Treating Acne With Good Nutrition

Most of us have suffered from acne at one time or another beginning in early puberty. Its medical name is "acne vulgaris" and indeed, many of us feel that it is absolutely vulgar.

For some, it is severe enough to require medical intervention by a dermatologist. For most people, though, acne is a relatively mild condition that can be controlled with a healthy diet, as well as basic good hygiene practices and keeping your face clean.

Most teenagers suffering from acne will find that limiting certain foods, or completely illiminating them from their diet, will help a lot in getting rid of acn

Sugar and other refined carbohydrates

Experts suggest avoiding refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, and especially sugar. This includes high amounts of fruit juices, although whole fruits should be consumed.

Sugared sodas especially should be avoided. These are often overlooked as major sources of sugar, since they are drunk rather than eaten.

For a natural non-caloric sugar substitute that has no aftertaste, try stevia liquid, available at most health food stores or online. It is purported to be 600 times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a very long way.

Switch from white flour and refined foods such as white rice to whole wheat breads and brown rice. Make sure to read labels and look for the words "100% whole wheat" or "100% whole grain." Carbohydrate foods low on the glycemic index are best to control acne breakouts, so foods such as white potatoes should also be avoided.

High amounts of fats, including "good" fats

There's a lot of talk these days on "good" versus "bad" fats. Indeed, "good" fats such as polyunsaturated and unsaturated oils like canola or olive oil, the fruit of the avocado and nuts are "good" for you in small amounts, while hydrogenated oils and trans fats should be avoided altogether. But if you have acne, you should be especially careful to limit your fat intake, even good fat intake.

Dietary fat from any source can increase the sebum production of the skin, leading to acne breakouts. Peanuts and peanut butter especially should be avoided or greatly curtailed. However, fish oil supplements or eating fish a few times a week will help acne breakouts, as these are beneficial to skin health.

Dairy products

Unfortunately, that bowl of ice cream you enjoy as a snack every night not only probably has sugar in it, an acne no-no, but dairy also contains hormones such as progesterone, which can lead to acne breakouts, as can the iodine in dairy.

It has been shown that the fat content of the dairy does not seem to effect its promotion of acne breakouts, so substituting skim products for full-fat products will not help. Using soymilk instead of regular milk and other soy products such as cheese will help control breakouts.

Incidentally, it's unclear whether chocolate itself, commonly thought of as an acne trigger, actually causes acne. However, most chocolate consumed also contains high amounts of refined sugar, which is an acne trigger.

Reducing or eliminating the foods noted above, along with good hygiene, will greatly reduce or even eliminate acne breakouts, along with other good habits such as ample consumption of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water and getting enough exercise. Bon appétit!

By: Carol Stack

Carol Stack has written numerous articles on health and related subjects. She lives in the United States with her husband, three children, and various dogs and cats. Carol and her sister Barbara have combined forces to produce a website that focuses on healthy and nutritious foods and recipes. You can visit it at: http://www.healthyrecipesandmore.com

Highlights From The Acne-Ltd Website

This review is intended to highlight key points from all the Acne-Ltd III web pages.

1. Acne is a condition of the sebaceous glands of the skin. These sebaceous glands surround each hair follicle and produce sebum, an oily substance, to lubricate the hair. Acne usually appears on the face, back and chest. We list the causes of Acne.

2. Acne can be aggravated by sunlight, stress, allergies, alcohol, spicy foods and extremes in temperatures.

3. Retinoids at first dry and exfoliate the skin to minimize acne symptoms, but over time they may destroy the skin and cause severe disfigurement: "a flaming red, scaling, papule-covered face". AHA, BHA, and Accutane are examples of retinoids.

4. The use of antibiotics eventually leads to the development of resistant bacteria.)

5. Stress aggravates acne and rosacea.

6. Cigarette smoking aggravates acne and rosacea.

7. Alcohol provokes acne-related facial flushing (redness) because it dehydrates the body.

8. Lifestyle changes and healthy habits can greatly reduce the redness, pimples, and other symptoms of acne. Recommended lifestyle changes:

Reduce stress.
Drink at least 8 eight-ounce glasses of water (2 liters) per day. Ten to twelve glasses (3 liters) per day is recommended.Water should be icy cold. The hypothalamus, the body's "thermostat", cannot properly regulate temperature (and prevent facial flushing) unless kept cool and supplied with adequate water. Water also hydrates the skin, preventing clogged pores. Increasing your water intake will also help to reduce facial redness and excess oil.
Avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, tobacco products and excessive sugar.
Avoid alcohol.
Avoid vigorous scrubbing, exfoliants, and other abrasives.
Use the right soap. Most soaps are too harsh for acne-afflicted skin.
Recognize and avoid foods and beverages which provoke an acne-related allergic reaction.
Avoid large meals; eat instead three small meals.
Exercise.
Avoid astringents and astringent soaps.
Change wash-cloths and body towels after each use.
Avoid the sun as much as possible. Sun exposure aggravates acne.

9. Acne-Ltd is simple and easy to use.

10. Acne-Ltd has no known side effects.

11. You can be confident that you run no risk in buying Acne-Ltd.

12. Acne-Ltd effectively improves the appearance of skin affected by acne-related pimples, papules, pustules and facial redness.