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By its very nature, skin of color is considered sensitive skin by dermatologists who regularly treat darker-skinned patients for a wide range of skin problems. Acne and rosacea can be especially problematic skin conditions for people with skin of color, as any skin irritation in these patients can cause pigmentation problems that can result in the lightening or darkening of the skin.

At the American Academy of Dermatology’s Summer Academy Meeting 2008 in Chicago, dermatologist Valerie D. Callender, MD, FAAD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., discussed the importance of early intervention in treating acne and rosacea in patients with skin of color.

“As we become a more diverse population with lots of different skin types and tones, we also are seeing an increase in skin concerns that, while not new, are affecting more and more people with darker skin,” said Dr. Callender. “Even skin conditions like acne and rosacea can create pigmentation problems in these patients, which can be very hard to treat. However, these problems can be improved by seeing a dermatologist who is trained to properly diagnose these conditions and to carefully consider a patient’s potential risk of skin irritation.” 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.

What is the best acne treatment?I get asked often what is the best acne treatment and as you have probably seen by many of my post good diet and correct methods of facial cleaning is all it takes for most people to treat their acne.

When I have looked at products in the past I have always tried to cut through the hype and the crap and concentrated on which products are going to work from the inside to cure acne. Creams and soaps and lotions are fine for basic, simple acne but you need to make some real changes in order to cure the tough acne problem that you are dealing with.

In the case of those that have struggled with acne for many years as I did though, there are two different products that I think both qualify as the best acne treatment. I have reviewed both Acne No More and Acnezine in the past but wanted to again bring these up to answer the question that I get asked so often: Read the rest of this entry »

Acne no more is an acne treatment

What is the best acne treatment on the market?While researching for my own acne articles I ran across an ebook that seems to have unanimous support from people that look at these things. Acne No More is the best acne treatment, or so it seems, an acne plan that seems to work. The reason that “Acne no more” seems to work is the fact that it looks at the base, underlying causes of acne instead of just treating the acne breakouts and scarring itself.

Enter Acne No More

There are many principles that Mike Walden looks at in the book Acne No More and the basis of the books system goes through the following principles:

1. It balances your hormones and prevents any future hormone irregularities.
This action alone will yield dramatic results on your acne and on your skin and hair condition in general.

2. It naturally and permanently gets rid of any blocks in your system. This will allow your main organs of elimination to handle hormonal irregularities more properly thus help prevent future breakouts.

3. It eradicates the internal organisms that contribute to this system blockage. In this way you regain more control over what the main causes of your acne.

4. It controls the environmental elements, as well as your own daily habits that cause hormonal imbalance and system blockage leading to acne formation.

5. It builds, fortifies and strengthens your natural internal mechanisms responsible for hormone regulations and blockage prevention.

6. It neutralizes the external factors that may lead to acne during and after the plan. It this way your skin will not only will it stay acne clear it will always look healthy, clean, and glowing.

7. It maintains the results you have achieved (acne free system) using a well structured maintenance plan.
Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some tips to make sure that you are eating, drinking and living right to have a fighting chance against your acne.

- Drink six glasses of water a day.
- Try to find organic produce.
- Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Boil you food and avoid fried foods.
- Eat fiber rich foods such as lentils and beans.
- Go light on the caffeine, only two cups of tea or coffee a day.
- Stay away from sodas they have too much sugar and caffeine.

If you still want to intake some extra diet supplements, here are some supplement suggestions.

- A good daily multi vitamin.
- Vitamin C.
- Antioxidants blend of A, C, E, zinc, selenium.
- A fatty acid supplement such as primrose oil or fish oil.
- lots of time released Vitamin B complex especially B5

In any case, it is always better to talk with a qualified nutritionist to help you with deciding what supplements you should take.

When cleaning your skin daily, you may have a routine that includes washing and moisturizing with the best natural products. Have a facial monthly. This will help keep your skin healthy and glowing. Your aesthetician will help you to identify your skin type and make recommendations about cleansers and moisturizers.

This facial routine should include an exfoliation once or twice a week, depending on your type of skin. And, if you suffer from acne as an adult you will still need to keep your skin moisturized. Make sure that you use an SPF on your skin everyday.

There are no miracle treatments for Acne problem, but having a good cleaning routine and a healthy lifestyle will help. And when you choose the best product to treat Acne, have in mind that no matter witch treatment you choose, you may wait at least 6 to 8 weeks to see results.

Interested in a proven method to rid you of your acne? Then visit the Acne no more site. Or another product is the herbal acne treatment called Acnezine.

In my teens and twenties I went through trying every thing I could to get rid of my acne. I used everything from Accutane to Tetracycline to Benzoyl Peroxide and this natural list brings back some memories. All of these things do work, although I have never tried the vinegar, and are a great addition to your daily skin regimen.

Acne suffers usually go out and spend good money on common over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is, most of these products are full of chemicals that can actually slow down the healing of acne, and irritate your skin, causing farther breakouts.

When an acne product has 20 ingredients listed on it, it can be hard to know if one of those ingredients is actually stopping you from having success. It can be even harder when you can’t pronounce the ingredient, much less know what it is and how it is going to affect your skin.

The very sick thing is that most popular acne treatments are not only much more expensive than common household items, but they also don’t always work as well either. With that in mind, I will list some basic household items that can work wonders on clearing up your skin.

Baking soda

- A very cheap cooking ingredient that most people have in their homes already, baking soda can be used as a great scrub. The purpose of a scrub is to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin that can eventually clog pores and lead to acne spots.

To start off, you’ll want to mix a small amount of baking soda with some water for form a paste. Baking soda is very effective as a scrub, so you want to be sure to be extra careful when applying it to your face. Gently massage the paste into your skin for ten to fifteen seconds. Then rinse the baking soda off, and pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Apple Cider Vinegar

- Though most people that use vinegar to treat acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, you can also use plain old regular vinegar. Regardless of which type you use, vinegar can be very helpful with it comes to clearing up acne. It can kill off acne causing bacteria, balance your skin’s pH, and absorb extra oil on your skin.
Read the rest of this entry »

Acne was a big issue for me growing up. When I was about 12 or 13 I got acne for the first time and it spread over the years from my face to my shoulders, back and chest. f there is anyone that can really feel for people with acne it would be me as I had all of the physical and mental problems that others with acne had.

I suffered from low self esteem, was shy and nervous around people, I had some scarring and the redness and white heads were bad as well. I tried to take car of my acne in my mid to late teens by taking care of my skin, washing my face twice or three times a day with an anti bacterial soap, used skin creams like Clearasil and took Tetracycline for many years in different dosages as well as Accutane. All of these treatments helped somewhat but none were a magic cure to my fight with acne

In my mid 20’s the acne just naturally went away for me. Now at 39 I occasionally get skin blemishes but not very often and I have not had any acne on my chest or back or shoulders for years now.

I would like to start a little guide here on what is working or not working for acne and hopefully some of the more recent acne discoveries will help people get away from the problems that I had in my late teens and twenties with acne.

Acne no more
Take a look at your acne problems and the good ways and bad ways of fighting the underlying reasons that you have acne in the first place. Acne no more is an ebook and is likely the best acne fighting book on the market. At $39.00 this is the best acne treatment and is a great investment in curing your acne and ultimately in helping you overall health at the same time. Check it out today and let me know if you think that this ebook is the best acne treatment!