Acne Control
By: Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP, CH
Acne is the most common skin condition in the world. It affects every age group, gender, and ethnic group. Acne typically occurs when oil and dead skin cells plug up hair follicles. It can appear simply as a pimple or as a deep, ugly scar. Since there is no magical cure for acne, the good news is there are some things you can do (or avoid doing) that will lessen your chances of developing acne.
What To Do
Keep the skin clean. It's vital to keep your skin as clean as possible by using a gentle cleanser such as Hydra-Tone™ and rinsing with warm, purified water at least twice a day and especially right before going to sleep. Avoid harsh soaps or abrasive cleansers that may irritate your skin and in some cases bring acne on. Choose a natural cleansing product made especially for acne control to gently wash away the grime, cosmetics, dead skin cells, and other toxins that accumulate on your skin.
Drink up. Lots of purified water is crucial to the overall health of your body, and specifically to that of your skin as well. Try to drink at least eight glasses of purified water (not tap water) each day to stay hydrated, move nutrients through your system, and eliminate waste more efficiently.
Get your ZZZs. Sleep is just as critical to your physical health as it is to your mental health. The body, including the skin, heals and restores itself while you sleep. The body enters a damage control/maintenance phase during sleep. If you're not sleeping well, then you're depriving your body of this necessary recuperation period. The results may show up as acne or other skin troubles. 7-8 hours of sleep every night is ideal.
Watch Your Diet. What you eat has a huge impact on the health of your skin. Your body needs at least 40 essential nutritional building blocks every day in order to stay well. The bottom line is, if you don't eat well, your skin will suffer. Use the "rainbow guide" to help you choose a variety of foods that are rich in nutrients:
Red: red peppers, apples, raspberries
Orange: oranges, cantaloupe
Yellow: corn, yellow peppers, squash, pineapple, lemons, and bananas
Green: green peppers, peas, green beans, spinach, broccoli, pears, limes
Blue: blueberries
Purple: grapes, eggplant
Chill out. Ice can help severe acne by reducing pain, swelling, and irritation. Try using an ice pack for about five minutes several times a day.
Use protection. Most people with acne have very sensitive skin and are easily susceptible to sun damage. Stay out of the sun during peak times (10AM to 3PM), and always use a natural sunscreen like UV Natural with a minimum SPF of 15. What Not To Do Pick at blemishes. Rule #1 for acne control: NEVER PICK OR SQUEEZE acne blemishes.
Scrub the skin. Your skin is very fragile. Roughly scrubbing it or using harsh soaps will aggravate the tissues. In fact, when the skin is irritated, it tends to produce more oil. This will actually worsen acne rather than help it.
Sunbathe. Don't fall for the myth that a sunbathing marathon will dry out your acne. Sun exposure may aggravate the skin further, and chances are it will make acne worse. Spending 30 minutes in the sun every day before 10:00 AM or after 3:00 PM will help with Vitamin D production which is important for clear skin.
Factors That You Can't Control
Certain factors related to acne are simply out of your control. Examples include:
Heredity: For reasons that are not yet fully understood, severe acne tends to run in families. If your parents struggled with acne, your own risk for it is increased. However, this can be controlled using the suggestions above.
Gender: Males have a slightly higher incidence of acne than females.
Puberty: The hormonal changes associated with the teen years result in more oil production in your skin. This can be a risk factor for acne.
Menstruation: The hormone levels in a woman's body fluctuate during her monthly cycle. This can also affect skin oil production, and thus acne too.
About the Author
Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP, CH is a Doctor of Naturopath, Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner and Clinical Herbalist in Houston, TX and Founder / CEO of Oasis Advanced Wellness. Under her leadership, OAW is known and respected as one of the leading companies in providing safe, clean and hi-tech natural health and wellness solutions for whole body wellness. Because of the need for high-end natural and organic skin care products, Dr. Lanphier has developed Lanique Botanicals, an all-natural skin care line which promotes natural health and anti-aging solutions for the skin. All Lanique Botanicals and OAW developed products are free of toxic ingredients, heavy metals, irradiation, excipients and preservatives and are certified organic, organic, wild crafted or of the highest purity and quality that we can obtain while still providing the utmost degree of active ingredients. All product batches are laboratory tested to ensure that you are getting exactly what the label states. We will never knowingly compromise health in order to provide a cheaper product or to get a product out quickly. Lanphier is Editor and contributor to the worldwide Free E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness. Please visit us at Oasis Advanced Wellness, the PMS-Progesterone-Menopause Resource Center, the Acne Resource Center, the Glyconutrient Resource Center, the Allergy-Asthma-Sinus Relief Resource Center and www.oasisserene.com
