Masturbation which is also referred to as solo sex or onanism (Genesis 38) has been accused of causing acne vulgaris, infertility, hairy palms, back pain, constipation, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, pelvic muscles weakening and immune system dysfunction and many health problems. However whether the act of masturbation really does cause these symptoms is still open for debate.
Masturbation Causes Acne
Proponents of this theory of masturbation causing acne state that excessive masturbation or having a high sex drive causes a release of large amounts of stress related hormones due to the dopamine to adrenaline conversion. These large quantities of stress hormones contribute to increased oil production by the skin and acne eruptions.
Masturbation is also said to cause acne by increasing the conversion of testosterone to DHT (5 alpha dihydrotestosterone) by the liver enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase because it is this DHT that triggers increased oil production by sebaceous glands in the skin. A high sexual activity is said to result in increased testosterone to DHT conversion until a person reaches temporary sexual exhaustion. It is at this peak of exhaustion that their acne eruptions are maximal because of the high DHT levels that are present in the body.
Proponents of the masturbation acne theory also state that 80% of teenagers have acne and 80% of teenagers masturbate and these facts should lead to the conclusion that masturbation causes acne.
Masturbation Does Not Cause Acne
The opponents of the theory that masturbation causes acne state that the 80% of teenagers who masturbate are not same 80% who have acne since there are teenagers who masturbate and do not have acne. They also say that after puberty, many people still continue masturbating even though their acne clears.
They go on to explain that the white heads (closed comedones), black heads (open comedones), pimples (papules), small swellings on the face with pus (pustules) and large facial swellings filled with pus (nodules and cysts) of acne are caused by a combination of factors that include:
- Increased oil production by the oil glands in the skin
- Clogging of the skin pore by dead skin cells
- Multiplication of the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes in the plugged pore
- Inflammation
- Genes
Other factors that contribute to the development of acne include the hormonal changes that occur at puberty and they propose that these hormones contribute to the development of both the acne and the masturbation. This argument is supported by science since androgen levels increase at puberty and androgens are known to trigger acne and persons with high androgen levels have been proven to have severer forms of acne. In addition, androgens are also known to increase the sex drive which can lead to more masturbation. The link between masturbating heavily and developing acne is therefore due to the high androgen levels which trigger the acne and the masturbation independently of each other.
These masturbation acne opponents further argue that the increased DHT levels that arise due to increased testosterone to DHT conversion during masturbation can trigger increased sebum production but not acne eruptions since the oil has to be trapped in the pore before the acne breaks out.
The opponents of the masturbation acne theory also propose that the guilt of engaging in auto-erotic activities can increase stress levels which are known to trigger acne eruptions. They also state that if a person who has been masturbating for a long time stops, they are likely to get stressed and the stress can trigger acne breakouts. As such it is the not masturbating that causes the acne but rather than the stress surrounding either masturbation or not masturbating.
The fact that endorphins and serotonin are produced during solo sex or sex with a partner also goes against this theory since these “feel good hormones” and “happiness hormones” reduce stress which triggers acne.
Masturbation Acne Conclusion
Though the medical jury is still out on the masturbation acne cause, my answer to the question “Does masturbation cause acne?” is “No” because there are no scientific studies which directly link masturbating or sex to developing acne vulgaris.
The studies that have been done about the sexual act and hormones reveal that levels of testosterone in men increase when they watch sex shows (University of Nevada at Las Vegas study) or entertain other visual sex signals like watching erotic movies which is common during masturbation.
In women, testosterone levels rise after all forms of sexual arousal (University Clinic Essen in Germany).
Testosterone levels also increase after orgasm in both sexes but studies have shown that they only do so in very small quantities and then revert back to normal in a few minutes. Thus this proves that the testosterone levels that are produced after masturbation are insufficient to trigger acne eruptions.
Another study which disputes the masturbation acne theory is one which found that testosterone levels increased significantly on the 7th day of abstinence due to the process of sperm formation and maturation. Thus acne breakouts are more likely to occur after a week of abstinence rather than after a week of masturbation.
However, if you do find that you develop acne pimples after masturbating, then stop masturbating just like you would stop eating foods that cause you to breakout even if medical studies did not prove that they cause acne.
