The ancient Greek Physician, Hippocrates, once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Since he is not alive to ask, let’s just assume he was talking about acne.
All levity aside, the food you consume has a very strong impact on the condition of your acne and for many acne sufferers; their pimples may be a direct result of the food that they eat. The ingredients in the food could be the trigger factors that are causing the sebaceous glands to work in overdrive.
There is absolutely no doubt that just by changing your diet and going on a clean, wholesome diet, your acne problems will get better. Not only that but all other potential health issues such as obesity, yeast infections, unexplained rashes, fatigue, etc. will be prevented to a large extent.
Modern science has still not been able to link acne to the food that you eat. However, instead of waiting for scientific finding and medical conclusions, we should just exercise good ‘ol common sense.
Most of the commercially sold food these days contained additives, preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG), refined sugar, etc. Most of these ingredients are not good for the body at all. Yet, we blindly consume them with nary a thought for the havoc that they may wreak on our internal system.
It has been shown the MSG causes migraines. If it can do that, why wouldn’t the other detrimental additives affect you as far as acne is concerned?
They will affect you adversely by stimulating the sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum than necessary. The human body is a complex mechanism and different people react to foods differently. That’s what makes it so difficult to establish a connection between acne and the food you eat.
Someone who gorges himself on junk food may not have a single pimple but may be severely obese. Another person may be able to eat the same amount of junk food without gaining weight but have a face with enough pimples for a blind man to read their face.
The best way to see if the food you eat is affecting your acne will be to start a food journal and record down what food you are eating and see what are the effects. Eliminate foods that have caffeine in them because caffeine is a stimulant.
Avoid sugary foods and desserts that are high in refined sugars. Avoid white flour products such as white bread and pasta. Avoid fried foods, processed foods that are sold in boxes in the supermarket, foods with artificial flavors and preservatives and sodas.
Water is your best friend. You should not be drinking anything else other than water and lots of it. Skip the dairy products such as milk and cheese too.
Try not to get too much salt in your diet because the iodine in salt has been known to cause acne.
You’re probably thinking, “But if I avoid all these… what then do I eat?”
A good question. You will need to consume nutritious foods such as vegetables, eggs, meat, fruits, etc. We all know what the healthy foods are. We just don’t like eating them because they’re bland.
Get a good cookbook and learn to whip up tasty dishes. Go on a Mediterranean diet which has many mouth-watering dishes and is extremely healthy too. Avoid the commercially sold junk food and you will avoid the acne.
You may have heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. It’s true yet so few abide by it. This is a daily habit that should be done without fail. You can’t suddenly remember and eat all 7 apples on Saturday and expect to get the job done. It doesn’t work that way.
Nowadays, most people place more emphasis on taste over substance. The junk food, fast food, sugary desserts, mouth-watering chocolates, refreshing sodas, etc. have become a staple part of the daily diet.
Fruits and vegetables have taken a back seat and become an afterthought. This could be one reason why obesity has become an epidemic and society these days is sicker than it has ever been.
There have been more acne cases over the past decade than there have been for years before that. This is due to the poor food choices and high stress levels in life today.
One way to remedy the situation will be to make eating at least two servings of fruit a daily habit. This is especially beneficial if the fruits are red or orange in color. There is a plethora of benefits associated with the regular consumption of fruits.
Skin problems, constipation, health disorders, nutrient deficiencies, lack of energy, etc. can all be prevented just by eating the right fruits.
To start off, you can start eating apples. The saying may only recommend 1 apple a day but since you have acne, you may go ahead and eat 3 to 4 apples a day. Preferably one before each meal. Always consume your fruits before the meal and not after.
It is best to eat organic fruits because the pesticides used on non-organic fruits may be acne triggers depending on your constitution.
Apples are rich in ascorbic acid, bioflavonoids, fiber, pectin, quercetin, minerals, and vitamins. The pectin in the apple skin will also prevent constipation just like how apricots prevent constipation. Speaking of apricots, those are excellent for consumption too.
Let’s not forget bananas that have so many nutrients that you just cannot afford to leave it out of your diet. However, you shouldn’t consume more than one banana a day. Bananas keep bad bacteria in check and by doing this, toxic acids will not get to the skin and cause acne.
Blackberries and blueberries are also excellent fruits that acne sufferers should consume. Despite their small size, these berries are potent and cleanse the blood and prevent constipation. Blackberries also benefit your kidneys and promote good skin health. Blueberries have been shown to be effective against various skin disorders such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.
Other good fruits to consume will be cantaloupes, cherries, figs, grapefruits, grapes, mangoes, strawberries and pineapples. Do take note that you are supposed to be consuming fresh fruits and not the fruit juices sold in stores. Those are high in sugar, additives and will do more harm than good.
The fruits mentioned in this article are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They will cleanse the body, strengthen the immune system and make you skin healthy. Acne can be prevented to a large extent if your body is in balance and your immune system is strong.
Make fruits a part of your daily diet. Remember that every time you eat or drink, you’re either feeding disease or fighting it.
There is a saying, “You are what you eat.” This especially holds true when dealing with acne. One of the biggest culprits of acne is a poor diet. It indirectly causes a series of chain reactions within the body that causes acne breakouts.
Remember the old wives’ beliefs that oily foods cause pimples. To a certain extent this is true. Our diets these days are for most part, unhealthy. The use of hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, additives, etc. cause inflammation in the body.
This leads to the sebaceous glands working in overdrive and releasing too much sebum which in turn will end up clogging the follicles in the skin. Once that happens, the bacteria on the skin will infect the follicles and this will result in acne appearing on the skin.
The acne is just a symptom and is usually the final symptom in a long series of physiological processes. Therefore, since it is a symptom, we should address one of the root causes of it.
One of the best ways to do that will be to get sufficient essential fatty acids in your diet. These fatty acids will help to control the production of androgens which are the hormones that cause the sebaceous glands to secrete excess sebum.
The body requires 3 types of fatty acids. Omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9. When you are deficient in these fatty acids, you will be susceptible to a host of health problems such as bad skin, weak immune system, inflammation, lesions that won’t heal fast, excessive sebum production and larger sebaceous glands.
The best way to remedy this situation will be to consume the essential oils and fatty acids that the body needs. Our current diets are often too high in omega-6 and this throws off the balance of fatty acids in the body.
You should consume foods such as nuts, seeds, oily fish (salmon, sardines, albacore tuna), flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocados, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, mustard greens and kale are also fantastic sources of essential fatty acids. Popeye wasn’t lying when he said spinach is good for you.
Just by consuming 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil with your salads or soups will do wonders for your skin. Use extra virgin olive oil in your cooking and you will get more beneficial fatty acids in your system
It may seem like ensuring you consume your daily requirement of fatty acids is just too much effort. It is much easier to just grab the acne cream and slather your skin in it. It’s just as effective right?
It depends. Do you want to deal with acne your whole life? Or do you want to be done with the problem?
Using creams and medication only addresses the symptoms and not the root cause. It’s true that creams and medication are highly effective but they are only good at treating the condition. You must strive to eliminate the problem.
The only way to do this will be to fix the underlying issues such as your diet. The consumption of fatty acids will mitigate any issues in your body that are aggravating it and causing the excess sebum. Since you are targeting the root cause, you will also reduce and eliminate the symptoms gradually.
This is the best way to treat acne. Prevention is better than cure. A wholesome diet rich in fatty acids will be more beneficial than any acne cream in the long run.
Acne causes immense embarrassment to millions of people worldwide. They feel insecure, embarrassed, ugly, unworthy, stressed, etc. when they have acne. Those hardest hit are teenagers who hit puberty.
It can be extremely demoralizing to the teen that has severe acne breakouts while his peers seem just fine. He may even be the butt of many acne jokes in school and this will take a toll on his self esteem. Since acne affects both sexes, females go through the same thing too.
It’s worse for females because all women want to look beautiful and blemish-free. An acne ridden face is not going to be “desirable”. That’s what they believe and when they feel that they’re ugly because of the acne, they get withdrawn and depressed.
The teen years will have an impact on a person’s psyche and mold their character. There are many people who felt insecure in their teens due to acne and much later on in life, even when they are adults and the acne has long gone, they still have low self-esteem and feel “unworthy”.
Most doctors deal with the visual aspect of the problem. By prescribing creams and medications, one may alleviate the acne and cause the pimples to disappear with time. However, no medication can deal with the psychological issues.
If you’re feeling down in the dumps because of your acne, the first thing that you MUST understand is that stress is also a factor that causes acne. You may have notice that you have pimples when you are stressed out or you don’t get enough sleep due to too much work stress, etc.
Why?... Simple. Stress causes pimples.
If you’re upset and feeling sorry for yourself because of your acne, guess what? Your pimples are going to have pimples. You are not helping yourself. You absolutely must have a positive attitude.
Yes, you have pimples and yes they are embarrassing. But guess what? 85% of people will have acne at some point in their life. You are not the sole lucky winner of an acne jackpot. There are millions just like you dealing with the same acne issues.
Now that we have put things in perspective, your next step will be to see what you can do about the problem besides moping in a corner. You could start by washing your face twice daily with mild cleanser.
What? You do that already? Well done. Are you on a clean, healthy diet? You’re not?
Time to change and eat healthy, buddy. As long as you are taking steps to remedy the situation, you will not have time to be sad for yourself. There may be occasions when you’re feeling down, but this is normal. Pick yourself up and keep moving.
Don’t place too much emphasis on your looks which are fleeting at best. Develop an interesting personality. You may be surprised to learn that the actress, Cameron Diaz, has struggled with acne her whole life.
Yet, she is loved by millions. She makes millions and she has that millions dream of.
That in itself is testimony that acne is not the end of the world. Stay strong, stay positive and be proactive at addressing your acne issues. You can prevent and control acne effectively if you do what you need to do.
Acne affects over 85% of human beings. That basically means that almost everybody will have some form of acne at some point in their life. Acne mostly occurs during the adolescent years when puberty hits and the body is experiencing wild hormonal fluctuations.
For many people, acne becomes a thing of the past once they hit their adult years. However, there is a large group of people who experience acne throughout their lives. The occasional pimple or full blown breakouts are all acne related.
Despite the fact that acne is so prevalent, most people do not know much about it other than it is annoying, embarrassing and they need to reach for the pimple cream. This article will highlight some of the most important facts about acne that you should know.
• Acne is caused by clogged follicles in the skin that get infected by the bacteria on your skin. This happens when the sebaceous glands overproduce sebum which is the oily substance meant to keep your skin from drying out.
• There are a few types of acne. Comedonal acne which is the presence of comedones that are either opened or closed but there is no inflammation. Mild acne is when there are a few papulopustules. Moderate acne is a little more serious and there are comedones, pustules and inflammatory papules. When the nodules are larger than 5mm in diameter, scarring will occur. This is known as nodulocystic acne.
• The type of treatment will depend on the severity and the grade of the acne.
• There are procedural methods for dealing with acne. There are many commercial products on the market that are actually superficial peels which use either salicylic or glycolic acid. Other methods include steroid injections and manual extraction of comedones.
• There are oral medications that can be used to treat acne too. The type of pharmacotherapy prescribed will also be dependent on the severity of the acne.
• Stress, lack of sleep, a poor diet, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, etc. are all factors that indirectly cause acne.
• The best way to cure acne is to prevent it from occurring. While creams, antibiotics and other methods are highly effective for dealing with acne, they are just addressing the symptoms. Only when you address the root cause of the problem can you eliminate it completely.
• Hormonal therapies can be used to treat acne too. Estrogen may be prescribed to female patients to deal with acne.
• Washing and cleansing the affected areas twice daily with a mild cleanser will work wonders because the excess sebum and bacteria will be washed away. Hygiene is of paramount importance when treating acne.
Acne while problematic, is not life-threatening. The worst effect of acne is the embarrassment and mental anguish it causes sufferers. They feel like their looks are affected and they are less desirable.
The best course of action will be to maintain a positive outlook because stress just worsens the condition. Next, look at your life closely to see what is triggering your outbreaks. In most cases, there will be a trigger even if your acne is caused due to genetics.
There is always a trigger. Find it, deal with it and you will control your acne problem and even eliminate it.
