Is Your Acne Really Any Worse in Boston?

Boston, MA - I've heard it on and off since moving to Massachusetts: "You're more likely to get a break out here. It's the New England weather."

As a recent Midwestern transplant in my mid-20s, I've admittedly experienced an acne uptick myself, and I'm not alone. Social media is awash in pimple-ridden people using expletive-laden language to describe the weather here and what it's doing to their faces.

The most recent repeat of this explanation was at a beauty products store with my sister. There, an employee confidently assured her, "Lots of girls choose (this product). People tend to break out more here, get more whiteheads. It's the weather."

So, I put the question to acne experts. And the answer? Unfortunately, we can't blame Boston or its weather. Here's what's actually at work.

"There's no evidence to suggest that," said Dr. Emmy Graber, when I put the question to her. "But I do hear it."

Gruber is a Boston-based dermatologist who's offered skincare tips in the pages of Allure and InStyle Magazine. Even over the phone I could hear her shaking her head at my question. It sounded like she wanted to laugh or even sigh but, to her credit, she didn't.

Instead, Graber laid down some facts.

1. Within the U.S. there is no example of climate impacting acne.
2. The Kitavan Islanders, of Papua New Guinea, do not have acne.
3. Dermatologists attribute this to diet (although they're not certain) and not weather (of that, they're sure).

"We just don't have any evidence that within the U.S. it varies from place to place," Graber said.

So, there goes that theory.

What's actually at play is stress and, possibly, diet -- perhaps a combination of the two, said Graber.

She suspects acne gets associated with New England weather by students and other young people who've recently moved to the area. A move causes stress, as does settling into a new place, she said.

Dr. Ranella Hirsch, a fellow Boston dermatologist, agrees it's probably outsiders drawing the conclusion. For people traveling to the area or moving from elsewhere in the country, diet can play a role, as can an environmental transition, she said.

But, Hirsch noted by email, that's not specific to Boston, New England or anywhere else -- "It's the change from one environment to another."

So relax, Boston. Here, like anywhere else in the country, your breakout will pass.

>> Image courtesy Saluda Programa de Salud via Flickr/Creative Commons