Tips For Battling Acne
Tuesday May 16, 2006
Reader Email: James wrote "I can't help agreeing with the reader who pointed out that dehydration seems to help acne. I've tried drinking lots of water and not noticed a beneficial effect. On the other hand, on rare occasions where I've been out and had a few pints of beer or cider I've often woken up with dry skin and dried out spots. A welcome side effect. Likewise, I find that washing my face with soap twice a day helps to dry the spots out. I'm not clear on whether adding moisturizer back to my face is a bad idea or not. I'm 30 now and have been battling on and off with acne since I was 16. We don't have strong sun in England so I can only advise keeping towels, pillow cases and bedsheets clean, keeping hair short, face free of facial hair, eating the best food you can get your hands on, relaxing, exercising, getting regular sleep and finding a decent concealer."
Reader Mail | Acne Resources
Affirmation of the Day
Comments
Actually, washing your face with plain soap and water, and trying to “dry out” your face is just about the worst thing that you can do to treat acne. One of the major causes of acne is oil clogging the pores (to put it simply). If you strip your face of it’s oil on a daily basis (which is what regular bar soap does due to it’s strong “bleach-like” detergents), you’re going to cause your skin to go into defense mode, and produce even more oil to compensate for what has been lost. So you’ll actually end up making your acne worse. If you’re looking for an over-the-counter product to use for treatment of acne, Salycilic Acid is your best bet. It’s a natural acid found in pumpkins, and it acts as an anti-inflamitory and anti-bacterial. Also, wash your face at least twice a day with a foaming (a gel base is best for oily skin) cleanser, because this will break up all the dead skin cells that build up and contribute to acne. Another great thing to do for acne is to exfoliate once a week. This will really loosen up that dead skin cell build up, and open up your pores so that the clog will come out. And one more thing… never TRY to dehydrate yourself! It’s estimated that over 70% of Americans are dehydrated on a daily basis and don’t even know it! Dehydration of this skin makes it more prone to sun damage, and that means premmature aging. I’m a licensed Aesthetician, and I just took a class at the International Dermal Institute. I learned that 90% of visible aging is due to sun damage! So protect yourself ladies! Hydrate yourself hourly, and wear at least a 20 SPF on any exposed skin (especially your face!) every day! I hope that helps!
Hi. I have been dealing with adult acne for a few years now and have found that my problem stems mainly from digestive issues. I have been taking digestive (plant) enzymes consistently for over a month and have seen a HUGE difference. Before this I had been eating very well (mostly organic foods) and had awful skin isses. You can eat very well but if your body doesn’t absorb the foods you eat, then you can’t benenfit from it. Try taking digestive enzymes before every meal for weeks to see if your skin improves.
Good luck! = )