Treating Acne

Acne is the most common skin disorder in the modern world. While acne usually begins during puberty, is not limited to teenagers and can affect all age groups. Although not physically harmful, acne can take a huge psychological toll. Some people become so self-conscious and embarrassed that their professional and personal lives become very affecting.

Most people think that acne is simply a matter of aesthetics. You try topical acne creams containing benzoyl peroxide, retinoic acid, salicylic acid, glycol acid, or antibiotics, all of which can help the symptoms a bit. In more severe cases, you see a dermatologist, who may prescribe oral antibiotics (the long-term use can lead to antibiotic resistance, intestinal permeability, and yeast overgrowth), birth control pills (which is a synthetic hormone that increases your risk of blood clots and cancer , and can lead to weight gain, mood changes, and yeast overgrowth), or isotretinoin (which can cause liver damage and severe birth defects in the developing fetus).

If you really want a healthy skin, it is important to know that you can not just treat the symptoms. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and the organs of elimination (through sweat), which is why it is often a sign of a problem on the surface of the underlying problem. The skin condition is a reflection of overall body health. Good skin comes from the inside out, not the outside in! Therefore, treating acne requires a systemic approach that involves the entire body.

Root Cause of systemic acne
Acne is a skin condition that usually involves inflammation, excessive sebum (oil) production, clogged pores, and bad bacteria presence / infection. It is unlikely that acne is triggered by a single definitive cause but rather a combination of factors. The following describes various systemic root causes of acne. See what applies to you.

The wrong diet
Acne is caused by inflammation. Each meal or snack that is high in sugar (both smooth and natural) and carbohydrates (both refined grains and whole) produces a spike in blood glucose quickly. To customize this rapid increase, the pancreas release insulin into the bloodstream. Repeated insulin spikes in promoting inflammation and the production of the male hormone testosterone can stimulate the oil glands in the skin, setting the stage for acne.

If you have acne, it is advisable to eat foods that do not spike blood sugar and insulin. By simply replacing the sugar and grain carbohydrates with protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, you might see an increase in your skin.

Milk and dairy consumption is also closely associated with acne. Milk contains components related to testosterone, which can trigger acne.

Certain fats (such as omega-6) in the diet increase inflammation while others (such as omega-3) drown it. Processed foods, fast foods, commercially fried foods, and food restaurants generally use vegetable oils such as those derived from canola, corn, cotton, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower or relatively high in omega-6, which adds to inflammation load in your body.

Malnutrition
Most people who get too much of inflammatory omega-6 fats from their diets and not enough omega-3 fats. For this reason, it is very important to increase your consumption of clean, fat quality of low-mercury fish (such as wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring and) and pasture-raised animals (such as grass-fed beef, pork grazing, chicken domestic poultry and wild game) are high in omega-3. (Corn-fed beef can have up to 50 times more omega-6 than omega-3.) Omega-3 has the effect of reducing inflammation and regulate testosterone levels in women. Alternatively, consider taking a high quality omega-3 supplement.

The typical American diet of processed foods and fast foods contain very little fresh vegetables and fruits and deficiencies in nutrients and antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E. Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties of natural. By eating foods high in antioxidants, you are helping to modulate the inflammatory response in the body.

Certain foods such as turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, fruits, and dark green leafy vegetables have a very high antioxidant levels.

Healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados are also high in antioxidants.

Sensitivity to food and leaky gut

You may not realize it, but the food that you eat every day can slowly cause health problems and skin. Delayed food sensitivities is one of the most common causes of acne. Many people do not realize that they have a sensitivity to common foods such as gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, and barley), milk, eggs, corn, and soybeans.

Food is sensitive not only cause widespread inflammation that appear on your skin, they also disrupt the balance of intestinal plants (good vs. bad bacteria). Taking a probiotic supplement (friendly intestinal bacteria) are very useful in restoring the intestinal flora and improve skin condition.

Food sensitivities also cause leaky gut (intestinal permeability). Therefore, you need to stop eating sensitive. Try the elimination diet by cutting out the culprit food (as mentioned above) for a month and see how you feel. If one of the symptoms of your health improves, you may have food sensitivities.

Moreover, many people who are not healthy intestines develop chronic, low-grade infection of intestinal parasites, bacteria, and fungi. These infections can be treated with antibiotics or prescription drugs is the fastest option, but there are also anti-microbial herbs are quite effective (and without the side effects of drugs) and can be used to cope with your gut infection.

Hormonal imbalance
Acne who have hormonal component is often heated at times unpredictable due to the nature of hormone cycles during certain phases of the menstrual cycle. For many women, the week before the menstrual cycle is the time when symptoms peak. Be aware that certain dietary factors may exacerbate the imbalance in your entire hormonal system.

When you continue to eat foods you are sensitive, your body responds to constant irritation with upping production of the stress hormone cortisol, which has an effect on your sex hormone levels.
Too much caffeine, a stimulant, can wreak havoc on your hormonal system.

Diets with a high ratio of omega-6: 3 fatty acids results in the production of hormones that increase inflammation.

Eating too much sugar and carbohydrates produce insulin and testosterone levels were higher.
Environmental toxins

Chemicals such as flame retardants (from sleep pillow made of polyurethane foam, vehicle seats and sofas), parabens and phthalates (from shampoo and make-up), and other related plastic chemicals main hormone disruptor. Avoid them as much as you practically can. Be aware that many creams over-the-counter acne is also loaded with parabens and phthalates.

Dehydration
Some people are constantly dehydrated. Water needed by your body to facilitate cell growth and regeneration, waste disposal, and sloughing away of dead skin cells. Hydration improves skin tone.

Drinking enough clean, filtered water every day so that your urine is pale yellow. If your urine is bright yellow, you probably do not drink enough water, unless you take vitamin B, which will turn urine bright yellow.

Lack of exercise
Exercise is a powerful anti-inflammatory; turns on genes that suppress inflammation.

Exercise improves insulin sensitivity.

When you exercise and sweat, your body has a chance to flush out toxins through the pores of your skin. Sauna also helps in flushing out unwanted dirt and contaminants from your pores.

Stress and sleep
Stress causes acne flare-ups. Stress does this by increasing inflammation, increasing cortisol, and thinning zinc, magnesium, and selenium, all of which help to control acne. Therefore, it is important that you find ways to reduce your stress or change attitudes and responses, and engage in a relaxing activity for you, like take a bubble bath, walk in the park, practicing yoga or meditation.

Sleep is another requirement for good health. After a period of sleep deprivation, it is common to have more oily skin and acne. Lack of sleep weakens the immune system, increasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (chemical messengers used by immune cells to communicate with one another), and affect regulation of insulin. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night because this is the time the body, including your skin, heal and rebuild.

Natural Suggestions For Acne
Regardless of the systemic strategies mentioned above, there are some natural topical options that can help to complete the systemic effort.

Wash your face more often. This will help remove excess oil on your skin.

Rub a drop of oregano oil on the breakout. Oregano oil is anti-bacterial and will speed healing and prevent unsightly scarring. Wash your hands afterwards.

Apply a thin layer of Manuka honey on your skin. Various New Zealand honey has anti-bacterial properties are very strong.

Use the steam room at the gym or lean over the pot of hot water to open the pores for a good cleaning.

Minimizing exposure to bacteria by keeping the hands and hair off the face. Clean your phone regularly. Use fresh pillowcase.