Preventing Acne

Surefire ways to prevent and treat acne.

Preventing Acne – (1) Skin Care

Our skin faces all types of pollutants, micro-organism attacks, and weather changes to protect our body tissue. This is at the cost of its own health. It is de rigueur to take daily care of our skin in order to avoid any skin disorders. For people suffering from acne, a skin care regimen becomes even more important as lack of cleansing and hygiene might lead to an outbreak in already infected skin. The infected skin needs special handling as it becomes sensitive to cosmetics, dietary habits, and psychological factors like stress.

Preventing Acne – Nutrient Intake

Although skin care is important to maintain healthy skin, if you do not pay attention to the internal processes for healthy skin, then no amount of outer care will make your skin clear. A poor diet, bad digestive function, liver malfunction, excessive sun exposure, and smoking are some of the reasons behind skin eruptions. Thankfully, there are a number of nutrients found in everyday foods that are known to promote a healthy body and therefore healthy skin. These are:

Vitamin A: Naturally occurring Vitamin A, or retinol, is found in fish oils, liver and dairy products. The Vitamin A produced by plants is known as Beta-carotene, and is found in yellow/orange fruits and vegetable such as carrots, yams, apricots and cantaloupe, as well as green vegetables like parsley, kale and spinach. Extremely high doses of Vitamin A are toxic, so don't overdo it. 

Vitamin B-2: Stress has been known to aggravate existing cases of acne, and Vitamin B-2 is often helpful alleviating stress. Try whole grains, fish, milk, eggs, meat and leafy green vegetables. 

Vitamin B-3: Try peanuts, eggs, avocados, liver and lean meats, Vitamin B-3 improves circulation, promoting healthy skin. It also reduces the cholesterol level in the blood and helps you metabolize protein, sugar & fat - increasing your energy through proper utilization of food. 

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is found in almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, broccoli, wheat germ and vegetable oils. A powerful antioxidant, it protects your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of the body’s metabolism. 

Zinc: Even in trace amounts, the antioxidant zinc is known to boost the immune system, improving overall health - which of course is reflected in the skin. Try eggs, whole grains, nuts and mushrooms.

Apart from your diet, exercising regularly can help reduce stress and it also increases blood circulation and oxygen penetration to the skin, which may help to prevent acne.

Remember to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to help "detoxify" the body from the inside out.

Treatment

The purpose of Acne treatment is to heal existing lesions, stop new lesions from forming, prevent scarring, and minimize the psychological stress and embarrassment caused by this disease. Drug treatment is aimed at reducing several problems that play a part in causing acne. Depending on the extent of the person's acne, the doctor will recommend one of several over the counter (OTC) medicines or prescription medicines that are topical (applied to the skin) or systemic (taken by mouth). The dermatologist (skin doctor) may suggest using more than one topical medicine or combining oral and topical medicines.

The treatment of acne depends on the type of pimples, their severity and response to other earlier treatments. Remember to consult a dermatologist for professional advise. General principles of acne treatment:

Mild acne - Benzoyl peroxide, Azelaic acid, Topical Retinoids

Moderate acne - Antibiotics, Hormonal treatment 

Severe acne - Isotretinoin 

Acupuncture - Of all the alternative therapies, acupuncture has been shown in controlled scientific studies to be most effective in helping to treat hormonal disturbances. Acupuncture has, of course, traditionally been successfully employed in China to treat most illnesses but in recent years, there have been several interesting controlled scientific studies demonstrating the clinical value of acupuncture for acne sufferers. 

Traditional acupuncturists treat the whole person rather than a disease and therefore attempt to get to the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms and, like other holistic practitioners, will consider all lifestyle and environmental factors before commencing treatment. 

Cosmetics

For acne patients, it is very important to pay attention to what kind of cosmetics they buy and use. Most of the cosmetics have chemicals which may produce pimples or comedones. If you have acne then you should look for cosmetics which are labeled as being non-comedogenic. All the cosmetics you use should be oil free. Even oily hair products might spread acne to the forehead. 

In conclusion

Some say that it is an advantage to suffer from acne when you are younger, and have a clear complexion later in life. Compare it to having a clear skin earlier, and have dryness and wrinkles as you grow older. Few people will remember or even know how you looked when you were 15 or thereabouts. 

Though it is difficult to measure the impact of this malady, remember that now we know more about the treatment of acne than ever before. There is a wide range of acne treatments available, and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find a regimen that works. Just for you.