Monday, December 1, 2008

Acne treatments

What treatment is for you, depends on what is cause of your acne.
This is my formula for finding cause of acne for every single person:

Detoxify Liver and take Probiotics
-> Treat hormonal imbalance -> Take vitamins -> Reduce Stress -> Benzoyl peroxide -> Clyndamicin,Eritromicin(or oral antibiotics - i dont recommend) -> Azelaic acid -> and finally if nothing of these works, your last solution: Roaccutane.

You can combine some of these solutions, for example stress reducing and liver detoxifing are always important for your body.

Liver

First thing you need is strong and healthy liver.It plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body.If your liver isn't in condition it will simply send hormones,toxins etc. to your skin. So remember,strong liver is a must,even if it's not main cause of your acne.
It may be that main cause of your acne is liver. To find is it true,you can use world's renometed liver NATURAL supplements.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum - Silymarin) is an herb that is venerated for it's powerful ability to purify the liver. I have personally seen several people overcome serious skin disorders like eczema with milk thistle and flax seed oil alone. It helps overall skin condition and it can probably cure your acne.

Other product is Himalaya's Liv-52 . Liv-52 was introduced in 1955 by Himalaya Herbal Healthcare. Since then, it has been sold worldwide and is recognized by thousands of health professionals as one of the most effective liver formulas, with beneficial effects reported in over 300 studies on a variety of cases. Liv52 ensures optimum liver function through the protection of the hepatic parenchyma, and by way of its potent antioxidant properties. Liv-52 / LiverCare neutralizes all kind of toxins and poisons from food, water, air and medications, all sources of detrimental effects on the liver. Counteracting those hard to avoid poisons and protecting one of the body's most important organs. Alcohol users in partucular find Liv-52/LiverCare helpful in maintaining a healthier liver. It also helps those taking necessary allopathic medications to protect themselves against the damaging hepatoxic side effects.

Just remember: in some people - strong liver = no acne!


Poor digestion


Antibiotics,bad food,no sleep etc. destroy the bacteria in your digestive system, which can lead to poor digestion, constipation and reduced absorption of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients — all of which can lead to more acne because your body isn't able to get rid of waste effectively and toxins get expelled via the skin instead. If you have been taking antibiotics for your acne, it's vital you replace the "friendly" bacteria in your digestive system with a good quality probiotic.

Prebiotics are foods which help re-establish the good bacteria in the gut — these include honey, onions, artichokes and bananas. Taking a probiotic supplement and eating prebiotics foods will help restore the levels of beneficial bacteria that are destroyed by antibiotics. You can buy probiotics in form of tablets in any drug store.

Hormonal imbalance

Some herbs, such as saw palmetto and pygeum, have been found to curb the conversion of testosterone into DHT. This can be especially helpful for stubborn acne cases where DHT is a factor. In some cases, Saw Palmetto has had the welcome side effect of minimizing unwanted facial hair in women.If you think you'r problem is hormonal imbalance, try saw palmetto!


Lack of one or more vitamins or minerals

In the fight against acne, Vitamins A, E, and Zinc all have great advantages for preventing its outbreak. Needless to say, getting proper amounts of these vitamins into your body everyday is crucial for maintaining clear, healthy skin and for helping to prevent acne from becoming a problem.

Vitamin A
fights acne initially by helping to strengthen the protective tissue of the skin. Additionally, it reduces sebum (oil) production in the skin. This combination helps the skin to become more capable of fighting acne and also this healthy skin, with less oil, is less likely to suffer from acne breakouts. Furthermore, Vitamin A is a very strong antioxidant which helps to rid the body, including the skin, of harmful toxins and free radicals, therefore helping to clear the skin of many problems, including acne. Vitamin A is usually taken in conjunction with carotenoids which enhances its effects against acne.

Vitamin is A is the major vitamin that prevents acne and commonly used for medical treatments. Although it may cause some disorders if overdosed, selecting B-Caroten (we can say this a pre-vitA that turns to Vitamin A in our body) will prevent overdosing. So prefer B-Caroten to direct Vitamin A and get 1 to 3 tablets per day to help your skin to control Sebum production in the skin which is where the acne causing bacteria start. B(Beta)-caroten also helps your whole skin to fight with possible daylight-sun damages. I recommend daily dose of 25000IU , give it a month to see how your skin will react.Do not take more than 5,000 IU Vit A if you are pregnant, and don’t take vitamin A if you are taking isotretinoin (roaccutane).

Vitamin E is also an antioxidant. Although not as strong of one as Vitamin A, Vitamin E still does help to rid the skin of toxins which can lead to acne and helps to clear up existing acne. Vitamin E also promotes tissue repair and healing of the skin, two important aspects that help to both strengthen the skin and also to prevent damage caused by acne to become permanent. Additionally, Vitamin E prevents cell damage by inhibiting the oxidation of lipids (fats) and the formation of free radicals.

Vitamin B6
B6 vitamins that help acne work by regulating hormone levels, particularly during menstral cycles and menopause. Recommended Daily Dosage – 50 mg every morning. Warning: do not take excessive amounts of B6. Studies have shown that long term dosage of 200 mg or more can cause nerve damage.

As can be seen, both vitamins have fairly similar methods of assisting in the fight against acne. Both help to strengthen the skin and healthier, stronger skin is less prone to acne. Both are also antioxidants and help to clear the skin of acne and prevent future breakouts. The difference is that Vitamin A reduces oil production and Vitamin E promotes tissue repair and healing. In combination, these vitamins are extremely effective in combating acne.

Both Vitamin A and Vitamin E are extremely important vitamins and a deficiency in either of them can lead to acne. Consuming healthy amounts of these vitamins every day can help to fight existing acne and also to enable to body to better prevent further acne breakouts from occurring. Put plainly, both of these vitamins should be involved in any methods used to combat acne and should be heavily considered when looking for acne fighting vitamin supplements.

Zinc is one of the most important vitamins when attempting to fight and prevent acne due to its many uses and how important it is to the body and the skin. A vitamin deficiency in Zinc alone can cause acne breakouts and therefore maintaining healthy amounts of Zinc in one's everyday diet is very important for those looking to either combat their current acne problem or to help prevent a future one.

Zinc acts as an antioxidant and this is one primary reason why it is so helpful against acne. Antioxidants help to clear the body of toxins and free radicals. These can cause various problems in different areas of the body, and in the skin these can lead to pimples and acne breakouts. Keeping the skin, the largest organ in the body, clear is only too important. Zinc helps to keep the skin clear and healthy and prevent the build-up of these toxins and free radicals, therefore being proactive and helping to prevent acne breakouts altogether.

Copper
Copper is necessary for proper body function, however, the 30 mg of zinc will reduce copper absorption. So it is necessary to take Copper if using zinc for more than a month. Recommended Daily Dosage – 2 mg a day, if taking zinc for more than 30 days.

Flaxseed Oil
This is an essential fatty acid that will help your body when taking Zinc. It also helps dilute the Sebum, therefore preventing clogged pores. Recommended Daily Dosage – 14 grams a day (about 1 tablespoon). Take it with food in the morning.


Evening Primrose

Similar to flaxseed oil, Evening Primrose helps dilute the sebum in the pores, and keeps it from clogging and allowing bacteria to grow. Recommended Daily Dosage – 800 mg, 3 times a day to get rid of pimples.



Stress

Few of us can claim to be unaffected by stress. Stress comes in many forms, among them psychological, physical and environmental.

The body secretes anti-inflammatory hormones in response to stress and trauma. If, however, you are operating under long-term stressful or traumatic conditions, these hormones can cause side effects, including the hormonal toxicity that can result in acne.

Try to take some time for yourself every day to unwind and relax. Meditation, a hot bath, soft music, candles and recreational reading can all help relax tightly strung nerves.

Controlling stress can reduce the release of the stress hormone cortisol, and therefore reduce the severity of the acne. Id you suffer from stress regularly, learn to recognise the early symptoms and take action. There are various ways you can reduce stress and become more relaxed:

* Exercise — especially Yoga and T'ai Chi. Moderate exercise will increase blood flow to the skin and aid healing, as well as improve the health of your internal organs enabling them to get rid of waste more effectively.
* Relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises and meditation
* Using InnerTalk CDs, such as Relaxation, Freedom from Stress and Exercise


Combination of all this factors
You tried everything above, and you still have acne breakouts? Your problem is probably combination of more factors. Now,we go on topical solutions, if we can't find the cause, we will cure acne from the outside.

Benzoyl peroxide
is the most used topical acne treatment,it's contained in popular Proactive and it's available in prescription and over-the-counter medications, in cream, gel, and wash form. It is an anti-bacterial agent. Benzoyl peroxide kills P. Acnes, the bacteria that causes acne on the surface of the skin. Also, there is a mild drying and peeling effect which is thought to help prevent breakouts.About 3% of people are allergic to benzoyl peroxide and experience an inflammation of the skin.

Benzoyl peroxide is effective in the treatment of most forms of acne. It is typically placed over the affected areas in gel or cream form, in concentrations of 2.5% increasing through the usually effective 5% to up to 10%. Research suggests that 5 and 10% concentrations are not significantly more effective than 2.5% and 2.5% is usually better tolerated.

Azelaic acid is a natural material produced by a yeast that lives on normal skin, Malassezia furfur (also known as Pityrosporum ovale).

Azelaic acid is available at a concentration of 20% as Skinoren™ Cream and Acne-Derm™ Medicated Lotion.

Azelaic acid is used as a topical treatment for mild to moderate acne, and may be combined with oral antibiotics or hormonal therapy. It is useful for both comedonal acne and inflammatory acne.

Azelaic acid is:

* Antibacterial - it reduces the growth of bacteria in the follicle (Proprionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis)
* Keratolytic & comedolytic - it returns to normal the disordered growth of the skin cells lining the follicle
* A scavenger of free radicals - i.e. it reduces inflammation.

Still nothing works?

Roaccutane (Isotretinoin) is your last solution. It is used for severe acne that has not responded to any oral treatment and topical medicines.
Isotretinoin decreases the size and activity of the sebaceous glands in the skin, which reduces the amount of sebum that is produced. This stops the glands becoming blocked, and means bacteria are less likely to thrive. It also reduces the inflammation in the skin. It is no doubt the most effect drug in tackling acne, with a success rate of over 80%.

In 60 – 80 percent of people, the treatment can lead to a permanent cure at a dose between 0,5 – 1 mg/kg body weight per day for 16 – 20 weeks. New evidence suggest that a cumulative dose of 120 mg /kg body weight during the course at a daily dose of at least 0.75 mg/kg body weight may be more important than the duration of the treatment.

Isotretinoin can have serious side effects and its use must be supervised by a dermatologist. It is reserved for the treatment of severe acne (such as nodular or conglobate acne or acne at risk of permanent scarring) that has not improved with standard treatment involving oral antibiotics and topical medicines.

That's it for now.I'll cover all of this treatmants separately and more detailed,in next posts.

2 comments:

john smith said...

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Heena Gupta said...

Really well written