Zits are a familiar foe, plugging the pores of people young and old, all around the world.

丘疹可以堵住人們的毛孔，全世界不分老幼都可能受到影響，危害十分普遍。

Acne is the most common skin disorder in the United States. An estimated 80 percent of all people between the ages of 11 and 30 have outbreaks, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Even 50-year-olds endure flare-ups.

在美國，粉刺是最常見的皮膚病。根據國家關節肌肉骨骼及皮膚病研究所的調查，年齡在11到30歲的人群中，80%的人都曾長過粉刺。即便是50多歲的人偶爾也會長粉刺。

Eliminating problem skin isn't easy. Dermatologists, mothers and even P. Diddy have worked to rid us of blemishes.

消除粉刺不是件容易的事情。皮膚病學者們、母親們甚至于流行歌手都從不同角度想辦法幫助我們去除這些暗瘡。

Yet while research on acne remedies is extensive and treatments fill drugstore aisles, myths about the condition are hard to wash away.

雖然一方面到處都在進行關于如何治療粉刺的研究，各種各樣的治療方法充斥在藥店的貨架上，但這種問題依然很難根除。

Mud mask

泥漿面膜

Contrary to what your mother told you, cleaning your face isn't the cure-all to clean-looking skin. Dirt doesn't breed zits.

與你母親告訴你的正好相反的是，洗臉并不是保持皮膚潔凈的靈丹妙藥。塵土并不能導致丘疹。

The nasty buggers form when your tiny hair follicles get clogged, blocking the normal exit pathway for oil, called sebum, to escape to the surface of the skin.

當你的毛囊被阻住時，一些可惡的東西就形成了，他們將堵住皮膚油脂正常排出體外的通道。

Although scientists have yet to pinpoint the cause of acne, androgen hormones-which rise during puberty in boys and girls and continue to fluctuate during a woman's menstrual cycle-cause the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. Cosmetics, drugs such as lithium, and genetics also contribute to an individual's zit potential.

雖然科學家們已經指出了粉刺罪魁禍首——男性霍爾蒙激素，其在男孩和女孩的青春期開始增加，在女性月經周期時產生波動，這就致使皮脂腺產生更多的皮脂。化妝品，藥品（比如含有鋰）以及基因都可能是個人丘疹的潛在原因。

Back under the skin, things get uglier when the oil mixes with cells lining the follicle, making a comfortable environment for bacteria to move in and cause inflammation. Enough swelling will break down the follicle walls, and the plugged-up mess will unload into the skin. That's when pimples rear their ugly heads.

在皮膚表層下面，當油脂與含有毛囊通道的細胞混合后，這里將給細菌的進入提供適宜的環境，從而導致發炎。腫脹到一定程度就將破壞毛囊壁，那些被阻擋在里面的東西就會轉移到皮膚上。這是你就可以看到皮膚表面粉刺的頭。

Filthy-looking blackheads feed the misconception that acne grows on grime. In reality, sebum turns the color of mud when exposed to air.

看上去臟乎乎的黑頭粉刺讓人們往往誤解為粉刺就是在塵垢上長出來的。事實上，皮脂在暴露在空氣中時會轉變成泥土的顏色。

Scrubbing away at spotty skin too much or too often can actually worsen the skin condition.

經常擦洗長疹的皮膚只會加重這種情況。

“The concept that you can wash away your acne is not based on true fact,”said dermatologist Alexa Boer Kimball, director of Harvard University's Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin.

“通過擦洗去掉粉刺的做法是不對的，”哈佛大學皮膚病臨床試驗研究組主任皮膚病學者亞里克斯·波爾·金博表示。

She conducted a survey to test the hygiene hypothesis, asking college men to cleanse their faces either once, twice, or four times a day for six weeks. The washing results showed no difference between the regimens. Cleaning twice a day is probably best, says Kimball.

在她領導的一項衛生假說的調查中，她要求參加的大學生堅持在六周以內每天洗臉一次、兩次或者四次。洗臉的結果表明洗臉的次數與粉刺沒有關系。金博認為。每天洗兩次臉可能是最好的。

Chocolate and fries

巧克力與油炸食品

Fables about acne have traveled beyond the bathroom and into the kitchen. Chocolate candy bars and greasy foods have long been accused of tarnishing complexions, and drinking water has been deemed the ultimate therapy.

在討論完與盥洗有關的事情后，我們來到廚房從食物的角度看看粉刺的成因。巧克力和富含油脂的食物長期以來一直被認為可能致使皮膚失去光澤，而多喝水被認為是最根本的治療方法。

A number of studies in the 1960's and 70's set out to debunk the idea that what you eat pops up on your face. Today dermatologists agree that the experiments were not conducted well.

20世紀60、70年代大量的研究表明，攝入的食物會影響面部皮膚的說法沒有道理。今天，皮膚病學者承認，當時的實驗操作上有誤。

Recently, research has shown that drinking milk may modestly increase the risk of acne. However, the story on diet is still evolving.

最近，研究表明喝牛奶可以稍微降低長粉刺的風險。但是，食物對此是否有影響的看法也有了新的進展。

“The role of diet is not yet clear,”Kendall told LiveScience.“The overall effect of diet on acne is not real big, but it's something we need to study more. But we're not talking about too much chocolate or too many fries.”

“食物在這中間的作用在不清楚，”肯德爾告訴LiveScience.“食物對粉刺總體上講影響不是很大，但這也值得我們去更多的研究。但是，我們也不應該對巧克力和油炸食品關注過多。”

As for the holy grail of drinking lots of water to ward off bad bumps, Kendall says it's completely unfounded.

作為以多喝水來消除腫塊的金科玉律，肯德爾說，這完全沒有根據。

Treatments

治療法

Dermatologists have an arsenal of treatments that can help.

皮膚學者有很多有效的治療方法。

Ingredients in over-the-counter soaps and lotions can do the trick for some skin. Benzoyl peroxide kills off bacteria, while salycic acid and sulphur break down whiteheads and blackheads.

對于一些類型的皮膚的人來講，作為非處方藥出售的肥皂和洗液可能會有用。過氧化苯甲酸可以殺滅細菌，salycic acid和硫磺都可以消除粟疹粒和黑頭粉刺。

For more severe cases, doctors may prescribe antibiotics to curb bacterial growth or large doses of vitamin A derivatives, such as Accutane, which unplug zits and can help prevent scarring.

對于病情嚴重的患者，醫生也可以使用抗生素來抑制細菌生長，或者用大劑量的維生素A衍生物,像Accutane來去除丘疹，并防止再皮膚上留下疤痕。

“We have a lot of good treatments,”Kimball said.“The key is coming up with a regimen you like to use and will use consistently.”

“我們有許多很好的治療方法，”金博說。“關鍵在于你愿意采納并能堅持使用的方法。”

Pimple products in the pipeline combine several medicines to make regimens easier on the patient. For instance, rather than remembering to use two or more products twice a day, a patient may only need to use one medicine, once a day.

治療丘疹的產品和其他藥物一起使用可以使患者的療法更加簡單。比如，患者可以一天只需一次使用一種藥物而不是每天非得記住使用兩種甚至更多的抗痘產品。

One last piece of advice：Do listen to your mother when she tells you to keep your hands off your face.

最后一條建議：當你母親告訴你別動你臉上的痘痘時，一定要聽她的。

“Picking is not a good idea,”Kimball said.“Almost always, you're making it worse.”

“用手擠不是個好辦法，”金博講到。“通常，你只會讓它更糟。”（外語教育網 王郅翻譯）