| If you have severe cystic acne or acne that | | | | than acne! |
| occurs as a complication of psoriasis, the best | | | | Secret Acne Treatment #4. Add some fat to |
| place to find acne treatments that work is | | | | your diet. |
| probably your dermatologist's office. But if you | | | | Did you know that eating chocolate or French |
| are among the 99 per cent of acne sufferers | | | | fries or other fatty foods isn't exactly what |
| who have other forms of the disease, the | | | | causes acne? Although there are plenty of |
| effective acne treatments are things you can do | | | | reasons you should not indulge in a regular diet of |
| at home. Here are the seven best. | | | | French fries, Kentucky fried chicken, and |
| Secret Acne Treatment #1. Wash less. | | | | chocolate fudge sundaes, these foods do not |
| As hard as it may be to believe, most people | | | | trigger acne flares. |
| who have acne wash their skin too much and | | | | The problem that aggravates acne is inflammation. |
| wash their skin in the wrong way. Acne is not a | | | | The hormones that cause inflammation get out of |
| disease that is caused by too much oil in the skin. | | | | control when (1) the diet contains too much sugar |
| It is a disease caused by too many bacteria that | | | | and (2) the n-6 fatty acids (the fat you get from |
| survive by feeding on that oil getting trapped in | | | | French fries, also the fat in just about any kind of |
| pores. Washing does not solve the underlying | | | | processed food) exceed the n-3 fatty acids (the |
| problem. It relieves the symptoms. | | | | kinds of fat you get in olive oil, almond oil, |
| Too much washing can remove so much oil that | | | | cold-water fish, and, yes, cocoa). Your body |
| the skin gets tight. That means the pores that | | | | needs both kinds of fatty acid. Problems arise |
| are still filled with old oil, acne bacteria, and pus | | | | when there is too much sugar in the diet and an |
| cannot open and heal. Washing with hot water | | | | imbalance of the fats. The solution is either to |
| dries out the skin. That is not a good thing. Dry | | | | take that shot glass of cod liver oil every |
| skin flakes. The flakes can seal pores, trapping | | | | morning, or to take a fish oil supplement, or at |
| acne bacteria in skin. And rubbing your face with a | | | | least to reduce processed foods and increase |
| towel is not good for acne-affected skin, either. | | | | your intake of nuts (yes, nuts), seeds, and olive |
| Rubbing the skin can lodge flakes of skin over | | | | oil. A little bit, however, is enough. You don't need |
| pores, trapping the bacteria inside, creating new | | | | to get the equivalent of more than about 100 |
| whiteheads and blackheads. Pat your skin dry. | | | | calories a day in healthy fats. And that leads us to |
| Don't rub. | | | | the next acne secret, |
| Secret Acne Treatment #2. Use vitamin A in you, | | | | Secret Acne Treatment # 5. Cut out the sugar. |
| not on you. | | | | White sugar isn't poisonous, but it's also not a |
| The mainstays of medical treatment for acne are | | | | food our bodies need. When we consume too |
| two relatively toxic compounds that are basically | | | | much sugar our bodies make an excess of |
| supercharged formulations of vitamin A, Accutane | | | | inflammatory hormones. Just how much is too |
| and Retin-A. These treatments are absolutely | | | | much is a subject for debate, but for sure |
| wonderful if you have cystic acne, but their | | | | anything more than about 100 calories a day, or |
| benefits come at a considerable cost. The vitamin | | | | the equivalent of a can, not bottle, of soda, is too |
| A analogs in the medications make skin cells | | | | much. No sugar at all is best. If you are diabetic, |
| "differentiate" into their mature forms as part of | | | | you will observe dramatic changes in acne for the |
| the healing process. They can also cause cells to | | | | better when you get blood sugars under control. |
| differentiate into the wrong form at the wrong | | | | Secret Acne Treatment #6. Drink more water. |
| time, so Accutane and Retin-A absolutely cannot | | | | There is scientific evidence that drinking water |
| be taken by any woman who might become | | | | helps hydrate the skin. Why hydrate? When there |
| pregnant, and they can even cause, ironically, skin | | | | is fluid in the skin keeps it plump and supple. Soft, |
| inflammation in everybody else. | | | | supple skin lets pores open up and stay open. The |
| That is why it is better to eat your vitamin A and | | | | scientific evidence is that the absolute, rock |
| let your body release just the right amount to | | | | bottom minimum amount of water you should |
| your skin. You can get your vitamin A straight, | | | | drink every day is about 5 cups (1.2 L) rather |
| from a food you don't see very often outside of | | | | than the more commonly recommended 8 |
| Norway, cod liver oil (available in cherry and | | | | glasses, but if you get 8 full glasses of water |
| strawberry flavors, drunk from a shot glass), or | | | | every day, you will certainly get enough water to |
| you can eat vegetables and fruits that have lots | | | | help keep your skin supple and pores open. |
| of beta-carotene. Your body transforms the | | | | And finally, here's an acne secret most of us |
| beta-carotene into vitamin A in the amounts your | | | | overlook. |
| skin needs. But if you have really severe acne, | | | | Secret Acne Treatment #7. Get enough sun, but |
| Accutane and Retin-A are a better choice. | | | | not too much. |
| Secret Acne Treatment #3. Consider tea tree oil. | | | | There used be an idea that people with acne |
| If you have acne, you have probably heard of a | | | | should lie around in the sun to "dry" out the skin. |
| chemical called benzoyl peroxide. Don't let people | | | | Drying out the skin is destructive. You don't need |
| tell you it doesn't work at all. It does. It really | | | | to dry the skin. You need to hydrate it! |
| does kill the acne bacterium Propionibacterium | | | | Getting at least 20 minutes of sun every day, |
| acnes. The problem is, it doesn't kill staph bacteria, | | | | however, helps your skin make vitamin D. |
| too. That is what makes tea tree oil a superior | | | | Interestingly, vitamin D fights skin cancer in |
| choice. Tea tree oil in acne serums and acne | | | | addition to reducing inflammation. A little bit of sun |
| soaps not only kills Propionibacterium acnes every | | | | every day helps keep your skin clearer and |
| bit as well as benzoyl peroxide, it also keeps the | | | | cancer-free. Just be sure your sunblock is not |
| nasty staph bacteria in check so you don't wind | | | | oil-based. |
| up with a skin condition that can be even worse | | | | |