This myth rears its head in many contradictory ways.
Acne is caused by “bad thoughts,” by too much sex
or by not enough sex... and, of course, by
masturbation. This myth gets you coming and going
and, it is believed.
Teenagers in a suburban New York high school who
did not have acne were polled for their attitudes
about the disease. A majority of them said that “unclean thoughts” manifest themselves as skin
blemishes.7
Plenty of acne sufferers give up masturbating, begin
having sex, or, if they are sexually active, stop having
sex for long periods only to be frustrated when the
acne does not go away. Even greater numbers have
suffered tremendous guilt when a breakout seemed
to follow a sexual fantasy or activity.
It’s not hard to figure out why the sexual myths
prevail. Adolescence is the time of the body’s sexual
development and the beginning of sexual feelings.
Coincidentally, it is the time acne usually begins
blooming. Well, not quite coincidentally, indeed
these events are related. It is that surge of sex
hormones in the adolescent body that triggers acne
in genetically acne-prone persons. In Chapter 8,
we’ll dissect that whole fascinating hormone
connection more thoroughly. Perhaps another
reason the sexual myths have prevailed is they have
provided a convenient punishment tool for parents
who fear their children’s sexual awakenings and
curiosity.
Often the strongest evidence for the seeming validity
of the myth occurs in a person’s early twenties. An
acne sufferer gets married and the acne goes away.
The myth gets another shot in the arm. But in fact it
would have happened anyway, not because of
establishing a regular sex life but because he or she
has spontaneously outgrown acne.
For many young women the opposite happens. They
get married and suddenly they sprout acne even though they were unaffected as teenagers. It is not
their new sexual activity that is causing the acne but
rather their birth control pills. (More on that in
Chapter 8.)
Whether you are a teenager or an adult, your sexual
thoughts or behavior have nothing to do with your acne. While sex hormones have a biological
relationship to acne breakouts, your sexuality itself
is certainly not the cause of acne. A lot of needless
guilt feelings and anguish have resulted from this erroneous belief.
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7Schacter, R.J., et al., “Acne Vulgaris and Psychological Impact on
High School Students,” New York State Journal of Medicine. 24:
2886-2890. |