Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

The presence of acne on the skin is not something anyone wished to deal with. However, many people in all age ranges do have to deal with the presence of acne, and many times diet has more to do with it than one would even venture to guess. Obviously, they will want to get rid of the problem – but are they willing to make the dietary changes necessary to get clearer skin and a pimple free existence?

Among the ways to do this would be to try and determine the dietary factors that contribute to such a skin condition.   It’s pretty easy – you will start to notice patterns of when you eat certain foods a lot and when you break out.

One common subject that comes up when it comes to issues related to skin breakouts would be a bad diet.  Can your food selections contribute to skin breakouts and pimples? A closer look at the subject may prove revealing.

There are two extremes of poor dietary choices which can contribute to skin breakouts. The first would be a diet that is heavy in fats and the other would be a diet very low in fat. It might seem ironic that both extremes can cause pimples but this is the case.

Another common contributor to the development of pimples would be sugar. Granted, the connection may have been overstated in the past. However, sugar can be a contributor.

Similarly, white flour can be a contributing factor which is why those with acne need to curtail eating food items with such flour. It would also be enormously wise to avoid eating fried foods and these are also notorious contributors to those with hypersensitive skin.

However, it is really not the food choices per se that necessarily contribute to the total problem. In most instances, it will be the chemical and metabolic reaction of the body that leads to breakouts. That is to say certain people’s body’s will react differently to food choices. Consider this the reason why some people will suffer from skin breakouts while eating the same dietary choices of others that do not experience such breakouts.

Regardless of one’s food selections, if you are suffering from a bad skin breakout then you may wish to take the steps to alter your dietary habits. Upon doing this, you can then take a few steps bad to determine whether or not making the proper alterations leads to the skin clearing up.

Chocolate has long been villified as an acne causing sweet treat. However, it cannot be further from the truth that chocolate, or the cocoa bean, which is the basis of chocolate, on its own, is a cause of acne.

Those that consume an abundance of chocolate, that is too much at once, also tend to have other dietary habits that are hugely negative when it comes to acne.  Chocolate happens to contain a lot of sugar, which is an aggravator to acne and the skin in general.

Sugar is something that, if you want beautiful skin in to your forties, fifties and sixties and beyond you should avoid as much as you can. However, the occasional treat of chocolate is not going to make you break out. Since chocolate is one of the most popular sweets, it was given a bad name when people who had high sugar diets happened to also have a lot of breakouts.

Chocolate also has a small amount of caffeine in it which occurs naturally, which may explain why some would break out after over doing it on the chocolate. But chocolate really does have some great benefits when it comes to heart and circulatory health, as well as skin health due to its high antioxidant content. 

Chocolate contains high levels of a nutrient called catechins, which are also found in other high power nutrient packed foods like green tea.  You HAVE to eat the dark variety of chocolate, as the milk chocolate or white varieties do not have the same benefits.

Researchers have said that concentrations of cocoa less than 60% are not beneficial, and in fact may do more harm than good since they have a higher sugar and fat content.  Research has consistently shown that dark chocolate, when consumed often as a replacement for other calories (not in addition to the caloric intake you already partake in), lowers blood pressure.

Not only that, but it may help increase the blood flow to the brain, offering excellent cognitive and focus benefits and perhaps act as an anti aging tool for the brain.  Since it increase circulation, it is also good for heart health and is a weapon in your arsenal against stroke risk.

Research has shown that dark chocolate provides protection against stroke, heart disease, and circulation issues.  In addition, dark chocolate consumption significantly increases circulation of something called nitric oxide, which releases feel good chemicals into the body. 

This certainly explains why eating dark chocolate makes you feel sooooo darn good!  It also explains why us ladies tend to crave it like crazy around that time of the month – it makes us feel like our normal happy selves again. It’s a natural aphrodisiac as well as mood lifter, which is reason enough to partake in it!

The diet season is in full swing, and has been since, well, since before spring time, when we all knew in a few short weeks or months we were going to have to bare more skin and show off a little more of our bodies.

It’s the season of bathing suits, tank tops, and other body baring outfits. And it’s a time when we all like to feel free, and a little bit skinnier to boot. After all, being thinner is often freeing in the summer time since we like to be more active, and having less weight to carry around is just more fun.

The problem is that many people, especially women, tend to resort to diet pills that contain lots of stimulants that speed up your nervous system, your metabolism, your movements, your thoughts, and just about everything else.

One problem for those of us that are acne prone to begin with. They can also seriously mess with your hormones. They trigger responses in the body that cause the estrogen and androgen levels to greatly fluctuate.  Stress on the nervous system often does this.

Depending on the person, it can cause dramatic fluctuations, or none at all. I’m one of those fortunates that can have pretty dramatic breakouts from serious fluctuations like this in my nervous system and cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

The kicker is, you may not even notice it for a few days after taking a stimulant that is designed to suppress the appetite. Once for me, it took three days for the effects of a stimulant diet pill, and for some vicodin, to show up as a breakout on my face.

I had to be on Vicodin, a powerful pain killer that has hormone altering capabilities and can make some break out because it can act as a nervous system stimulant, for some oral surgery.

I never even knew it had the effect of aggravating my acne until I was on it for at least 3-4 days. Even then I had no idea it was the pain pill that was actually causing it until I went off it for a day and my skin almost instantly cleared up.

Certain diet pills have similar effects. If they contain green tea in concentrated form, caffeine, guarana, or any other caffeinated derivatives or stimulants, you may be in for a not so delightful surprise on your face.

It’s not just your face where you can break out. Some people notice their back, chest, neck, or other areas of the body breaking out when on certain diet pills or other stimulant supplements or drugs.

I’ve always said, and will continue to say, that diet and nutrients, taken internally, are the key to healthy, radiant skin. I believe that the products you use externally are important, and can greatly enhance this healthy appearance, but it’s what you take in, orally, that really makes your skin look fabulous.

This goes for aging skin, and young skin that may have problems with acne and other nuisances that come with younger, oilier skin.  Of course, we can get away with a lot more when we’re young, since our skin has a natural elasticity and resilience that we don’t have as much when we’re older.

However, young people who have acne prone skin will find a good diet a great benefit to their clear skin routine. Herbal acne supplements can help fill any nutritional gaps, but by and large you MUST eat right to have clear, beautiful, young looking skin.

I feel that if I knew have the dietary secrets to clear skin that I do today back then, my struggles with acne may have been greatly reduced.

That being said, one of the most important aspects of clear, age-resistent skin is your dietary antioxidant intake. A lot of Americans do not get nearly enough antioxidants in their diet.  They eat too many processed foods that are full of preservatives, carbs, fats and sugars, all of which are enemies to clear skin.

They also happen to be devoid of antioxidants, which help repair the skin and deflect free radical damage and erosion.  Antoixidants that are a necessity every day are vitamin C, some vitamin E (don’t recommend taking the supplement, this is a fat soluble vitamin that can build up to toxicity easily, get it in your diet), beta carotene, lycopene (found in tomatoes and tomato products).

This is not an all inclusive list, but it is a list of antioxidants that you can commonly find in many of the whole foods that are in the diet.  I supplement my diet now also with a very popular antioxidant called astaxanthin. I supplement with this one and don’t rely on my diet for it because it is not found in heavy enough concentration in most foods.

Vitamin C is actually an easy on to get every day.  You can get this in your citrus fruits. In fact, most fruits contain some of this powerful vitamin.  It’s easy to get your daily dose of this because if you don’t eat foods with it, you can take a supplement or drink a vitamin C fortified drink.

It is of course recommended to get it from food, as this is the most complete, therapeutic form of the vitamin.  Vitamin C needs to be replenished on a daily basis, so you have to get it every single day or you will be deficient.

It helps rebuild collagen and may even help your skin to rebuild faster after the trauma of acne scarring, and also helps the skin to glow. It is excellent when applied topically as well.

It’s the day after the 4th of July, one of the most fun American holidays, where we get a day off work (it was a monday this year, yipee), and we get to go maybe have a few drinks, barbecue, and see some fireworks. Not a bad weekend plan, I’d say!  But are those barbecues and beer runs taking a toll on the health of your skin?

Not really, if you stick to eating the right kinds of foods that you typically might find at a barbecue.  Foods like watermelon, potato salad, and lean grilled meats like chicken aren’t bad choices at all.  Fruit salads and cole slaw are often barbecue fare as well, and those fit well into a healthy skin diet as well.

The worst choices you can make for your skin at these summer time festivities are drinking too many sugary sweet alcoholic (or non alcoholic for that matter) drinks, indulging in sugary sweet desserts (try to stay away from the cheesecake) and indulging in fried fatty foods.  But those types of foods are usually not found at barbecues, it’s most the excessive alcohol consumption and not enough water that you need to worry about.

First of all, excessive alcohol makes your skin look “older” than it really is. It is also burned as a source of energy by your body before any other sugars are, so it hurts your blood sugar suffers, which means your skin may break out.

Excessive alcoholic consumption makes your face looked tired and drawn, because it’s nearly impossible to stay hydrated. Did you ever notice that you pee once every 20 minutes or so when you drink too much? That’s because you’re peeing out all of the GOOD liquid like water out, and you are becoming dehydrated, which makes you skin look terrible.

I have looked at myself in the mirror after a night of too much drinking, and I always look about five to ten years older because of the toll dehydration takes on my skin.  Alcohol inhibits a hormone called the anti diuretic hormone, and it therefore makes you pee out all the water that you consume instead of maintaining it for electrolyte balance and blood sugar balancing.

This is why you feel that shaky, sick feeling the next morning after over doing it. It’s also why you may experience a banging headache as well. So, hope you had a fun fourth and didn’t over do it

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.

We talked last time about how your blood sugar levels affect your skin and can trigger acne breakouts and perpetuate the unfortunate predisposition toward acne in your skin.  Remember, your blood sugar levels control a lot more than just hunger and mental and physical performance.

They also control the levels of female and male hormones in your body. Remember also that excess androgens (male hormones) in the body are what lead to acne lesions because of their ability to force the body into excess production of oil, or sebum, which traps bacteria beneath the surface of the skin and inflames the pores.

A high sugar, high carb diet is, in itself, a naturally “inflammatory” diet. This means that it actually pushes the body to not heal as well.  This is part of the reason why diabetic people have a hard time healing wounds.

Avoid refined starches and grains like white bread, white pasta, chips, crackers and other foods which use refined white flour as their basis.  Also avoid sugary sweets like chocolate, candy and cookies.  Choose foods that keep you full for hours. 

You will know when your blood sugar is all whacked out because you’ll feel it in your mental performance and the way your body reacts. For me, I know that my blood sugar is either too low or too high because I can’t seem to focus, I get moody and my motor skills seem to be “off”. 

Some people experience seeing auras or bright lights in front of their eyes when their blood sugar goes into dangerously high or low ranges.  When your blood sugar is even, you will know it because you feel like your body and your mind are humming along like the finely tuned machine they are. 

Remember that even if a food isn’t “sugar” when you eat it, like the obvious culprits candy, cookies, cake and the like, it can convert to sugar rapidly in the body.  Breads, cereals, potatoes, white rice and corn are examples. 

However, it doesn’t mean you have to live a carb free life to maintain clear skin. You can eat carbs, just make sure they are as whole as possible. Only consume WHOLE GRAIN carbs.  Never eat white pasta, white bread or other refined ones, always make sure they are whole.

Lean protein is best for maintaining stable blood sugar levels.  Try to stick to hormone free white meats like chicken, pork, and turkey. Fish is excellent for your skin because it contains omega 3 fats, which are in themselves a great blood sugar regulator.

I’ve often preached about how strongly diet is linked to acne.  While most dermatologists or traditional doctors will tell you that what you put in your mouth has less to do with acne than genetics or simply hormonal predispositions, that is downright misleading in my opinion.

You can actually control the way your skin looks by eating a terrific, healthy and wholesome diet that agrees with your body and also happens to keep your blood sugar, or your insulin levels, at their optimum range all day long.  Why then is your blood sugar connected to your skin’s appearance, and also to your likelihood of experiencing acne breakouts?

It all boild down to hormones, and your insulin levels actually dictate a lot more about your hormone levels than you might think.  The key is to keep your blood sugar levels in the lower range. When you eat foods that trigger large spikes in the high insulin level ranges, this is where the underlying problem starts and triggers a hormone release that causes excess levels of sebum, or oil, to produce on the skin.

When your blood sugar levels increase like this, it leads to a sort of chain reaction whereby there are more male hormones, or androgens, made by the body. Males and females both have androgens and estrogens (female hormones) in their body, and they can fluctuate greatly depending on diet and lifestyle factors.

When the androgens (male hormones) surge in the body because of this underlying blood sugar cause, the body is forced to produce more sebum, and this is what makes the skin break out, the pores clog, and acne lesions to appear on the surface of the skin.  Hormonal acne is really the only kind of acne, because this is where the root of the problem lies.

Excess sebum traps debris such as dirt on the face, and also traps bacteria, which leads to a small inflammatory response underneath the skin in the pores, which in turn causes the acne bump to appear. Whiteheads are the most obvious of these inflammations, but they can be much more serious and painful, such as when a boil or cyst forms under the skin and can sometimes take weeks to surface.

These small “infections” are all part of the chain reaction we just discussed, and they can be stopped by just addressing the diet up front. What kind of foods should you avoid to help lessen the likelihood of this chain reaction?

Next post, we will talk more about the blood sugar link to acne and how you can control it better and avoid hormonal triggers to acne.

I’m so excited. One of my favorite Christmas gifts I received was one of those single serve blenders that you use to make single servings of shakes or smoothies. They are a lot more convenient than making a smoothie in a large blender.

First, you don’t have that big blender to clean afterward, which is a nice relief because I hate dishes, and second, you get it all in one cup, so you don’t have to also use a separate cup and dirty that dish as well.  Nice!

But I digress on my love for the single serve blender.  Fruit smoothies are one of the healthiest, skin boosting cocktails you can make for yourself.

Fruits, such as darkly and brightly colored berries are chock full of antioxidants, which fight the free radicals in your system that kill healthy skin cells. A diet high in antioxidants is recommended if you want to achieve glowing, healthy, and ageless skin for as long as you possibly can, well into your advanced years.

Antioxidants are also a potent anti-acne ingredient because they help repair the skin damage that is done by acne, and they also help to clear acne from the inside.  Natural acne remedies such as Acnezine use the principle of heavy antioxidant use to fight acne.

Another ingredient that I love to add to my smoothies is ground flax meal.  Flax meal is high not only in digestive-healthy fiber, but it also is rich in another powerful skin healthy nutrient, omega 3 fatty acids.

Flax is a vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids.  These acids really boost the skin’s luminosity from the inside, and they help to regulate hormone and blood sugar activity, both of which are KEY to helping get clear skin.

Hormonal acne is a tricky thing to treat, and these fiber rich smoothies which also contain omega 3′s are very good at regulating the two things which impact it most, hormones and blood sugar. This is why diet is so important in maintaining clear skin – the food you eat quite literally is like a drug to regulate the various bodily processes that govern clear skin.

You can also add healthful powders to your smoothies which both help thicken the texture and make it more substantive and filling, and add a bevy of skin-clearing nutrients. There are a lot of good “greens” powders which basically powder strong antioxidants like broccoli, spirulina and chlorophyll, all excellent for detoxifying the tissues.