Foods to Help Stay Acne Free

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Your mom and dad both had acne when they were your age. And most of your friends are starting to develop it, too. Acne is almost synonymous with being a teenager and, unfortunately, there is a good chance you’ll develop it, too. There are some steps, however, that you can take to try to reduce your chances of getting it, of lessening the severity if you do get it, and to try to increase your chances of staying acne free throughout your teen years!

One of the most important steps you can take is to look at the foods you eat. Some foods are known to cause or suspected of causing general inflammation in the body, one of the factors that contributes to both the start and the level of severity of teenage acne. You may have happily eaten many of these foods all your life until now and never had a problem with them. But as our bodies change, they can begin to cause reactions in our systems, triggering conditions like acne and other symptoms.

These foods include: red meat, hydrogenated fats, processed foods
with nitrites, fried foods, high-sugar content foods, some dairy, and polyunsaturated oils. Fried foods and foods with a heavy fat load are particularly suspect when it comes down to trying to pinpoint the causes of acne. They can contribute to your skin being oilier, which acne free foodcan clog your pores and cause trouble. They’re also hard to digest, causing your body to spend its energy just coping with the fried foods and fats, instead of keeping you healthy and acne free.

Foods that can help you stay acne free, or to control it if you do get it, include: fresh fruit and vegetables, foods high in omega-3 fats, yogurt, and lots of fresh water. Many food experts believe that starting your day with just fresh fruit is the healthiest thing anyone can do. It gives you a good nutritional boost and is easy on your digestion so you have more energy. Yogurt is another food that’s easy on your system and helps promote vibrant health. Non-fat yogurt gives you lots of calcium without any fat, and is an important part of your acne free diet.

Also, many experts now believe that a number of smaller meals throughout the day, anywhere from five to seven, is less stressful on your system and allows your body to work on keeping you well and fighting acne. Good food equals good skin!

Photo: Jeffrey Allen

Acne Free Advice and You

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Looking in the bathroom mirror this morning you noticed the first signs that may herald the onset of acne. You rushed to the computer and typed “acne free advice” into Google. And got back 857,000 results! It seems like everyone everywhere is giving advice on how to treat acne – teens like you, YouTube videos, doctors, product sites, herbalists, holistic practitioners, and even a few yogis and aromatherapists. And a number of these folks want you to buy something from them – pills, creams, capsules, books . . . a seemingly endless list. Many of these claim that their way is the only way to clear acne, and that other ways either don’t work or make it worse! How do you decide what to do?

The first thing to do is to look up acne on the numerous encyclopedic web resources. The more you learn, the better-informed your choices will be when researching all those product websites! These articles can be very detailed regarding the causes of acne, contributing factors, and things to do to try to stay acne free. You’ll get a good overview of the different types of acne that occur in teens and how diet and hygiene affect the cause and outcome of acne. You’ll learn which vitamin deficiencies may affect your chances of getting acne acne free 1and the latest thinking on the relationship between carbohydrates and acne.

You’ll also get a good overview of the basis of reputable treatments – and you’ll be reassured to see that many treatments are available that will help you stay acne free. Since cases of acne often arise from multiple causes (hormonal changes, bacterial infection, pore blockage, and inflammation), treatments which are successful often try to address several of the causative factors, and may involve using several different products.

A number of acne treatments require a prescription. Hormone treatments, topical antibiotics, and oral antibiotics all require a trip to your doctor. She may prescribe these herself, or recommend a dermatologist. However, there are many other options, including herbals, laser treatment, and photodynamic therapy, to learn about and choose from.

Once you’ve done your research and learned all about acne, its causes and treatments, you can go back to your original search and start reading about the various products available. Many companies offer multi-step systems to try to treat the different causes of acne in teens. Look for consumer product reviews to get a better idea of the effectiveness of these treatments. Make an informed decision, and you’ll be on your way to acne free skin!

Photo: PresleyJesus

You Thought You Were Acne Free . . .

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. . . and then you hit your forties!  For many women, their late thirties and forties see the return of a problem they thought they had left behind as teenagers: acne.  After decades of being acne free, they suddenly start seeing signs of it in their mirrors every morning.  At first it might seem like it’s just a pimple or two, but over time the evidence right there on your skin makes it clear that you really do have acne blemishing your previously clear complexion.

Acne often arises as women enter perimenopause, starting around age 35, and may continue through menopause.  It can feel disappointing, discouraging – and daunting.  Not to mention making you feel a little silly and shy, all over again!  Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to become acne free, even as your body is changing and adjusting to the new levels of hormones represented by its evolution toward menopause.

As a first step, you might try simply adjusting your diet to increase those foods which naturally assist your body in balancing its hormones.  If you search for foods which naturally contain substances which help balance and increase your hormone levels, you’ll find lists that go literally from A to Y.  Apples, beets, carrots, dairy, oats, peas, rice, soy, tomatoes, and yams are only some of the foods that you may find helpful in controlling or eliminating this new onslaught of acne.

The next step is to talk to your doctor.  You can have her check your current hormone levels to determine where on the continuum that is menopause your body is at this moment.  Some women choose to try natural or prescription hormone supplements in order to control the many symptoms of menopause.  These may also help your skin clear up, as well, but be sure you discuss with your doctor all the possible side-effects of prescription hormones.  Your doctor may also recommend medicated or non-medicated, natural or prescription, topical applications for your acne.

If you choose to try natural hormonal supplements, do some research online before speaking to your doctor about them.  There are a great many different supplements available, with many different approaches to the problems caused by menopause, including becoming acne free again!  Some of these have an herbal basis, for instance including black cohosh and other “women’s herbs.”  Others may include isoflavones, bio-identical estrogens, and other substances which may help.

Remember that everyone’s body reacts differently to different therapies.  Keep trying, and you’ll see your skin clear up again!