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Acne & Myth
Q. I am 18 years old and have been suffering from acne. I am on treatment, but would like to ask a few common questions. Does eating greasy food or chocolate make acne worse? Is acne caused by not being careful with your hygiene? Does greasy hair cause acne? Does picking spots do any harm?
Susmita Patel, Dodoma.
A. Acne is a skin condition, which occurs at or after puberty. Eating greasy food or chocolates do not cause acne or make it worse. Although acne is linked with too much grease production by sebaceous glands in the skin, this is not affected by a greasy diet. So do not let anyone blame your acne on eating too many chips or too many chocolates. Lack of hygiene does not cause acne. Bacteria, which play part in the development of acne, do not come from using too little soap and water. Greasy hair does not cause acne. People with acne produce too much sebum and many tend to have greasy hair. Regular shampooing is usually a good idea to keep the hair clean, but this is not the cause of acne. It is advisable if you have acne to avoid using greasy hair oils, stylish gels or similar products because they may make acne worse. Picking your spots is not a good idea. Squeezing your spots tends to spread the inflammatory fatty acids through the skin, causing even more inflammation.

Cannot Maintain Erection
Q. I am 22 years old and my girlfriend is 18 years old. I cannot keep my erection for very long which is really embarrassing me. Why cannot I keep my erection longer during sex? What should I do about it? I fear that my penis does not rise as much as it should; it does not even get up as far as 90 degrees to my body. Is there something wrong?
Concerned Reader, DSM.
A. Loosing your erection is an upsetting problem particularly when it happens frequently. Whereas young men often lose their erection for psychological reasons, older men are more likely to suffer from physical problems. The following are the possible causes for erectile dysfunction in your case. You are nervous or suffering from performance anxiety, perhaps being stressed for any reason such as being overworked or from our studies. Depression is also one of the main causes. Maybe you have lost your erection on previous occasions and this is making you nervous. If you have chronic physical problem such as diabetes or heart disease, they can lead to erectile dysfunction. If for any reason you are taking medication that influences erection. Low levels of the male sex hormone testosterone could also be a possible cause. The angle the erect penis makes with the body varies from man to man and also depends on your age and how big your penis is. The older the man the lower the angle of erection and the penis may become hard but continues to point downwards. The longer and the heavier the penis the more difficult it is for the genital muscles to pull it into an upward pointing position.

Sexual Iron Man
Q. My fiancé and I had sex for the first time and it was wonderful. My concern is that it lasted for about three hours. After he ejaculated, he would be erect again in one or two minutes. I thought it was because it was our first time, but he has been like this everytime we have had sex. Will it hurt him to be erect for that long, or should I just enjoy it?
Concerned Reader, Nairobi.
A. The time it takes a man to regain his erection after having an orgasm is called the refractory period. In younger men, this period can be as short as one or two minutes, or even less. As a man ages, it lengthens to hours, days and even longer in very old men. So the first thing I have to say is, if you are enjoying these long sex sessions, you might as well go ahead because they will not last forever. But what if you are not enjoying them? What if you would like to stop after, say, only one hour? While your fiancé can certainly have erections soon after he has climaxed, it is doubtful that he feels as aroused the second, third or fourth time as he did the first. So if you want to stop, tell him you have had enough, and his erection will disappear on its own without any discomfort to him. If a man is very aroused and has not climaxed in a while, he might suffer some discomfort having to end a lovemaking session before he has an orgasm, but even that would not be life threatening. But if you have given him at least one orgasm, do not feel bad about wanting to stop. If you are willing to keep going, then enjoy it while you can.