4 replies to this topic

[dbjohn]

I have a growing hypothesis that a regular healthy amount (10-20 mins) of exposure to sunlight
can help prevent acne. If there are people reading this who live or have stayed in areas with sunny climates (.i.e. with an above average / strong sunlight intensity) e.g. Spain, south of France, Italy, Australia, California, Florida etc; can they vote in the poll and verify whether this may be true that there are less cases of acne in these places. This may be difficult for tourists and visitors to tell because people with acne will be more reclusive and avoid being seen; thus the sample that you do see when in places may not be a fair reflection of the whole population. Also the best people who could make a judgement on this would have spent time in a sunny climate and a more overcast climate to see any differences.

Additionally you could live in one of these sunnier climates and not go outside much to get a enough sun, so I am wondering are there people who do get a good 10-20 mins of daily sunshine exposure and still have acne. I have read that some people find that sunshine burns their skin and has a negative effect, I am more interested in the effects for those who get a healthy amount of sunlight that doesn't cause burning.

I still believe that acne has multiple factors in its causes and preventions and I think the amount of sunlight exposure to skin is one of them. My country is overcast half of the year so I don't get much sun and think it may be one of the contributing factors to my own acne.
Any other thoughts and views on this topic?

Edited by dbjohn, 02 December 2010 - 08:03 AM.

[Ellinas]

Hey dbjohn, I live in Australia and this is my theory:

Yesterday I was working on the farm and noticed that sun exposure dried out my skin resulting in my acne clearing up. I was out there for a couple of hours with a t-shirt and shorts - didn't have a hat. I wasn't out there long enough to get a "real tan".

You might be interested in this article:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/...e-heal-acne.htm

That article refers to people who are actually in the sun for long periods of time.

There are many variables in your theory though. It all depends on the lifestyle of the individual.

I used to work at a commercial bakery for a couple of years. I got used to going to work at 3AM and haven't gotten out of this pattern properly yet. I go to bed at around 6PM - 7PM and wake up around 4AM - 5AM. When I wake up I have a shower, do some programming, go to TAFE and then come back home. Sometimes I go out with mates if there isn't any homework or assessments that need to be completed for TAFE.

On the weekends if weather is not raining I go out and work on the farm. The farm has about 1000 macadamia trees on it and I tend to their needs and harvest them when their in season. Yesterday I was staking the trees that had blown over which as I said before took a few hours in the sun.

I've ditched all my shaving equipment that's adequate for my sensitive skin. This includes Loreal Paris Hydra Sensitive Shaving Gel, Schick Hydro (3 blade) and aftershave. I'm tempted to use sorbelene but I've heard reports it ruins your skin after a while.

I still get razor burn the next day but it only lasts 24hrs now as opposed to a couple of days. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between razor burn and if I've irritated the acne around my jaw line/neck.

Apart from the blemishes my acne is clear on my face. I've got acne on my back, jaw line and sides of my neck

I'm not using anything for my acne anymore - used to use ProActive but found it irritated my skin. I'm just washing my face when I'm having a shower in the morning, before I go to bed and when my skin starts to feel oily.

When I have a shower I use the soap that came with my proactive pack on my shoulders and neck. Appears to be working.

I don't suppose you want to know my diet now?

Hope this post helps.

edit: Sorry, didn't even answer your question . I haven't studied every town, state and country but I don't notice many people with acne around here. I live 30 minutes from Byron Bay and when I go to the beach there and walk around I hardly notice anyone with acne. Might be because people with acne don't go to the beach?

For those that don't know Byron Bay, it is a sunny tourist attraction know for the good surf.

Edited by Ellinas, 22 May 2011 - 12:48 AM.

[Max-]

Sun may help to clear acne to a certain extend but it also give you wrinkles and tanned skin.

[Timehealsall]

Sun may help to clear acne to a certain extend but it also give you wrinkles and tanned skin.

wrinkles + tanned skin is MUCH easier to cope with than acne

[KarmaCupid]

Sun may help to clear acne to a certain extend but it also give you wrinkles and tanned skin.

wrinkles + tanned skin is MUCH easier to cope with than acne

LOL Maybe for you. No one wants to cope with looking 40 when they're only 25. I'd prefer the acne.