Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Acne advice: my top 3 tips


In a previous post I shared my experience with a few topical medications for acne, today I will share a few things that helped improve my troubled skin. It is very difficult indeed to deal with the emotional effects of having acne, as I passed thru the same process. I know you might feel desperate, because I know I did in one point of my life due to my severe acne, that's why today I will share with you my top 3 acne tips that made a difference in my life. 

After reading in a health book that a daily intake of Zinc helps heal acne, I decided to give it a try. I bought a store brand supplement bottle of Zinc which came in the form of 50 mg capsules. I followed the instructions on the bottle which said to take one daily Zinc capsule after each meal. After a week and a half of taking the Zinc supplement, I had visibly less breakouts and some in the process of healing. After two weeks my breakouts had stopped emerging, I was incredibly pleased and happy. I continued taking the Zinc supplement. You might be asking yourself how can Zinc help heal acne? heres an explanation:

free image courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.net

Zinc is an element needed in order for the body to function properly, as it speeds up the healing process which I consider to be helpful in the healing of blemished skin. Zinc is also considered to help achieve clearer skin, for those suffering with acne or those who have rosacea. In a study conducted in 2006 rosacea patients were given 100 mg of Zinc sulfate to be taken three times a daily, the results patients showed were a 75% reduction in rosacea symptoms such as redness. It is considered that a combination of both topically applied Zinc and the antibiotic erythromycin can help reduce acne. The recommended daily dosage intake is 8-15 mg. (source:Skin benefits of Zinc )

 The weekly usage of Mint Julep mask. After endless trips to the drugstore, each time buying what I thought would heal my acne, I stumbled across Queen Helens Mint Julep Masque. I was intrigued by the Mint Julep Masque as it was one of the few products I had yet to try. The use of the Mint Julep Masque dried out my pimples, and made the healing process much shorter than usual. I noticed this masque also helped clean out my pores. I used this masque about twice a week and was amazed with the results.

One of the ingredients this Mint julep mask contains is Phenoxyethanol, which is an organic chemical compound found in various beauty products. Phenoxyethanol is considered a bactericide which means that it kills bacteria. I conclude that is a main reason why Mint julep mask is so beneficial for acne. (source:Wikipedia )

Changed my eating habits. I decided to change my diet when I noticed eating extremely oily foods such as cheese were causing more breakouts on my skin. My diet didn't change to extreme measures I only stopped eating cheese and right away noticed an improvement in my skin. Even though studies conducted have not proven there to be a relationship between eating oily foods and acne, In my case I did notice there to be a connection among these two. 

Although this has not been proved some evidence does suggest that the fat we eat is used in our body to make skin oil(sebum). An additional study suggests that fatty diets do lead to a higher content in sebum. (source:Diet and Acne

These are my top three tips for acne sufferers. Every little change in your lifestyle can have an effect on your skin for better or for worse as I know it did for me. Whether it's a diet change, taking supplements such as zinc or using a special facial mask it's up to you which one you want to try. I truly suggest that in the search for a clearer complexion you try out different products and methods you might just find something that truly works for you.

Photos: google

Thanks for stopping by have a great day :)




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6 comments:

  1. I agree with 1 and 3. When I changed my diet, my skin drastically improved. Even my mother can't believe it, lol. You can look at some of my before and after photos here:
    http://ecobeautysecrets.com/2011/12/5-step-holistic-acne-treatment-getting-back-my-smooth-skin-naturally/

    In my case, seems like beef makes me breakout :( Had lots of beef satay last night and woke up with a brewing pimple on the side of my nose.

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  2. Yeah it seems that certain foods affect some people causing them breakouts, while others can enjoy the same foods and get no breakouts, it's really strange. I will take a look at the link you posted. Thanks for the comment ;)

    Oh and by the way beef satay is delicious I like it too but with chicken :)

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  3. I totally have to agree with you. I think diet really matters alot to your skin. I stopped eating greasy and oily foods and my skin really improved! Great blog post!

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  4. Sometimes it's just a matter of time to find out what foods make you breakout. Thanks for your comment :) Im glad you liked this blog post.

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  5. You've totally nailed it but honestly, I haven't tried the zinc thing which goes directly to the to-do list by the way. I concur with the eating habits because there foods that trigger acne. Foods that cause my acne flares doesn't necessarily the same as yours, so it's important to know what are the foods that should be avoided. By the way, this is probably off topic, but do you have any idea about accutane lawsuit? Btw, Accutane is a drug for treating severe acne.

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  6. I have heard about Accutane and it's negative side effects but I don't not know anything about the lawsuit.

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