Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

So I’m on a very short weekend getaway. Actually, I’m just tagging along with my husband to Pittsburgh for a convention he’s attending. So, I’m enjoying spending a little money shopping here for clothes, and enjoying not paying the taxes on the clothes that I normally am subjected to in my home state of Ohio (PA taxes food but they don’t tax clothing, opposite of Ohio).

I’m really enjoying myself, except I had an unexpected visitor that showed up for no reason at all. The rest of my skin on my body is very calm – no hormonal acne or stress related acne here, and suddenly a huge, cystic zit pops up on my neck. Right square in the middle of my neck. At least when I have my chin down somewhat you cannot see it.

However, if I have my chin lifted at all, you can see this bad boy neck zit. It’s very red and very large, and I can feel that it’s almost coming to a head. All you can do until zits come to a head in this very sensitive area – is wait.

The skin on your neck is extremely delicate. That’s why they make creams that are specially designed for this area. It’s one of the first places on your body to show signs of aging, because the skin on your neck is very thin and delicate. That’s also why most skin care specialists recommend using a really good face cream on your neck and decollete area.

Both of them are sensitive to the sunlight, and you can get sun damage in these areas, as well as age spots and deep wrinkles on them very easily.  The zit on my neck did finally come to a head, however, once I extracted it, it still did not want to go away.

I ended up having to extract it several times because of the amount of infection in it, so I have no idea what caused this sudden eruption in such an unlikely area. I’ve had a few zits like this on my neck, but they are few and far between, and I can never figure out what triggered them.

They are particularly puzzling, because for me, they usually pop up out of nowhere when the skin everywhere else on my body is acne free. Makes no sense at all. But what are you gonna do? You know having acne makes you just roll with the punches sometimes!

Hey there, here is the final part III of our natural vs. medical acne treatments series. It is meant to explore the range of options that those with acne have today to treat and cure their acne until their hormones calm down and they get older. Even then, adult acne is a huge issue today.

We talked about antibiotics, fruits, vitamins, and various other natural methods of acne treatment.  Let’s talk more about the choices out there available to you for you to help get rid of your acne today. 

Your dermatologist is also able to help you achieve clear skin without a prescription. Medical lasers, lights, chemical peels and microdermabrasions are very popular alternative among patients suffering from acne.

Microdermabrasion, typically used for fine lines, can also be helpful in controlling acne and is also very useful for acne scarring treatment.

This procedure consists of using a hand held device that blows small crystals on the skins surface. This acts as a polishing agent. Then a small vacuum sucks the crystals and skin cells off. This helps to polish and soften the skin, while unclogging the pores.

Chemical peels are another drug free option that can be performed. Results are known to be good, but redness and irritation are also a side effect. Chemical peels can also be painful and expensive.

Options such as red and blue light therapy have been known to help eliminate pimples along with white heads and black heads. The blue light is thought to help kill bacteria, while the red light is thought to help with inflammation. People can even purchase these red and blue light machines to use in their homes.

It can then be performed at home twice a day. Although this treatment seems to work best with mild to moderate acne it is one of those options that has very low side effects.

There are many options out there to help fight acne. Herbal remedies are safe and time tested and it would be wise to start with these natural, alternative remedies first. They tend to be cheaper and have the lowest risk of side effects.

But, if medical help is needed, rest assured that there is an arsenal of creams, antibiotics, and lasers that can have you looking picture perfect in no time. But, regardless of whether you choose herbal alternative options or products prescribed by a dermatologist do what feels right for you.

Here is our second part in a three part series on natural acne treatments versus medical acne treatments.  We know that this is a very personal choice, as it was for me. But I finally found my skin savior in Zenmed’s dermacleanse system, and so I know that natural and herbal acne remedies can work, and they can work well, without the negative side effects.

Which is why I am of course a huge proponent of natural skin care in general. Read on for part II of the Natural vs. Medical Acne Treatments article series!

Another alternative acne treatment can be achieved with vitamins. Vitamins such as Zinc, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E also are known for their skin clearing benefits. Zinc, taken by capsule, helps to repair skin and strengthen the immune system.

Vitamin A can also be taken by capsule and promotes a healthy completion. Vitamin E counteracts acne by being a natural antioxidant and can be found in antioxidant-based natural acne remedies like Acnezine. These vitamins can also be found in certain complexion clearing foods as well.

Foods such as bananas and blueberries contain antioxidants that protect the skin from free radicals. In that same token, it is advised to reduce the amount of sugar and refined starches as these seem to have an adverse effect on your skin.

When natural herbal options and an alternative acne treatment have been used without success, medical help may be needed. Medical science has been greatly advanced in recent years and your options have never been better. There are many new topical and oral products that a dermatologist can prescribe.

Herbal remedies for acne are useful, but medical treatments seem much stronger and faster because they just are much more concentrated, and that is both why they can be effective, and why they can have bad side effects. Depending on the severity of the acne, a dermatologist will decide whether to use a topical cream or an antibiotic or a combination of the two.

Some of the most common topical products that a dermatologist may prescribe might be Clindamycin and Erythromycin. These products are applied twice a day and are tolerated very well with a very low amount of irritation.

Another medical acne treatment that can be prescribed by a dermatologist are oral products. The oral acne treatment most commonly prescribed is Tetracycline. This is usually the first oral antibiotic prescribed to patients because of it’s low cost and few side effects. It is taken once a day.

Women are advised to be put on birth control since this acne treatment might cause a birth defect in an unborn child. Those that use Tetracycline products have been known to have a 25% improvement in their skin per month.  However, long term antibiotic use is not advised. It can have some rather serious long term implications, and I’d highly suggest your educate yourself on them.

Hello everyone. This is part one of a three part article series on the pluses, minuses, ups and downs and cost points of medical acne treatments versus natural and herbal acne treatments, which of course you know are the ones I favor after many years of struggling with acne in my youth.

It is a very personal choice when considering the various bullet points on the two different approaches to treating acne, and that is where your judgement and personal experiences come in. So, enjoy our three part article series! 

Just ask any teenage girl if she would love to have clear, glowing skin. What do you think she would say? All right, that was a rhetorical question. It’s perfectly natural to want clear beautiful skin? Just walk down the facial cleanser isle at Target and you will be bombarded with a plethora of options promising to give you a healthy, peaches and cream completion.

Many of the products will advertise natural herbal ingredients or claim to be dermatologist recommended. You might also be wondering whether or not to visit you local dermatologist to receive a medical acne treatment. But, which treatment is better; medical or an herbal alternative?

When first embarking on your acne treatment journey it is probably wise to start with natural herbal alternative options. These natural remedies have been used for centuries before medical science was available and they are time tested. Herbal remedies also have a lower risk of side effects, especially in terms of birth defects.

Fortunately, there are many alternative acne treatment products to choose from. For instance, the healing properties of aloe vera have been widely recognized. The aloe vera plant contains an enzyme-rich gel that not only soothes enflamed skin, but also contains anti-bacterial properties, much like the prized tea tree oil that has resurged in popularity over the past few years.

Aloe can also been taken internally to detox the digestive tract which is another natural way to help heal and clear the skin. Tea tree oil, derived from the Melaleuca alternifoliais tree, is very effective against fighting acne. It contains a bacteria-fighting agent known as Terpenes.

Acne is usually caused by bacteria and the Terpenes kills the bacteria. What’s good about Tea Tree Oil is that there are few known side effects and it smells nice too, although some may find its natural medicinal smell a bit too much.  I personally like it, it’s a mix between a pine and very clean scent.

When you’re dealing with facial scrubs, or body scrubs, which are typically topical skin exfoliants that slough off the dead skin cells and help to reveal newer, fresher skin, you want to be very careful since acne, especially active acne lesions, can be irritated by it.  Home made acne treatments are great because they are cheap and they work well.

The right sloughing agents and scrubs can actually help your skin to beat acne though. You do want to be careful not to use any sloughing agent on open acne lesions however, since it can not only irritate that acne lesion, but can also break it open again and prolong the healing process. You can of course work around the open lesions though, so the rest of your skin can at least gain the benefit of the scrub.

There are many kind sof scrubs you can use that are commercial. You just want to avoid any with heavy mineral oils or moisturizers. Try to find one that reads noncomedogenic, or has things like salicylic acid included or non irritating ingredients.

For a natural scrub that you can easily find at home, the one for oily skin that is the best and least expensive is baking soda. Baking soda, especially when mixed with a few drops of either tea tree oil or lemon juice, has a wonderful antiseptic effect that helps kill surface bacteria which can lead to further acne breakouts.

It also helps to clear the pores so that acne causing debris does not get deposited in the pores long enough to cause any serious damage.  You can use it not only as a scrub where you physically scrub your face with it in your bare hands (be sure not to rub it raw), but you can also use it as an acne mask.

Be careful not to leave it on the face too long, or you may over dry your skin. A few minutes should be fine.  Then you can gently scrub your face with it, just until your skin turns the slightest shade of pink, and rinse it off with warm water – not hot. Hot water is over drying as well, and can actually bring on additional breakouts on its own.

Warm water actually helps the pores open more, so you can really get a deep clean. Hot water tends to close them up more.  When you are finished with your natural facial scrub, make sure you also rinse the final rinse with cold water so that your pores seal up for the day.

In continuation of a subject that we left off with last time, I wanted to talk to you more about something I feel is of paramount importance in your skin routine and making sure your skin stays clear and beautiful looking, as well as an excellent anti aging tool for your skin. 

We are talking about detoxifying the body and eating the right foods to keep the body as toxin free as possible for glowing, healthy skin. Eating foods that are conducive to a toxin-free body is vital not only for your skin’s health, but the health of your organs and your entire body – and longevity!

Diet is one of the most important factors in eliminating the root cause of skin problems. Ingesting too much sugar, salt, preservatives, processed foods, trans fat and alcohol can have a negative effect on the skin and play a role in the development of acne.   Hormonal acne is partly caused by a poor diet, as the diet directly affects your hormone balance and levels of androgens circulating in the body.

When people overindulge in foods which negatively impact their systems and could result in skin problems the key to overcoming them is to take steps to remove the poisons. Detoxification can play a critical role in breaking up and flushing out the toxins beginning to collect because of improper diet choices.

The removal of these poisons begins the process of healing the damage to the body’s organs, including the skin.  Finding the right detox formula is crucial. Not everyone reacts the same way to detox products. Each person should find a detoxification formula that works for them.

Some detoxification drinks can be made by combining ingredients people already have in their pantries at home. Others have more success with pre-mixed and pre-measured potions offered in stores or through websites.

Whichever method you find most effective is the one you should use. If you want true and enduring beauty then begin deep below the skin.  Acne and other skin problems can be traced to many factors.

Diet, exercise, stress levels and many other things play a role. However, you can help prevent skin problems by eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, whole grains, wild fish and lots of cool water.

While this type of diet alone certainly does not guarantee beautiful, healthy, acne-free skin, combining it with rest, relaxation and regular use of detox formulas will greatly improve your odds of having the soft, supple glowing skin many people pray for all their lives.

The internal health of a person is often mirrored on their skin. One internal organ whose health is manifested on the surface of the skin is the liver. The body is constantly working to flush out the toxins which can do it harm.

These toxins are released through all the body’s waste elimination systems. If the liver is overworked it can lead to eruptions on the skin. If the pores are clogged with oils or other waste products it can leads to pimples.  Some natural acne treatment formulas, like Acnezine, work on the premise that they detox the body and help clear acne that way.

Too many toxins in the body can lead to bad skin, and cleansing the body, and eating the right foods on a daily basis that do not lead to toxic overload are key in maintining clear, vibrant skin.

Your diet, your cosmetics, your stress level and environment can all leave your skin dull, dry, fragile and acne-prone. Detoxifying your system is the key to clearing up your skin and allowing it to regain it’s healthy glow, softer feel and improved texture.

There are several ways to detoxify the body. Exercise is paramount in the development of healthy skin. Making the body sweat is a natural way to flush poisons out of the system. Exercise makes the blood flow stronger and the breathing deepen, both of which have “cleansing” effects on the body because they allow the body to get rid of toxins at an accelerated pace. 

Both of those processes help to expell toxins from the body. Properly oxygenated blood aids in the flushing of toxins from the body. When people exercise regularly the process becomes more efficient and the positive effects are evident on their skin.

While exercise is incredibly important to healthy skin and overall health, using a good detox program can also play a vital role. Detoxification is a process which draws out and removes the toxins which can have a negative impact on your skin and lead to acne.

Many people attempt to treat acne primarily with topical treatments. But surface treatments address the symptoms and not the cause. While the causes of acne are complex it is clear removing the toxins trapped below the skin in the pores can help. 

Since keeping the body detoxed is paramount in getting your skin to look great as often as it can, we are going to  talk about this very important aspect of skin maintenance some more in the next post – part 2 of detoxing the body for clear, clean skin.

I just finished reading about a very interesting combination of two dermatologist therapies that are used for acne treatment as well as for other skin perfecting treatments. The two treatments on their own are IPL and Isolaz, respectively.

You may have heard of IPL, as it is a light therapy that is popular as a non invasive anti aging treatment for those trying to help tighten the skin and reduce fine lines as well as fade age spots and even out the entire skin tone.  It stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and it basically uses the power of light to help heal the skin and reduce imperfections. 

PDT treatment is very much like IPL, but it actually is used in combination with Isolaz because of its bacteria killing abilities.  PDT stands for photodynamic therapy.  The only thing you feel is generally something like a rubber band snap on the skin area that is being treated.

I’m sometimes a little leery of their descriptions of things being painless or minimally painful though, as when you read real people’s descriptions of how it felt, it is often more painful than the ones who are trying to sell the treatment claim!

Isolaz is a type of laser treatment.  It also uses a vacuum type of instrument to gently open and vacuum the oil out of the pores, so you get a very deep down clean. It then shines the light down into the pores, so that all of the bacteria which can eventually end up creating acne lesions, is destroyed.

As you can imagine, this type of light therapy and laser therapy combination can be quite expensive in the dermatologist’s office. Blue light therapy devices are also made for home use, and that may be an option for you to pursue, or an herbal acne remedy with topical products that can work on your acne may be a good option too.

The Isolaz and IPL or PDT treatments typically have the patient come in once a week for several weeks, and it has a fairly good success rate of over 70%  of patients receiving the combo treatment getting rid of their acne.

I’m a fan of IPL and blue and red light therapy, but it does not always work on everyone, so that’s just a word to the wise that not everything is made for everyone’s type of skin. It takes experimentation sometimes to figure out what ultimately helps your skin to stay clear.

Have you ever felt a huge, painful acne cyst developing (as I like to call it, “growing”), underneath your skin’s surface?  It’s almost like I’ve trained myself to feel the first stirrings of a zit brewing beneath my skin’s suface. It doesn’t even have to be a huge cyst – I can usually tell, after years of struggling with the skin condition in my teens, when and where I’m going to get one before it even pops up.

I remembers a close family member of mine telling me that she had gone to her dermatologist to get a shot to get rid of one of her more painful acne cysts, and I was too young to understand all of what that meant, or how a shot could really clear anything up.

Well, that shot she was referring to is a cortisone shot. Cortisone is an anti inflammatory topical and below the surface steroid, which can almost instantly deflate an otherwise troublesome acne cyst that can be painful and long-lived if it is not treated.

Acne cysts can be long-lived because they start so far down below the surface that they don’t actually come up and become totally visible for days or even weeks sometimes, to where they can be safely extracted without creating many acne scars that will be hard to get rid of.

A cortisone shot is usually used as a sort of last resort for people who may have a big event that’s stressing them out, and have formed a huge cyst that they need to really get rid of in the next few days with minimal scarring and redness.  The shots usually run anywhere from $100 or more, and of course the doctors visit itself will usually cost you as well.

The medication is injected right into the site of the acne cyst, where the anti inflammatory properties of the cortisone can go to work right away, directly on the site in question.

The site of the cyst may be quite swollen and even a little red for the next several hours, but it typically will go down in about 24-48 hours after the shot is administered, which usually is in time for most people who get them.

Is it painful?  Well, essentially you are getting a shot in the face, so it may sting for a few seconds while the medication is being deposited into the cyst, but it will subside pretty quickly. It also depends on what area of the face the cortisone shot is being given.  Some areas of the face are more sensitive than others.

I’ve been seeing newer ads for a medication called Oracea, which is used for the symptoms of rosacea and acne rosacea, a very bothersome skin condition for the people who have it. Rosacea causes the skin to look inflamed and red, and can show broken capillaries under the skin very easily.

This skin condition is prevalent in those with fair skin, and people who are of european origin. People with rosacea often complain that they cannot drink a glass of wine or go out in the sun, or even eat anything hot, without inflaming their rosacea.

Depending on the severity of the condition, rosacea can definitely be considered a major beauty problem, as it causes a lot of self consciousness about one’s appearance, and it makes it hard to really show off great skin when it always looks inflamed, ruddy and discolored. 

Often times those with rosacea will have blemishes and a very bumpy skin texture as well to deal with, which just adds to their skin care woes, and makes their sensitive skin even more tricky to care for. 

Oracea is actually just an antibiotic. It is actually the antibiotic doxycycline, which has been approved to treat acne as well.  It is supposed to help with the inflammation and outbreaks of rosacea, as well as the break outs of those who have acne rosacea, which combines both lovely skin conditions into one.

Before deciding to go on a medication like Oracea though, one needs to carefully consider the side effects of the medication while they are on it, as well as the potential long term effects of being on an antibiotic for a long period of time.

Long term antibiotic use has been linked to several health issues, including some types of cancers and problems with digestive and GI issues. 

Using antibiotics to treat acne or rosacea, such as doxycycline, tetracycline or monocylcine, is something that really should be talked over with your doctor, but you should really do your own research as well and look for reputable site online on the the subject of long term antibiotic use.

Remember, there are some excellent natural alternatives to dealing with acne and acne rosacea that can also be added to your list for serious consideration as your treatment of choice. 

Oracea may be right for you, but definitely look into the side effects and decide whether those are worth it for you, or if you really think taking a more natural route and using a natural treatment for rosacea is better (and natural doesn’t necessarily mean less effective, also keep that in mind).  As we progress in the age of medicine and cosmetic arts, I’m sure there will be better options in the treatment of rosacea.