Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

Hey guys and girls, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe new year’s eve as the Times Square ball is about to drop for the new year of 2009!  Hopefully you get everything your heart desires in the coming year, and can put aside the prevalent fear and panic the media is throwing at us every day and just enjoy the life you have and the blessings in it, for you are definitely fortunate in more than one way, that much I can guarantee

Happy New Year everyone! 

I was just watching a clip on how Redbook magazine, which has been around for years and has an audience usually of mature, rather than teen and twentysomething readers, ran a poll on their readers of what they think the stages are in a woman’s skin as far as the different stages of life and what they experience through those different stages in terms of skin care challenges and observations on what’s happening to their skin throughout those stages, and Curel I believe is the skin care product that is coming out with skin care products for the various stages in a woman’s skin care cycles.

Some of the complaints during one stage of a woman’s life and her skin care is chafing of the skin on the belly, the thighs and other inopportune areas where some excess weight may have been put on and there is some rubbing going on.   Chafing can be itchy and irritating, but it can turn painful if it gets extreme.  The recommendation was to put deodorant on both parts of the body that are rubbing together and causing the chafing, making the skin instead glide on itself instead of rubbing together in an irritating manner.

Another problem during pregnancy might be acne, in which case some natural acne remedies may work, but diet must be curbed to avoid the common triggers as well, such as excess sugar, caffeine (which I believe one should stay away from when pregnant anyways), and keeping the skin clean but not overdly dry.  One of the suggestions here they had for keeping sweets cravings away was to put on a flavored sweet lipgloss.  Not sure how effective that would be, but it’s an idea.

The other stages of woman’s lives where they say they notice different skin care and beauty concerns were menopause and when they start to notice the signs of aging on their skin.  Anti wrinkle and anti aging creams and cleansers were of course recommended, but they also said that yellowing teeth was a concern, and recommended a quick mask for the face each day that you look duller and need a bit of a lift when it comes to that glowy complexion. 

There was big news this week when it was announced that the first successful face transplant was performed here in the US – and actually very close to where I live, in Cleveland Ohio, at the Cleveland Clinic.  There was another successful face transplant, but it was in France, and the US had yet to perform this risky and tricky surgery successfully on a patient – until now of course.  And here’s the thing, the one performed at the Cleveland clinic, primarily by a female surgeon, was the first ever almost-complete face transplant. 

The surgeon and her team of several other surgeons (the surgery took hours and hours) actually replaced almost eighty percent of the female patient’s face.  They replaced some of her cheek bones, the facial nerve, which is the nerve that allows us to smile and make some other facial expressions, as well as many of the ligaments and connective tissues that lie just behind the topical skin and tissue of the face.

The surgeon outlined their requirements for the first almost full facial transplant patient, and they were many since it is a deeply meaningful and complex surgery that requires someone who has a solid family support system and who has a deep commitment to taking the drugs that they will have to take for a lifetime after the transplant so the body does not reject the facial tissues, even years down the road.

The patient would also have to be severely disfigured, not just have a minor problem on their face that needed to be fixed.  The identity of the first almost full facial transplant is not being disclosed for their privacy, but it is said that she had damage on about 80% of her face and that was severely disfigured.  Hopefully the patient can maintain her privacy. And hopefully everything works out well and her body takes to the new facial tissues, fat, muscles and bone that have been grafted over ther own. 

 

As continued from our last discussion on the various foods that are found around the holidays and why so many of them are bad for your skin and may even cause acne breakouts or aggravate your skin condition……. 

Sweets are probably the worst offender, and can trigger breakouts in some people, including me.  They set off a chain reaction of inflammation in the skin that also may increase the amount of black and whiteheads you see on your face, since these are a side effect of inflammation, especially in those that are already acne prone, or who have hormonal acne.  See our page on hormonal acne treatments by the way, it offers some great options for treating this specific type of acne if that’s what you think you have. 

Another bad choice is caffeine, and the caffeinated and sweetened, heavy cream coffee based beverages are another favorite around the holidays in our no coffee-centric society.  Caffeine is just a whole ‘nother animal all together, and in my opinion, those who have acne should try to avoid caffeinate products all together, since I’ve seen firsthand how my skin undeniably to responds to coffees and other caffeinated beverages.  Doesn’t mean I’m perfect and I never indulge, however, I know the consequences when I do. 

You may also want to try to use fresh squeezed lemon juice as a way to help set off any damage done by very acidic or high sugar foods in your diet.  It sounds strange, but it’s actually a great little beauty secret that’s cheap and actually refreshing – water tastes great with a spritz of pure, fresh lemon juice in it – I actually think it’s more thirst quenching this way! 

Lemon juice is a product that can help balance a lot of sugar or other high-acid foods that are in the diet for the day, and when I consume lemon juice in my water, I usually notice that clearer skin tends to follow – it’s actually one of the beauty secrets that I cherish most, and believe it or not, I also notice that when I’m drinking lemon juice every day, I tend to never get sick, probably due to the vitamin C or antioxidant content of the lemon juice, or maybe it’s internal astringent quality, if that’s what it possesses.   I really can’t say, but I know that drinking lemon juice infused water does help my skin look better. 

You all know that struggle I speak of when I talk about the endless temptations of naughty holiday fare around this time of year that seems to stare you in the face at every turn. 

You see sweets, salty and fatty snacks and high sodium, low nutrient foods where you work, at your family’s homes, your friends homes, and the endless holiday parties and functions that you have to attend, not to mention the barrage of gifts around the holidays that seem to consist of more of these tantalizing temptations that taste wonderful, but also happen to be a boon of bad skin, breakouts, uneven tone, sallow appearance and dehydration.

You see, each of these “bad choices” seems to offer the skin something a little different in the way of how it is bad for your skin.  Take salty snacks for example.  Salt helps to dehydrate the skin.  When your skin is dehydrated, it tends to look drier and more “weathered”.  You can usually see wrinkles show up on the face more and imperfections when your skin is dehydrated, so high salt foods really don’t help your situation if you’re going for that “glowing” healthy look that everyone covets these days (including me, I’m not exempt!)

Fattening snacks can also offer your skin a host of problems.  Unless it’s the right kind of fat.  If you eat fats that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, this can help the skin’s appearance, and even may help your skin fight acne better.  So, if you are faced with a choice between a heavy sour cream or cream cheese spread and crackers and the bowl of black olives, or perhaps a light crisp basted with a touch of olive oil, then opt for the olive-based product, at least you’re consuming a fat that is skin-healthy and nutrient rich.

More to come on this post, since I believe it’s important to address food issues when it comes to full and complete acne treatment, from the inside out…..

I decided to put together a fun little list of who I think has some of the best skin in the celebrity arena.  I thought it would be nice to have a nice diversified list of celebrities, singers, actresses, and others that we are familiar with in the spotlight, but also women who we can all look up to and admire because of their non-tabloidy ways and because they seem to represent strength and real internal beauty as well, which as we all know often shines from the inside more so than the outside. 

Here’s the list of celebrity women with the best skin for 2008, in my humble opinion :

1.  Shania Twain.  She’s a classic beauty, is very talented, has staying power in an industry that chews people up and spits them out after two years, and has been a model of class and stoic grace in the face of a supposedly scandalous breakup of her long standing marriage to her husband and former business manager Mutt Lange.  Her skin has always been flawless, and she has a glow about her that eminates a spirit inside that can’t be broken.  She has poise and elegance, and she’s not a tabloid monger, which is great, and very admirable.

2.  Charlize Theron.  A former model and talented actress, her skin is luminous.  Her smile infectious.  And she’s another one who manages to avoid the pitfalls of lots of young starlets and has maintained grace and earthy beauty as well as sets a great example to young admirers everywhere.  Men love her, women love her, and she’s got beautiful skin.

3.)  Kate Winslet.  You can see I’ve consistently chosen talented women who also give off an air of education and grace.  Kate Winslet is another favorite who also happens to have glowing skin.  She’s a beauty, that’s for sure, and her performances on film only add to her elegant and classically beautiful features.  To hear her speak and read her interviews, you know she’s a solid woman with family values and a sense of integrity that’s hard to come by these days. 

4.)  Diane Lane.  Diane Lane is a great example of a woman  in her forties who still has the most beautiful, perfect, and un-cosmetically altered skin.  She obviously puts a lot of care into her skin, but she also has such a natural beauty and easiness about her, with this burning sexuality just under the surface, and yet somehow women can still picture sitting and talking with her over a cup of coffee.  Gorgeous and flawless, at any age. 

I’ve noticed it myself.  My side job as well as my full time corporate job may very well be in peril because of the current state of the economy, and because of that, and because (lucky me), my skin is incredibly reactive to stress, and not in a good way, I’ve noticed that my chest area will not stop breaking out.  I’ve had to again resort to using my topical Zenmed natural acne medication, but I’m going to hold off on ordering the pills again because I think this breakout cycle may be temporary, since for me most stress related breakout cycles are temporary.

My regular job has not only been stressful because of the economy and a lot of others worrying about keeping their jobs, but there is also some internal stress going on that has nothing to do with the economic conditions.  Stressful conditions at work are not a good thing for those of us whose skin tends to show what we’re thinking on the outside, by way of breaking out, getting ruddy and red, or breaking out in rashes or hives.

Our skin is more reactive to our health and our stress levels than we think.  If you are eating poorly, one of the first places this will show is in your skin.  If you eat too much salt, your skin becomes bloated and puffy, if you are not hydrating adequately, your skin becomes papery, likewise if you are not getting enough calorie intake or fat intake.  Eating too much sugar is inflammatory and often results in redness and rosacea and acne rosacea for those that have light colored of European heritage skin.

If you are defiicient of certain vitamins, your skin may not be very able to repair itself, and if you are bitten by some type of insect you are allergic to or touch something you are allergic to, your skin reacts violently by puffing up, or forming a red, irritated bump, or you may even break out in some sort of rash.  So, it’s not unreasonable to come to the conclusion that stress and other high anxiety emotions are linked to the way your skin looks.  What affects us on the inside often affects our appearance on the outside, especially our largest and most precious organ – our skin. 

So, try to control the stress in your life when you go through times like these by doing things that relax you and agree with you.  For some, that may be getting more in touch with nature, taking walks, doing yoga, going swimming, horseback riding, or doing some other sort of acitivty that gets you back in touch with your sanity and what’s truly important in life.  After all, most things that cause stress really aren’t all that important when it all comes down to it. 

I’ve noticed, and this could be coincidence, but I’ve noticed that since winter has reared it’s ugly head here in northeast Ohio, and I’ve again taken to wearing my favorite winter fare, which is heavy sweaters and turtle necks (those are my favorite, they’re so cozy and warm), that my chest and my neck have had an increasing frequency of breakouts. 

Now, there are a few other factors in my life right now that could be affecting my skin, such as stress from a college class I am taking (I’m way out of college age, but I decided I wanted to take a class to see if I could handle it, and it’s in math which was a big mistake, I’m in way over my head and mega stressed), and some other possible hormonal issues. 

However, I’ve noticed the increased breakouts are only on my chest, which leads me to believe that there may be something to the getting used to the sweater season theory.  You know how your feet need to acclimate to wearing sandles in the summer, and you get crazy sores on your feet at first, even though they shouldn’t cause those? 

I think your skin needs to adjust to being covered up and rubbed on in certain areas of your body before it adjusts properly. Of course, this isn’t a very scientific explanation and I could be WAY off base, but that’s the only common denominator I could think of.  Anyone else have experience with wearing heavier clothes and breaking out on the back, neck or chest when they first begin to wear them again? 

We are all trying to be more conscious of the energy we expend lately, especially with the green movement producing more and more awareness of electricity use, gas use, recycling, and other energy and waste conservation issues that can help to save the earth one day if we’re all not careful and cut down on our wastefulness.  One of those savers is the energy saving light bulb, which many of us now have in our homes as a way to mitigate our electric bills and help to save us money as well as help to save the planet. 

So, can “being green” in this way be a bad thing for your skin?  Well, it is potentially hazardous to your skin, but only if it is held up really close to the skin can it actually burn it.  Supposedly the type of lightbulbs that are being looked at for potential skin hazard are the ones with the visible coils which emit a small amount of UV radiation, and can burn the skin if there is prolonged contact.  This may be why they save energy, because they are a more intense form of power that can emit less energy.

I personally don’t care for the energy saving lightbulbs, dare I say, since I am one who does like to help conserve wherever I can within reason.  I recycle, I try to watch our electric bill, and I try to conserve on water usage whenever I can, but these energy saving lightbulbs were where I drew the line.

I tried them once in the room I use for my office at home, and they only gave off a dull glow, not much for reading lighting, plus they are not the most attractive looking bulbs, with their swirly coils that look like they are something from a modern museum of sculpture – and I don’t mean that in a good way. 

I guess they say that you shouldn’t stop using them because of this, but as you know, knowledge is always power, and if you think they may not be good for your skin, and you are working in close proximity to them, maybe you should stop, or if you have irriated skin after sitting under them – if not, then I’d say don’t worry about it for now. 

I just read a really interesting warning against using too many Vitamin A based products on your skin, such as Glycolic acid (which happens to be used a lot in acne treatment peels) and Retin-A, which is another topical acne treatment product, before you have some more traumatizing types of treatments such as microdermabrasion, waxing the hair, or another chemical peel.  The problem is that these vitamin A products can temporarily leave your skin in a weaker state, and leave it more open to trauma.

Another warning was not to use those dubious blackhead removal strips like the Biore strips, and rip out blackheads, after you’ve been using Vitamin A based products since things get absorbed more easily for up to a week after treatment, and the skin layer may come completely off after using Vitamin A products instead of coming off where it should, which is just the filled pores.

Just because something it topically used, it doesn’t mean it does not get into our blood streams and into our systems.  Remember the high school track student who kept applying lidocaine based products such as Ben Gay and Icy Hot to her legs because they were sore?  She ended up dying from an overdose of lidocaine.  She put so much product on that she ended up going into cardiac arrest.  The findings were that she most likely also died because of a reaction between the lidocaine and some sort of aspirin based products she may have been taking.

Salicylic acid, which is one of my favorite topical acne treatment products, thankfully is not on a list of common products that may be overused.  Of course, this doesn’t mean to lather it on several times a day either, it’s not good to do that with any product, but it seems like it is mild enough that it probably would not cause any sort of internal reaction if it was overused.  Again, don’t put too much on just because of that though, because you just never know.  Also you will irritate and dry out your skin anyways if you over apply any type of topical acne treatment.