Sex and acne, is there a link?
For years, arguments have raged about whether sex causes or exacerbates acne.
There is an indisputable relationship between male hormones and the state of a person's skin.
But the root cause of acne is the body's intolerance to male hormones, levels of which increase in both men and women when they reach puberty and first become interested in sexual activity.
This coincidence has led many people to assume a link between sex and acne. However, the link is pure coincidence. No-one knows if too much, or too little, "how's your father" affects acne break-outs. Scientific research has never established a link.
Other activity and acne
The same goes for masturbation and acne. In fact, scientists aren't even sure if sexual activity raises the levels of male hormone in the blood, because the experiments carried out to try to find out produced completely contradictory results.
Hormones and acne
Even if sex does increase hormone production, no-one can tell whether this improves or worsens acne, because it's not the level of the hormone that causes acne, but the body's sensitivity to the hormone. Sensitivity varies from person to person, which is why some people suffer from acne while others don't.
The good news is that acne sufferers don't need to stop these entirely healthy and normal activities.
There is some evidence that sweat can make acne worse so, after a particularly lengthy and heavy session, some people might notice that acne gets worse. However, it is the sweat that causes the break-out and not the sexual activity itself. So the lesson may be to take it a bit easier!
The contraceptive pill and acne
It has been scientifically proven that birth control (contraceptive) pills do have an impact on acne, which can be positive for some people and negative for others.
For those who find they break out in spots, pimples and acne after commencing the birth control pill, the best advice is to experiment with different types of pill until you find one that does not have the side-effect of acne.
You can do this with help from your doctor or health advisor.
For some girls who get bad acne anyway, the contraceptive pill is prescribed as a way of controlling the acne and this can be extremely effective.
Download and read the scientific study into contraceptive pills and the effect on acne.
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