Posts Tagged “acne”

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When we think back to our teenage years, we can all agree that at some point and time, we all had to deal with acne. Over the years, new products such as Proactiv Solution, Clean & Clear and Neutrogena have advanced the fight against problem skin.

Of course as I have mentioned before I hate Clean and Clear and in my mind Proactiv is not a very clean product and finally Neutrogena, is good if you use their cleanest product.

According to Proactiv.com, the product “treats acne safely and effectively by attacking it at the source, where a build-up of dead skin cells and bacteria clogs your pores.” Their three-step system includes the Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner, and Repairing Lotion. If purchased from an infomercial, the trial offer includes the cleanser, toner and lotion, along with a Refining Mask, for emergency spot treatment. The trial offer of a 30-day supply costs $19.99. Afterward, the regular price of the three-step system is $39.95. Read the rest of this entry »

Posh Spice also known by her real name, Victoria Beckham, tries her best to keep her skin clear and I am apt to think that this story is wrong but…It is just to ugly an idea not to print.

Bird droppings!

If you thought the whole gloves-and-socks-in-bed thing was weird, wait till you hear Victoria Beckham’s latest beauty fix.

The former Spice Girl reportedly has bird poo facials.

Lovely!

Posh regularly treats herself to £100 Geisha Facials, which use a paste made from nightingale droppings, in a bid to combat acne she has suffered since her teens.

‘When Victoria was in Japan recently she was admiring the local women’s clear skin and discovered to these facials,’ reveals a pal to Closer magazine.

‘She was intrigued and when she got back to the US she found that some New York beauty salons now offer the treatment.  She tried it and loved how great her skin looked. She also uses a cream derived from nightingale poo at home.’

Read the full story in Closer magazine, on sale tomorrow

A rehashed story gets legs again. I remember years ago when I took Accutane, actually I took it twice, I did have some of the side effects of depression. As most people that take Accutane are teenagers with hormonal issues already this can be expected. The thing that is most important for any parent or loved one to watch for signs of depression in people taking Accutane.

Anyway this is a true side effect that was reported originally back in the 80’s.

Canadian scientists believe that taking Accutane, the most commonly used acne drug, is associated with a higher risk of depression.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, isotretinoin, the active ingredient of Accutane, doubles the risk of depression.

CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre scientists say while depression is a rare side effect of isotretinoin therapy, close monitoring of isotretinoin users is necessary due to the serious consequences of depression.

They concluded that psychiatric assessments of patients prior to and during isotretinoin therapy are crucial. Read the rest of this entry »

Acne does affect proportionally more teenagers than those in other age groups. But the fact is it can affect anyone, of any race, at any age. Combating it requires much the same treatment for anyone (other than infants).

Knowledge is the first weapon. In order to know how best to treat acne, it’s essential to know what type one has. A professional diagnosis can be helped immensely when the patient takes careful notes about his or her condition. When it started, the type of blemishes and any treatments already tried are big aids to a correct diagnosis.

Knowledge also helps avoid many of the downsides associated with the disease. There are numerous myths surrounding the causes and treatments of acne. There are good reasons to avoid excess chocolate consumption and drinking too many soft drinks. Avoiding acne is not among them. Nor will a good suntan get rid of it. Read the rest of this entry »

In very mild forms of acne, little diagnosis is required. Most people who reach their teens will readily recognize the small blackheads or white pimples surrounded by a reddened area that constitute mild acne.

But more severe forms, where nodules or cysts form, where papule or pustules have spread around the face, shoulders and chest often call for a visit to the dermatologist. These skin professionals will obtain a complete history and carefully examine the affected areas. They’ll note the color, number and size of outbreaks.

Whiteheads and Cysts

The acne may consist of a field of small, white bumps called whiteheads. These will often disappear on their own. Blackheads form when the material reaches the surface, where it combines with air to form the characteristic dark color. These two are called, respectively, closed or open comedones. A good antibacterial cleanser and time may be all that’s needed.

In the more severe cases, where nodules or cysts form, the patient may have other symptoms we don’t commonly associate with acne, such as fever and aching joints, or even headaches and GI (gastrointestinal) distress. These indicate more serious types of acne, calling for more specialized treatments, such as prescription drugs or lasers.

When symptoms appeared, and in what order, is important. Typically, only the patient can provide that information. It’s useful to keep track by keeping a log. Note what type of lesion occurred before the appearance of any pustules and when. Read the rest of this entry »

Women have different issues with acne and different causes than men. Here is ome infomration to help you isolate, as a woman, what is causing your acne

Acne results when the skin’s oil glands make too much of an oily substance called sebum. This can plug pores, triggering bacterial growth and skin lesions that we commonly call pimples.

Among women, a variety of factors can prompt an outbreak of acne. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers this list of possible triggers:

• Hormonal changes during puberty, or during the menstrual cycle.
• Changes in hormone levels caused by starting or stopping the birth control pill, or menopause.
• Some medications, including those that treat epilepsy and depression.
• Wearing makeup.
• Pressure or rubbing against the skin, such as from a hat or helmet.
• A family history of acne.

As long as you wash your face and body, exercise will not cause acne. A british study seems to show that people do not know this and are actually avoiding exercise to try and stop themselves from getting acne.

A British study found adults, some middle-aged, are so anxious about acne, they are less likely to exercise or play sports.

Researchers at the University of Bath said dermatological social anxiety is often overlooked in studies on motivation for sports and exercise. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow another TV interview. Chris Gibson is on a tear lately and it seems that there are lots of people that are seeing just how good the Acne Free in 3
Days program is.

Chris Gibson, author of “Acne Free in 3 Days” had acne for almost 13 years. He cured it by using all-natural products, rather than prescriptions, he said.

Thursday morning he was a guest on KOLD News 13 This Morning to talk about what worked for him.

Basically, he said he did a fruit cleanse.

Now he advocates following this plan for three days to get rid of acne:

(Eat only these items- details are in his book) Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the most commonly used chemical peels for acne treatment produced similar results in a small clinical study, but one led to more durable improvement and caused fewer side effects than the other.

Both salicylic acid and glycolic acid produced similar statistically significant (P<0.05) improvement after two treatments, Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., of St. Louis University, and colleagues reported in the February issue of Dermatologic Surgery.

But at two months of follow-up, there was more sustained improvement with the salicylic acid peel. Also, patients reported more adverse effects after the first treatment with glycolic acid.

“We expected to see a significant difference in effectiveness between the two peels owing to their different lipophilic properties, but out study did not prove this supposition,” the authors said. “Efficacy of chemical peels beyond a few weeks post-treatment is not well documented in the literature, but our study found that patients demonstrated significant sustained clinical improvement on the salicylic acid peel-treated side [of the face] at two months post-treatment.”

Inducing partial-thickness skin injury, superficial chemical peels are frequent adjuncts to treatment of facial acne vulgaris. Glycolic acid, a hydrophilic a-hydroxy acid, causes desquamation that reduces corneocyte cohesion and keratinocyte plugging, enabling extrusion of inflammatory contents. Salicylic acid, a lipophilic ß-hydroxy acid, also reduces corneocyte cohesion and works well on sebaceous areas of the face, the authors said.

To address a lack of comparative data, Dr. Glaser and colleagues studied 20 patients ages 13 to 38. The patients had mild or moderately severe facial acne, averaging 27 lesions at enrollment.

In accordance with the split-face, double-blind, randomized design, one half of each patient’s face was treated with glycolic acid and the contralateral side was treated with salicylic acid. The agents were applied every two weeks for a total of six treatments.

By the second treatment visit, both chemical peels had demonstrated similar and statistically significant decreases in acne lesions. The reduction in acne lesions continued through the first month of follow-up, averaging 43% with glycolic acid and 47% with salicylic acid (P<0.05). Blinded assessment revealed good or fair improvement on both sides of the face in 19 of 20 patients.

At the two-month follow-up, blinded evaluation demonstrated 75% improvement on the glycolic acid-treated side of the face and 81% on the side treated with salicylic acid. However, patients had developed more new acne lesions on the side of the face treated with glycolic acid. In contrast, the lesion number continued to decrease on the side of the face treated with salicylic acid (P<0.01 versus baseline).

Patient self-assessment showed that 41% of the study group thought the glycolic acid peel had led to more improvement compared with 35% of the salicylic acid side of the face. The remaining patients thought both peels worked equally well or that neither side of the face had improved (12% each). Additionally, 53% of the patients though the glycolic acid side “looked the best,” compared with 47% for salicylic acid peel.

The two types of chemical peels were associated with a similar number of adverse events, occurring most frequently during the first two treatments and then declining thereafter. The most commonly reported adverse events were peeling, redness, and scaling. Patients reported more adverse events on the glycolic acid side of the face after the first treatment but the difference was not significant from treatment with salicylic acid.

“The different lipophilic properties of the peels did not appear to impact their clinical effectiveness,” the authors concluded. “Our findings suggest that either a- or ß-hydroxy acid peel may be effectively used to treat mild or moderately severe facial acne vulgaris.”

There are a few supplements that will help your acne. I found the following list at PR-USA.

The smart first step to any new diet is identifying the habits of one’s current routine that are not healthy, and the same is true of a skincare diet. This includes over-consumption of coffee, diet soda, and processed foods, or not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Believe it or not, a diet consisting mainly of processed foods is as bad for the skin as it is for the health. In order for the skin to function optimally, it is important to consume foods rich in vitamins, minerals and botanical ingredients.

Vitamin A for Acne Treatment

Vitamin A, a potent free-radical scavenger, helps the skin heal from wounds, and in the manufacture of new skin tissue. In addition, Vitamin A helps the skin fight blemishes and breakouts, and has been shown to slow the aging process. Necessary for the formation of bones and teeth, Vitamin A is an extremely important part of any skincare diet and can be found in: green and yellow fruits and vegetables, squash, beets, peaches, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, asparagus and apricots. Deficiencies in Vitamin A can lead to dry skin or hair, acne, night blindness and possibly even respiratory infections.

Vitamin C for acne treatment

The next vitamin, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), is probably one of the most well known vitamins, universally acknowledged as critical to good health and well being. Involved in at least 300 metabolic functions, Vitamin C is a potent anti-oxidant, helps repair and grow tissue, protects against the harmful effects of pollution, boosts the immune system, assists in healing wounds and burns, and may even help to lower blood pressure and LDL (or bad) cholesterol. However, the body cannot produce Vitamin C, making supplementation of this substance through the diet necessary. Luckily, there are dozens of tasty foods that contain Vitamin C, including the most obvious: citrus fruit. Vitamin C may also be found in: broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, pineapple, radishes, avocado, beets, berries, green vegetables, spinach and freshly squeezed orange juice.

CoEnzymeQ10 for acne treatment

CoEnzymeQ10 is a vitamin-like substance sometimes called ubiquinone because it is present in every cell of the body. Reputed to be more potent than Vitamin E, CoQ10 is an extremely powerful scavenger of free-radicals, and is necessary for the production of energy in all cells-skin included. CoQ10 also assists circulation, increases tissue oxygenation and has promising anti-aging effects. Because production of this substance slows down with age, supplementation is suggested by eating peanuts, spinach, beef and especially oily fish such as salmon, which has the highest natural amounts of CoQ10.