAS NO CURE

This is untrue, accutane cures acne but it is unavailable in Nigeria and even overseas it has to be given under prescription as it can cause a lot of health effects if not take correctly. Also with time if treated correctly (especially with benzoyl peroxide) the bacteria causing acne will die for good.

MYTH 7 : LEAVE YOUR ACNE UNTREATED WITH TIME IT WILL GO.

This myth is only true if you are 12 years old, for my home girls in their 20s, you need to do something about it. Don't leave your acne untreated, it will not go automatically. People kept telling me not to treat my acne, because they feel that once my skin gets used to the acne it will eventually go....Trust me if you don't treat it, it will get worse.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you learnt something today.

What are Nigerians telling you about you acne or pimples?...