Myths are the lies we tell ourselves to get through our lives with the least fear and pain. Sometimes, the truth is just too hard to bear. Take the idea of acne. Almost as soon as we are old enough to look in a mirror and understand the image as ourselves, we learn about the risk that smooth skin could be covered in spots that will swell and ooze and generally make us look as if we are escapees from a movie set filming a zombie movie. These stories are told to us out of kindness. We need to be prepared for the reality which is that, even if we are lucky and only have a mild outbreak, we will still get all the unkind comments. It's all part of the ritual of growing up - that we will be unkind to each other as the acne spreads around the classes at school. Those whose outbreaks are more serious can be damaged psychologically as the abuse continues. The only thing that keeps most people going through all this distress is the belief it will soon all be over. We tell ourselves the lie that adults do not suffer from acne.

It's now become more apparent that adults can and do suffer acne attacks. The current estimate that it's a relatively small number of men but up to 15% of all women. Why is this? Well, there are flocks of experts who travel from one daytime TV show to the next to explain that we are all suffering from stress, we eat a poor diet and, perhaps surprisingly we are obsessed by the notion we should exercise to lose weight. Except these are yet more myths. There's absolutely no scientific evidence to show a link between the type of food we eat and the condition of our skin. Assuming we don't rub greasy food on to our faces, what we eat goes into the stomach and then out again. The stories about too much alcohol are also untrue. The question of stress is more difficult. Obviously, the appearance of acne produces stress. . . but stress as a cause? Well, higher levels of anxiety can trigger the release of adrenaline and can undermine the operation of your autoimmune system allowing more infections to affect the body. The story of excessive exercise is the suggestion that if you fail to shower after activity, this can lead to a blockage of the pores and so start an acne attack. There's no real evidence this is true.

However, there's a mass of evidence showing that the changes in the levels of hormone during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy can cause acne. If you do not want children, using an oral contraceptive can resolve the problem. Unfortunately many women find this unacceptable because of their religious convictions. So this brings us to a gentle program of self-help. Eating a low GI and healthy diet is generally good for you, as is quitting smoking and avoiding smokey atmospheres. Drinking less is also the healthy choice. Using benzoyl peroxide cleans the skin. If self-help does not work, there's Accutane but, as an adult women, remember to take adequate precautions to prevent conception. Accutane consistently causes birth defects and that's no myth.