Perhaps no form of skin condition is shrouded in more mystery and more urban myths than acne. We all hear from a young age that certain activities cause acne, or make acne worse, while other activities may help to make it all go away. One of the reasons why these myths exist, and flourish even to this day, is that doctors still aren’t completely sure what causes acne and why one teen or adult is utterly besieged by it and others are left untouched. Doctors do know that pimples, in general, are caused by too much of the skin’s natural oil clogging pores on our bodies. Those pores then get specks of dirt in them, and a pimple is born.

But beyond that, most doctors are still guessing on who falls victim to serious acne and who doesn’t. Let’s take a look at the most popular urban myths and see which ones have a basis in reality and which ones are just a little crazy.

For generations dating back as far as anyone can remember, the most prevailing urban myth surrounding acne says that it is related to, or caused by, sexual behavior in teenagers. It shouldn’t be surprising that acne has been falsely associated with behavior that has long been thought of as socially unacceptable, people have been saying just about anything for years to get teenagers to keep their hands off each other.

But, alas, it is only a myth. Although there are cases of acne in pre-pubescent children, the overwhelming majority of people who begin to experience acne do so at the time of puberty, which is also the time in which most teenagers suddenly become a lot more interested in each other.

In this case, the connection between acne and sexual behavior is nothing more than a hormonal coincidence. Besides, if scientists could draw an iron clad connection between virginity and clear skin, it would be common knowledge at this point.

One popular urban myth that is more associated with girls than with boys says that wearing makeup will cause acne. Again, the roots of this myth can be traced back to adults who wanted to keep their growing teens “pure” and away from sexual temptation. The logic stated that girls that wore make up were more likely to attract boys, which would lead to sex and sin. Telling girls that make up causes pimples would be a good deterrent and hopefully keep them away from impure activities.

In this case, however, there is some basis in reality. Nothing clogs your pores quite like makeup, and once these pores become clogged with makeup, oil and dirt, pimples are the natural outcome. The problem is that everyone’s skin reacts differently.

You could use one popular makeup product every day and never see a single pimple while your friend could use it for a week and have a serious outbreak. Predicting how each individual’s skin will react to makeup is impossible, so trial and error is the way to go.

One of the most popular urban myths surrounding acne and your skin is also one of the hardest to disprove. The simple statement that those with the most acne have the dirtiest skin appears to be, on the surface, accurate. Why else would they have the most pimples then, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Yes, it is entirely possible that if you don’t scrub your face and take basic precautions against acne outbreaks that you will have a pizza face. But at the same time, scientists have shown a real genetic link between acne and people’s lineage.

Chances are, if your older brothers or your father had acne as a kid, it won’t matter if you walk around with Strydex pads stapled to your face, you’re going to get outbreaks, and as of right now, there probably isn’t a substance on earth that can prevent it. So before you go pointing fingers at people with the most severe acne, remember, unless they demonstrate a clear lack of basic bodily cleanliness, there is likely very little they can do to prevent the pimples they have