Do Video Games Cause Acne?

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Are you obsessed with playing video games? 

If yes, then you must be loving playing video games more than anything else in the world and spending hours after hours in front of your play station or computer screen. How cool is that, right?

But you are also having acne on your face which is quite irritating. Have you ever thought about why you are having these pimples? Are those pimples appearing as a consequence of spending long hours in front of a screen? 

So do playing video games cause acne? 

There is no valid reason to directly correlate skin problems with playing video games. However, there could be other reasons that are playing behind the scenes. For example, are you in your puberty? Is your skin too oily? Or do you sit all day playing video games and not care about physical activity?

If your answers are yes, you probably should give a second thought before asking: do video games cause acne? 

Before getting to any conclusion, consider the basic reasons that generally could cause acne. We would also like to give you an idea of what role video games play in this.

 Do Video Games or Gaming Equipment Cause Acne? 

Acne might have nothing to do with playing video games. But it probably has to do with greasy game consoles. Not cleaning them can cause your hands to catch germs. And then it is much easier for your face and eyes to catch germs from your hands. 

Acne is not caused by dirty skin. However, dirt can clog the pores, and germs can increase acne.

The keyboards, mice, and gaming controllers are prone to collect dust and germs.

Now, you may question differently. Therefore, do video games or your gaming machine cause acne? Consider taking care of your gaming machines to avoid skin irritations.

Under The Hood of Video Games and Acne

Moderate video gaming should be okay. Nevertheless, anything excess is harmful. Video games can work as a trigger for your body to release the dopamine hormone. Because of this feel-good hormone, people want to eat more junk food than healthy vegetables. 

The same goes for video games. You tend to want to reach a higher level in a game endlessly. Excessive video gaming can cause releasing excessive dopamine. This excess can cause stress burst. 

Stress can generate a hormonal imbalance at any age, especially in your teenage years. And stress worsens acne.

In addition, too much exposure to the screen can cause inflation of the electromagnetic field that can prompt stress. Thus, playing excessive video games can indirectly affect your skin and increase acne.

Moreover, sitting long hours while you play video games can make your body stiff and cause fatigue. Less physical activity can interfere with blood circulation. In that case, acne might be the result of it. Exercising causes sweating, which can work as a cell exfoliation that can help unclog pores.

Now, do video games cause acne? No, but what health necessities you abandon for playing video games can cause health issues. Various health problems might trigger or increase acne.  

Another point to note is that acne is a common occurrence for many in puberty. And teenagers are a large population of game consumers. Here, acne could be just a sign of hormonal change. However, it would help if you consider stress a big player in increasing acne.

Primary Causes of Acne

You should consider the primary reasons behind developing acne to know if video games have anything to do.

Hormonal changes, excessive sebum, and bulged hair follicle barrier are the main culprits in causing acne. Bacterial attack heightens acne or pimple situations more. 

Oily skin is a safe haven for acne to develop. That is why acne occurs mostly on oily skin places like the face, chest, etc. The hair follicle barrier attached to the oil or sebum gland can bulge. It can create acne-like whiteheads, blackheads, or pimples when bacteria attacks.

Not to mention, hormonal changes cause to generate more oil or sebum that ultimately triggers acne. Puberty is one of the human body’s vital stages when hormonal changes occur.

Genetics is another vital reason to cause acne. You are more likely to develop acne if your parents got it.

Certain medications that have testosterone or corticosteroids can trigger acne. 

Some studies show that certain carbohydrate-rich foods like chips and bagels may inflame acne. 

Acne Myths

Hygiene

To your surprise, acne is not primarily caused by poor hygiene or skin being dirty. Acne is caused underneath the skin’s surface. It occurs underneath it from distorting hair follicles. Excessive skin rubbing or using more soap can worsen the acne situation.

Cosmetics 

Just like video games, cosmetics do not have a direct connection with causing acne. But you probably should use oil-free makeup, so it does not block pores. Also, you should regularly take off makeup to not cause pore clogging and skin irritation.

Squeezing acne

Squeezing acne spots can worsen your acne and produce scars.

What things trigger acne?

Oil or oily creams can trigger acne. Continuous pressure on your skin can be another reason for you to develop acne. Excessive use of cellphones, helmets, or backpacks can cause this friction. 

Your face gets the most exposure from your pillowcase. Oily, unwashed pillows full of sweat can irritate your skin. That will only worsen your acne. Primarily it is not the dirty skin that produces acne. But acne will only increase if dirt blocks the path of acne or pores.

Exposure to direct sunlight, a source of UV rays, can be another trigger for acne.

Do video games affect your skin?

Not the action of gaming, but unclean and dirty game controllers might inflame acne through your hands. Acne can increase if you irritate the spot or affected skin. Therefore, irritating pores with oily hands that have germs can cause acne.

Moreover, if you use older computers to play games, check whether they have LCD or LED screens. UV light from older desktops can hamper skin. However, newer desktops with LCD and LED screens are less likely to damage the skin than the older ones.

In addition, playing video games in outdoor sunlight may cause a mirror effect through the device screens. That can work as a damaging agent for your skin.

Verdict

Acne is often the result of a distorted hair follicle barrier in oily skin. And then, the bacterial attack can turn it into red pimples. Hormonal changes and genetics might cause acne. But you would not like to worsen it by clogging pores. 

If you sit all day long in stress and sweat, that will only help to clog acne. Not video games, but excessive video games may cause stress. Though stress may not produce acne primarily, it can worsen it. In addition, you should use a gentle cleanser and not harsh soaps that irritate the skin. 

Ultimately, do video games cause acne? It is a direct no, but you should not nurture grease, bacteria, and germs on your game consoles. To conclude, consider asking a dermatologist if you think your acne is not in a normal state.