Acne Magazine

On CNN, I watched a piece of their “Health Minute”, which focused on adult acne, specifically on a 51 year old African American woman’s sudden onset of adult acne which happened to be fairly severe.  The woman featured in their segment actually ended up opting to go on the serious acne medication accutane to get her beautiful skin back, but often times adult onset acne can be treated through topical means or even by herbal acne supplements, which you know is what we endorse here. 

The dermatologist featured on the segment said that adult acne can be caused by hormonal changes, sun damage, or even bacteria on the surface of the skin.  She said they often will do bacteria tests on the surface of the skin to rule out that possibility and to focus more on the other potential causes of adult acne so they can more accurately and effectively treat it. 

She also confirmed what we talk about here on AcneMagazine quite a bit, and that is the fact that adult acne must be treated differently from teen acne.  Why?  Because and adult’s skin contain much less natural oil and moisture than a teen’s skin, and often must be treated with more gentle and nondrying topical acne treatments so that the skin does not become excessively irritated, dry and red, which may actually end up looking worse than the acne itself if the acne treatment is inappropriate for the skin type and age of the patient. 

It was also mentioned that adult acne may very well be a phase that disappears by itself, since the hormones may regulate, but after a few months if it has not gone away it may be a persistent problem that they would want to treat via self treatment or going to a dermatologist for recommendations. 

Well, we all know the answer to this one!  Yes, quitting junk food will definitely help our acne, although just doing this alone is of course not the full answer as to how to permanently rid the skin of acne and acne rosacea.  It’s not that easy to quit those bad junk foods that we all love. 

For me, it might be my love for chocolate or salty and fatty snacks like Fritos that occasionally attacks that I have to watch myself with.  For others, it could be those trips to  fast food joints like McDonald’s and Taco Bell that they need to watch and severely curb to get them off the path to larger thighs, bellies, and worse skin. 

It’s different with everyone, but there’s no doubt that most of us have something programmed into our appetites that makes us crave certain foods almost daily or maybe once in a while when we’re either feeling stressed or certain hormones have taken their hold (ladies, you know what I’m talking about, ’cause i know certain times of the month, I find junk food nearly irresistable).

Whatever it might be that you have a natural appetite-admiration for, you may find the following helpful in helping curb your intake of skin destroying junk food, so you can at least help your acne as best you can by the food you put into your body.

1.)  Find all the reasons you can for quitting junk foods, meaning whether it’s to lose weight, feel better or save money, just add them all up and hopefully they will constitute enough benefits to get you to kick them for good.

2.)  Start preparing healthy foods in an enjoyable way.  In other words, look for tasty alternatives that you enjoy eating, but that also rank high in nutrition, like high antioxidant juices, meat substitutes, cheese substitutes like rice and almond cheese, salads prepared with lower fat, dressings made with olive oils instead of cream bases, whole fruits, even some dried fruits like dried mango (excellent for digestive and colon health, tons of fiber), and other little discoveries in the health food store. Trust me, there are some very tasty choices to eat healthy, they’re not all flavorless.

3.)  Start to enjoy exercise more, in other words, find the exercise you actually like.  This always encourages healthier eating for some reason, probably because we begin to feel so good after the exercise, we don’t want to put bad stuff in our body.  Not very scientific I know, but it’s definitely true. 

These components add up to kicking junk food to the curb - at least most of the time, and makes for healthier, clearer pores down the line.  Trust me, I know that it’s not possible to just stop all this cold turkey and never do it again - that’s just not realistic, and let’s face it, also not very fun, but if you can cut them out of the majority of your eating repertoire, you’re golden, and you’re skin will definitely look better as a result. 

Acne, as we all know by now if you’ve been reading this blog for some time, is primarily an inflammatory skin condition that is caused, and aggravated, by flareups of certain hormones in the body which cause inflammation and clogging in the skin’s pores, which leads to those lovely blackheads, whiteheads and various other acne lesions that we end up with on our skin, not to mention that rough texture that many of us with acne are cursed with.

So, what about all these detox diets that are out now, like the Master Cleanser, which originated in the seventies and enjoyed a resurgence starting about three years ago amongst celebrites and the super health conscious, or the Fat Smash diet, popularized by the hit show Celebrity Fit Club’s Dr. Ian Smith, which incorporates detoxing into the first few weeks of the diet, requiring no meat and tons of fruits and veggies and other anti inflammtory types of foods and drink. 

There’s also the multitude of juice detox diets, which use solely juiced nutrients as their staple.  All these diets are based in something that can ultimately be nothing but beneficial to acne sufferers, and that is eliminating free radical circulation, or maybe just dramatically reducing it, and reducing the agents in our body that cause inflammation, which means only bad things for acne and other skin conditions. 

Basically, a high antioxidant, detox diet can be considered a temporary alternative acne treatment, but the principles taught in the diet should be carried beyond the diet’s duration and into every day life, which can be a challenge in today’s processed world of foods with little real nutrition or acne fighting abilities.

By going on a detox diet, which is often very challenging, you are getting the benefits of cleansing the whole body, including the bowel system, which may also be of benefit to the skin, as in ancient chinese medicine it is believed that some problems that are started in the bowels and colon ultimately lead to skin disorders and additional inflammation - hence, acne.

The bottom line on detox diets is, that although they are incredibly challenging for most people, they ultimately can be nothing but beneficial, since they mostly incorporate foods that are heavy in things like omega 3’s and antioxidants (which is what the popular acne herbal supplement called acnezine is based on), which are extremely helpful in eliminating acne. 

Since I found the concept of baby acne so interesting (yeah, it doesn’t take much to entertain me sometimes), I figured I’d do a little more reading up on it and I found some other interesting facts and tidbits about baby acne that may be of use to new parents.  As I had stated in the previous post, baby acne often does not appear on the baby’s face for a couple weeks after it is born, it can have sort of a delayed reaction to the mother’s hormones crossing the placenta.

There are a few things that may aggravate the baby’s acne.  These are actually some of the same things that irritate adult acne, which is also interesting to note.  When a baby is hot or aggravated, the acne can appear worse, as in more red and irritated as well as inflamed.  Also, hot liquids or milk being spilt on the baby’s face or around the mouth may inflame the acne. 

There may be dietary factors that can aggravate the baby’s acne as well, but these also tread on the area of rashes, since many baby’s may be born with allergies to certain foods and eating these foods can lead to breakouts of rashes that may look very similar to baby acne, only a little more on the bumpy, rough side. 

Baby acne can stick around for up to 6 months sometimes, apparently it is not unusual for the unfortunate condition to come and go, so parents may just have to stick it out and make sure they don’t aggravate it too much.  Hey, at least it’s not going to damage the baby’s self esteem at that age yet, since they don’t even know it’s there. 

Just a real quick note to you guys today, as I wanted to introduce a brand new page just added to Acne Magazine.  It’s basically a summary of three of the recommendations we make here on Acne Magazine in the way of natural acne treatments.  It’s an acne treatment reviews page, and it’s got summaries of each product as well as links to more full, comprehensive reviews of each one. 

So, enjoy!  Hopefully you’re enjoying your weekend.  Keep that skin moisturized - it’s extremely cold in many northern parts now, and there is basically no humidity, which is bad for acne prone skin believe it or not, it can result in additional drying and redness, so be sure to moisturize with one of the many excellent noncomedogenic moisturizers out there today ladies and gents! 

I have to admit, I don’t have any kids yet, so I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to some parenting terms like “swaddling”, “binky” and other terms and euphamisms used in the world of baby and child care.  So, when I heard the term “baby acne” I was likewise confused.  I thought, wait a second, how does a baby get acne when they’re hormones haven’t even begun to kick in, and they are pure as the driven snow, meaning nothing has polluted their body yet.  Also, no worrying or anything, so how does a baby get acne?

Well, baby acne and adult and teen acne are really not too much alike, which explained a lot to my pea sized brain when it comes to baby talk.  Baby’s may break out in rough, red rashes that look very much like acne, and in fact, they are called baby acne if they meet certain criteria.  Many parents at first think that baby acne is a rash or allergic reaction at first, at must usually get the redness and bumps diagnosed by a pediatrician before they can confirm it is actually baby acne.

Here’s the very interesting part though.  Baby acne is caused by hormones of the mother’s crossing the placenta into the baby’s living space so to speak, so baby acne is actually hormonally caused!  Crazy, isn’t it, that a tiny baby can be affected that much by it’s mothers hormones simply crossing the barrier of the placenta before the child is actually born into this world.

Whiteheads can appear, not just red bumps, and the acne usually doesn’t show up right when the child is born, but just a few weeks after, when the mother’s hormones interact with the child’s body and produce chemical reactions that make the kid’s skin break out.  It usually goes away on it’s own, and usually goes away in a few weeks, when the hormones that caused it in the first place are dashed out of the child’s system through simply running their course. 

This is interesting, now I’m wondering if I ever had baby acne as a child - sure would explain a lot.  I’m just kidding - I know that probably has nothing to do with getting it later in life - right, right???

Well, it’s officially in, so that must mean it’s always been true, right? He he, I’m being a bit facetious about how we need a study or backed research sometimes to “prove” something that most people already know to be true for themselves and many others through - gasp - experience!  Anyways, enough of my media rhetoric. 

What I’m talking about is the fact that anxiety, aka “worry” has now officially been scientifically recognized as a factor in increasing heart problems.  Although it long has been a saying that the stress’ll kill ya, and other similar sayings like that, and we all know that stress is inherently bad for our health, science has just now decided to back us on this conclusion. 

I’ve always said in this blog that I firmly believe stress and worry have a huge, untold affect on the skin.  It can make acne, rosacea, and acne rosacea worse at almost the drop of a hat.  Our skin very much mirrors what’s going on in our minds, so much so it’s actually scary!  I know it’s true for me by 33 years of experience, and I know that it’s also true for many of you readers as well.  Stress triggers a variety of bodily defenses, none of which are good for the health. 

Sure, a little anxiety, worry and stress is normal, but when it is constant, or comes in extreme, short bursts, it is detrimental to our nervous system because it cause the speeding up of all of our sense and organs.  It also produces certain hormones and chemicals in the body which are generally destructive by nature, hence the destruction and wearing on the heart - and yes, as we all are experts on at this point - the skin! 

This is part two of  my “Cheap Acne Remedies” article which focuses on control factors in our diet that can dramatically improve our skin and our likelihood of further breakouts, including body acne breakouts - not just the face!  So enjoy, and remember to look for the full article soon in other online publications.  This is the smaller part so sorry for a such a measly post today, but if you want more of the meat of the article, read the prior post to this entitled Part I. 

We really can control the food we put in our mouth, even if we can’t control whether or not we have “good skin genes”, so stop thinking that your acne is out of your control, because as soon as you think that, you’ve lost part or all of the battle for clear, great skin!  Food is probably one of the best ways we can treat our skin to a better look, less acne and a youthful, toned and even look for years to come.  Thanks for reading as always everyone!

If you want to try to neutralize inflammation caused by eating foods that increase skin volatility as mentioned above, a good suggestion is to start drinking lemon water.  Not only is drinking lemon juice infused water a refreshing difference from plain old water, but water with about an eighth of a lemon (preferably organic) squeezed into it can help neutralize acidity in the body caused by acid-producing foods, which in turn limits inflammation.  Seriously, begin to drink lemon juice infused water for a few days and I’d be surprised if you don’t see at least a little difference in the way your skin looks.
 

If you want to get really adventurous, add a sprinkle or two of cinnamon, again prefereably organic, to your water, and you may also enjoy a bit of a revved up metabolism as well as a more stabilized blood sugar level, as research is showing cinnamon has excellent benefits for blood sugar stabilization.  Why do I mention blood sugar?  Well, because a stable blood sugar level helps to lower inflammation, and it also helps reduce the effects of stress and anxiety which can trigger higher levels of androgens in the body, which are the very hormones that cause acne. 
 

And there you have it, free or very cheap, easily incorporated, and dare I say “pleasant” ways to combat acne.  Not only do these suggestions help reduce breakouts, they are also generally beneficial to your health in other numerous ways.  Who says everyone needs a dermatologist or expensive skin care regimens to achieve pristine skin?  
 

What’s one of the easiest things we can control about our life?  Yes - our diet.  And granted, it’s not easy to be disciplined, but if you think about it, controlling our diet is a good way to make up for what we may lack in bad “acne genes”.  So here is part one of an article I recently wrote about controlling acne through diet.  Watch for it to be published in its entirety soon on other online media outlets! 

Acne remedies are a dime a dozen these days, and some of them like Zenmed’s acne line as well as the natural antioxidant acne formula Acnezine are highly recommended, but there are also other things you can do to significantly curb your acne without buying anything.  The very word “acne” conjures in many people’s minds either past or present struggles with self image, embarrassment and feelings of helplessness if they’ve ever suffered this skin condition, or are currently suffering varying degrees of acne. 
Our skin’s appearance is very important, and it seems to have been only made more important by the emphasis of “great skin” in beauty magazines, tabloids and other media outlets that our society has become so enthralled with.  It’s no wonder that the skincare industry has enjoyed growth and profits in leaps and bounds over the past fifteen to twenty years.
So, what can you do, besides enlist the help of an expensive dermatologist or spa specializing in skin care to help combat acne and prevent new breakouts on your own, for next to nothing, or better yet, free?  Well, we will start off with focusing on things you can change in your diet to get rid of or dramatically reduce acne breakouts, since diet is more key for your skin’s appearance and health than most people may think. 
There are many schools of thought on what to avoid and what to include in the diet if you are to attain and maintain clear skin, however, one thing remains pretty clear, and that is the avoidance of sugary foods and caffeine.  I cannot tell you how many times I myself have experienced major periods of breakouts that I can directly attribute to the consumption of sugar or caffeine in excess. 
Sure, it’s ok to have a sweet snack (a small one!) here and there, and not suffer the consequences of a few new pimples, but by and large it is prudent to either strictly limit sugar or try to eradicate it all together.  Sugar has many destructive properties that are generally bad for overall health, but it’s recently been proven to help accelerate the aging process of the skin, and also to lend a hand in the inflammation of skin cells. 
Inflammation is a direct cause of acne, since it is by definition an inflammatory skin condition, so we can safely say that sugar is indeed a category of food to be avoided in the quest to be acne free, oh and also to keep your skin young too!  OK, enough about sugar, now let’s move onto to another culprit behind acne.  Caffeine can have similar effects on the skin to sugar, since it actually may increase inflammation, especially in some people who are more caffeine-sensitive than others (like myself). 
With all the super caffeinated beverages out on the market today, it’s no wonder we’re all not walking around with broken out faces.  I suspect that teens especially are susceptible to the caffeinated drink rage, which is unfortunate because they may be unknowingly aggravating their skin and causing breakouts at the age where they are more apt to break out anyways. 
Caffeine can also produce an uneven and “bumpy” texture of the skin.  Beverages aren’t the only culprit either, since there are many supplements, pills and diet aids that contain stimulants that will break your skin out faster than you can say “energy”.  Caffeinated drinks and other products containing stimulants should be avoided if you want to avoid bumpy, broken out skin. 
 

Phew, man I don’t know how much more I could take of that holiday eating.  Never in my life do I eat with such reckless abandon as when the holidays roll around once a year.  And thank God they are only once a year, or else my skin would be cursing me out a lot more!  I can usually eat pretty well, but there is something about the whole free-spirited aura of the holidays and all that extra food that’s around that makes you feel very laissez-fare about the whole thing.

If I went through a day of eating with you, your mind would be spinning at some of the day’s buffet of junk that I would eat.  Many times I’d go a whole day without touching a piece of fruit or a vegetable, a cardinal sin when it comes to your skin as we all know.  My days were loaded with dairy in the form of cheeses, refined carbs like crackers and breads (no whole wheat mind you, oh no, this was the bad, white bread stuff with no nutritional value that converts to sugar as soon as it hits the blood stream!), sugars like cookies and chocolates (my favorite), and heavy fats like gravys and tons of butter.

This as we all know by now, is a recipe for disaster when it comes to the healthy look and feel of the skin, not to mention your mental health and waist line.  Well, I’m back to eating well again, and I’m starting every morning off with a small glass of acai berry juice combined with pure concord grape juice (both excellent sources of antioxidants, and the acai is an excellent source of antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids, both naturally acne combatting), and I’m eating things like tuna and lean chicken with a little avocado. 

I’m also cooking with olive oil and getting tons of veggies in my diet while scaling way back on the refined carbs and white breads and pastas.  So far so good, and I actually don’t even miss the junk - yet!!!  Eating right is truly one of the best natural acne treatments there is, and it’s free - well except for buying the food!