One of the most frustrating things about any self-help industry, such as those made by acne sufferers, is the focus and wish for a magic treatment of some sort. This is where you get into snake oil salesmen determined to sell you on the next best thing…and sometimes it’s hard to tell what they’re actually talking about. One treatment that I was suspicious about, acne light therapy, has been gaining credibility in my eyes, and I want to share what I’ve found.
The first part of acne light therapy to understand is that there are two types: blue light and red light. They work in different ways, and from studies one is clearly better for acne.
Blue light is the bacteria killer, which will literally destroy the acne vulgaris lurking on your skin waiting to cause mischief. In this respect it’s similar to benzyl peroxide in the affect it has on your acne infections: it will slow down active ones and retard the next outbreak by killing off the disease causers before they get started.
Red light is used in other medical circles to accelerate wound healing and clean-up wrinkles, as it directly stimulates skin growth. Think of it as more of a repair option, which will help your skin heal afterwords…so long as you killed off the acne in the first place.
This is why you should only use red acne light therapy if you’ve first used other means (either blue light therapy of benzyl peroxide) to kill off active bacteria on your skin. Otherwise, you won’t have a lasting impact on actual levels of acne infection…though the red light will improve the appearance of skin.
Anyway, I’m always a skeptic so I did some research on acne studies to find out how well both worked. I found a couple where the researchers would cleverly use acne light therapy on just one side of the patient’s face, then compared how the two sides looked after the study period.
The one testing blue light fared quite nicely: after 12 weeks, acne levels on the treated half of the face dropped 39% compared to the other side, making it a worth option.
Red light…not so well: it did reduce acne lesions, but had side affects including darkening of the skin and causing some follicle infections that, ironically, looked like acne. It was found to be more effective if used following blue light.
After researching acne light therapy, I’d consider it cautiously worthwhile. If the usual over-the-counter treatments of salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide aren’t doing it for you, try an acne home treatment kit using blue light (and potentially red light as a follow-up) for another angle of attack on the problem.
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Oct 10
26
Acne Scars Treatment — Avoidance
As with many health issues, the best way to deal with acne scars treatment is to not need it in the first place. And of course, the best way for this to happen is to not get acne breakouts. If you’re reading this, however, you’ve almost certainly been susceptible to it in the past…so let’s instead talk about how to deal with the scars.
First off, consider the cause of scarring. Your skin has many layers–going from the surface to underneath, the epidermis, dermis, and the hypodermis–and heals differently based on the levels. Generally, superficial skin damage such as that to the epidermis will heal naturally. Deeper injury penetrating to the dermis or lower risks permanent damage in the form of scars.
To relate this to acne, you can think of your minor blackheads or pimples as largely confined to the pores on the surface of your skin. Though you obviously don’t want to encourage skin damage by picking at these, they are unlikely to lead to scarring.
More dangerous by far is cystic acne. This is when acne infections build up in the epidermis or lower, typically cocooned in a layer of dead skin cells, and forms an infection that you can not even see at first. In addition to being quite painful, this is the type of acne most prone to lead to scars.
If you get this more serious form of acne, then acne home treatment alone may not suffice. To minimize the risk of permanent damage, I strongly encourage anyone facing this type of acne to seek a dermatologist’s consultation. Though it will cost you more up front, getting professional treatment before major scarring will save you money in dealing with permanent damage in the future.
Meanwhile, you can greatly minimize your risks of needing acne scars treatment by keeping acne infections to a minimal level in the first place. Stay on top of your hygiene/nutrition/exercise for basic health, avoid aggravating your acne by picking at live infections, and use effective over-the-counter medications to prevent further acne break-outs.
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Oct 10
19
Natural Acne Remedies — Another Look
I’ve heard much fuss and ballyhoo about using “natural acne remedies”, and while I respect the ideals of using minimal chemicals, I believe that there is limited effectiveness in a strictly natural approach. At the same time…there is a way to powerfully influence your acne without dipping into medication, and I’m going to go over the trinity of natural acne management: diet, exercise, and hygiene.
Diet plays a much underrated role in acne management. The skin is the largest organ on our bodies, and neglecting its health just makes you more susceptible to acne infection. Naturally, the skin is highly reactive to how we eat over time.
Consider how you’ve looked after an unsavory binge of ice cream or an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet…not only do you feel bloated, but often your skin will seem off, with some extra puffiness and even slight discoloration.
The reason is that your skin is inflamed by excess simple carbohydrates, which are a staple of the typical American diet. This leads to the puffiness and bloating, and gives acne an easier foothold.
This was tested by a study ran at a university recently. They put students into two groups–one group ate healthy, the other kept eating like college kids–and studied acne levels. Over a period of eight weeks, there was a strong correlation between eating well and less acne.
Their conclusion is that the optimum diet is high-protein mixed with controlled carbohydrates of a low-glycemic index. Conversely, you should stay far away from a high-carb, low-protein diet of pizza slices and Pasta Roni.
Another natural preventative of acne is exercise. Getting your heart rate up and your blood circulation moving` will help clear your body (and hence skin) of impurities, improving the texture and color. This also reduces puffiness and swelling, helping to compensate for a diet cheat day.
Related to this is the acne risk of stress. Stress is bad for your health in many ways, and one of the ways it manifests is by worsening your acne. Less stress equals less acne, and more exercise leads to less stress.
Lastly, never underestimate the power of hygiene. While acne isn’t directly caused by you poking at your skin, the steady accumulation of dirt and impurities on the surface will cause your pores to clog faster, which in turn gives acne the breeding grounds it craves. Don’t do it the favor of making it easy.
You should use a safe-for-oily-skin cleanser roughly 3x a day, and always clean your face immediately after exercise. To reduce the risk of overdrying your skin, you should add a moisturizer to your routine…otherwise, if you constantly wash your face and it becomes dried out, your oil glands will go into over-drive and worsen your acne.
To sum it up, the best natural acne remedies consist of managing your diet, exercise, and hygiene. Beyond that, you’re free to investigate oatmeal polstices and lemon juice extract all you like.
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When it comes to applying your acne treatment product(s) of choice, there is one thing that must be pointed out: you need to keep a routine. As simple as it sounds…I’m continually amazed by how many people don’t follow it.
For instance, let’s say you use benzyl peroxide. You just had an acne breakout, and after a few days of regularly using the benzyl and seeing the breakout fade, you relax treatment. From here, what’s going to happen?
There will be another breakout, probably of the same strength as what you just beat. This pattern goes for other treatments as well, such as salicylic acid. Basically, if you only apply treatment when you have a problem…you’re always going to have a problem.
The solution is simple enough: use treatments consistently. At the same time, this takes some discipline. You need to be in the habit of using your treatments as a preventative measure.
By making this switch, you’ll go from always playing catch-up with your acne break-outs to keeping them subdued. Now, this doesn’t mean they’ll stop…but you’ll see a reduction in severity and frequency, making it easier to stop them when they do strike.
In my case, I benefit from one dose of benzyl peroxide in the morning and one application of salicylic acid at night. These two prevent most acne, and my occasional break-outs can usually be brought under control in a day or two. When that happens, I will up the benzyl peroxide…I’ve used as much as three doses of that in one day, though I stick to a single salicylic acid treatment as night as a pore-clearer measure.
The power of the routine is that it will keep the acne frequency down and make it easier to treat it, but there is a downside: you are constantly putting chemicals on your face, and your tolerance may vary.
When I first started, I had to use benzyl peroxide every other day. As my skin got more tolerant, I was able to go to daily applications, and then I added in a moisturizer. That moisturizer gave my skin the anti-drying protection I needed so that when I occasionally have to make multiple treatments, I can do so without damage.
To figure out your tolerance, pick a treatment or two and test. Start with a daily application and see how it works for you–is your skin getting dry and peeling, or does it seem about the same? If you’re getting an adverse effect, drop the frequency of treatment until you adjust.
Overdrying the skin will result in more oil being produced, which will worsen acne despite your treatments. Use some trial and error to determine what you can handle, and adjust accordingly. Do this, and you will get the most mileage out of your acne treatment products as you build a consistent prevention routine.
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There is plenty of misinformation and perhaps even maliciously bad advice floating around, and I hear of people repeating the same basic mistakes in acne home treatment. Here are three of them…
First is good old fashioned denial: just cover up the acne and let it go away on its own. If you do nothing to tend to your acne, then sure the current cycle will pass…but even as that heals another will start.
Acne runs in a two to three week cycle, where it takes up to a couple weeks for a clogged pore to become infected, followed by however long it takes for the skin to heal. So if you trust in the cycle to expire on its own, chances are very good it will flare up again just as the last wave ends.
The second common mistake is pinning all hopes for treatment on a single approach. For example, someone may have heard the benzyl peroxide is effective…and they had good results on the first pimples they used it on. From there, they use it anytime the acne gets bad without supplementing other treatments.
The problem with this approach is that it never transitions to prevention. By just dealing with one part of the acne problem–in this case, by treating active infections–the person dooms him or herself to ongoing acne problems. Mixing-and-matching results would work far better.
The third common error is failing to get into a consistent routine. By choosing to use the same acne treatments at the same time on a regular basis, you can figure out how much acne home treatment–and at what rhythm–you need for optimum health.
Given how long the acne cycle lasts, this means you will need to test your treatment routine for at least one to two months to get a reliable idea of effectiveness. During this test period, choose a few products, and get in the habit of applying them X times per day.
Depending on how sensitive your skin is, and how bad the acne, you may be able to get away with more or less treatments. In particular, be careful of over drying your skin if it isn’t used to acne treatment. For an example of my routine, check out this post on acne treatment products.
Bringing it back together, we’ve identified three common mistakes of home acne treatment. The first is inaction, which is more common than you might think. The second is starting treatment…but only using a single product that deals with one part of the problem, rather than a balanced approach. The final common mistake is not settling into a regular pattern of treatment, which is essential for prevention and will make handling acute infections easier.
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Sep 10
28
Acne Light Therapy — Boon or Bane?
One recent innovation in the light of home acne treatment is acne light therapy, which is basically pointing a cone at your face that shoots out light at a certain frequency. The most prevalent wavelenghts for treatment are red and blue light, both of which are known for different results.
There have been a number of studies in recent years studying different light waves, and results so far are promising. The most effective for acne treatment appears to be blue light, which is the first product we’ll look at.
Blue light is capable of killing acne vulgaris, which is the strain of bacteria that causes acne inflammation. One study tested this by administering blue light to only one side of patient’s faces, and then comparing acne between both sides after 12 weeks of treatment. This study found an average of 39% difference between acne levels on each side, which is a significant reduction.
Another study used a similar method, but instead tested different types of acne. They found blue light to be effective for anything except nodulocystic acne lesions, which are the extreme form of acne that leaves deep inflamed bumps (aka nodules) and lesions on the face. For this level of acne, a strong prescription drug treatment such as accutane would be needed for effective treatment.
Another form of acne light therapy uses red light. This wavelength works differently, and encourages the growth of skin cells rather than kill bacteria. In addition to acne treatment, red light has been tested to stimulate wound healing and wrinkle repair.
For acne treatment specifically, red light was combined with ALA (5-aminolevulinic acid), which increases the skin’s photosensitivity (fancy way of saying that it makes the skin react more to light).
This study found a decrease in acne lesions over time, however, there were some significant side effects: temporary darkening of the skin, followed by development of follicullitis, which is an inflamation of hair follicles similar to acne. For this reason, current medical wisdom favors blue light over red light, though some treatments combine both.
Light therapy options include some home products, such as the Acne Lamp (which I have no personal experience with, though some swear by it). For clinical-grade results, dermatologists can administer treatment, with sessions typically running $100 to $200. These are usually not covered by insurance, so if the price is prohibitive you should stick to over the counter treatments.
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Sep 10
21
Acne Scar Treatment Overview
Acne scars are one of the cruelest jokes of dealing with acne: first you get acne and have the red and irritated skin to show all the world, then you have lingering marks on your face that never seem to heal on their own. Fortunately, there are options for acne scar treatment, and we’re going to look at several.
Let’s consider what causes the scars. As acne bacteria infects, it ultimately breaks through clogged pores and goes deeper into your skin, pushing debris from the surface to the dermis. The body identifies this as an invading foreign object, and inflames the skin as it destroys the “invader”.
This causes wounding to the outer layer, and when the body heals, it sends an excess of collagen to repair the breach. As with any other scar, this results in an unsightly upper layer that lingers far after the infection itself is dealt with.
Once the acne has healed and the scar remains, it will not worsen on its own. At the same time…neither will it heal. There are a few treatments you can do on your own that can correct minor scarring, and for more advanced cases you will want a dermatologist’s assistance.
Note: before undergoing any kind of acne scar treatment, you should first be sure that you’ve dealt with any active acne. Otherwise, you risk a future infection triggering another wave of scarring.
The best over-the-counter options include alpha hydroxy, retin-A, and glygolic acid. Each of these work in a different fashion, like so:
a. Alpha-hydroxy acid: firms up the outer layer of skin, triggering collagen growth in an even pattern rather than the excess levels in scars.
b. Retin-A: has a number of proven health benefits for skin, including collagen promotion and as a direct anti-acne bacteria agent.
c. Glycolic acid: dissolves the outer layer of skin, giving you a form of dermabrasion without needing an expert’s care. This will cause the new outer layer of skin to appear younger and more even, and can slowly dissolve scars.
Note that only some of thee are considered truly over the counter. Retin-A creams are typically only available with a prescription, though you can get retinol-based ones in many mmoisturizersand the like…though not quite as effective, retinol is a worthy substitute. Glycolic acid is used in face peals and is a gray area for self-administration–if you are comfortable using it on yourself, you can order it online, though you will not find it on store shelves.
Those treatments are all available to you in one way or the other by direct purchase and application by yourself. Unfortunately, they will not handle all levels of acne scars…for more pronounced scars, consider the services of a ddermatologist
Without getting into the specifics, typical dermatologist treatments include lasers, microdermabrasions, chemical peels, and punch techniques. We’ll look at some of those acne scar treatment options in a later post.
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Sep 10
14
Natural Acne Remedies
Many people are concerned with so-called natural acne remedies, which are ways to handle your acne without using prescription or over-the-counter medicine. While a balanced treatment approach is your best bet, there are plenty of ways to handle acne without purchasing a tube of Clearasil’s latest laboratory creation.
The first step is handling what you can deal with at a non-acne level: your diet, exercise, and general personal health. As has been tested in studies, the food you put in your body will make a difference as to how well the skin maintains itself, and eating like a drunken frat boy will absolutely worsen your skin health and leave you more susceptible to acne.
Specifically, studies have found that a high-carbohydrate, high-glycemic index diet will worsen acne, while high-protein mixed with carbs of a low-glycemic index seems optimum for reducing acne. Also, sufficient water consumption keeps the skin hydrated and more resistant to acne bacteria.
Once you have evened out your diet, the next step is how well you take care of your body. Regular exercise keeps your circulation up and your skin healthier, so this is yet another area where you will benefit from managing your fitness.
Another critical element of natural acne treatment is managing your stress level. The body releases cortisol and other hormones when stressed, and these wreak havoc with many of the organs, including the skin. High stress will also contribute to you looking old before your time, giving extra incentive to keep it under control.
As for natural remedies themselves, there are several treatments that you can devise and apply to yourself at home.
Some people have reported success using garlic for protection. One option is to take fresh garlic cloves, cut them down, and massage the pieces and juices into the affected areas. Of course, one should not do this before entertaining company…garlic can leave a lingering odor.
Another natural treatment is humble oatmeal. There are various oatmeal face masks that you can find recipes for online, ranging from applying just the oatmeal to mixing it with various ingredients.
One mix is a teaspoon of oatmeal plus one teaspoon yogurt and a final teaspoon of sour cream. Add a touch of lemon juice and apply to your face, and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.
The most important natural treatment for your acne will start with managing your health–diet, exercise, hygiene. Beyond that, you can experiment with various homemade treatments, many of which have supporters who eschew processed treatments. At the same time, I encourage you to try all options…including the store-bought ones, as your principals permit.
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Sep 10
6
Standard Acne Treatment Products
In the last post we looked at some of the ways to prevent acne from developing. Now, we will look at acne treatment products to handle outbreaks. I have used and benefited from the two products that I will describe in this article, and will include my schedule for applying them at the end.
The first recommended product is benzyl peroxide, which comes in a tube and is applied as a cream onto the face. It works by depriving bacteria of oxygen, which in practical terms means that it directly reduces the acne-causing bacteria on your face.
The substance is readily available over the counter, in 2.5% and 10% solutions. Some people get dry skin and irritation to their face from applying it, and if this affects you then you should use the weaker concentration. Studies have shown that 2.5% is close in effectiveness to the higher doses.
Over time, most people adapt to benzyl peroxide and will have progressively fewer problems with dry/irritated skin. Long term studies have shown no adverse affects for continual use, so if this benefits you then continue to use it on a daily basis.
The other useful solution is salicylc acid. Despite its ominous name, this is a fairly benign acid that has the benefit of de-clogging your pores. Recall that clogged pores are the breeding ground for the bacteria that cause acne, and you can see why this is beneficial.
It has another cosmetic benefit as well–clearing the pores gives the face a healthier complexion even outside of acne benefits.
Anyway, salicylic acid is typically used through either an applicator sponge or as a cream. It is most effective when allowed to set overnight.
I spent quite a few years bringing my acne under control, and I have settled on a pattern that has worked consistently for the last couple years. It does not 100% stop my acne, but on top of both the preventive measures described in my last post, and some of the natural remedies that I will describe later, my acne is barely detectable.
Here is how I use these two products:
1. Every morning, I apply benzyl peroxide to my face along the T-zone (the nose, forehead, and for me parts of the lip and chin areas that sometimes get acne). I follow it with a moisterizer to avoid dry skin. I have had good results using Clearasil’s 10% solution cream.
2. Every night I apply salicylic acid through an exfoliation pad. I again put moisterizer on top of it for general skin quality. Not to sound like a company spokesperson here, but again I have had the best results with Clearasil’s product…look for their Daily Pore Cleansing Pads. They have the added benefit of exfoliating your skin, which is good for removing impurities and debris that encourage bacteria.
3. If I start to get any kind of acne breakout despite this, I will add a second dose of benzyl peroxide after washing my face either at lunchtime or early evening until the breakout has passed.
For anyone dealing with acne, I suggest checking out both of these. Remember that your skin can get irritated, so try applying just one at a time at first and see how well you can tolerate it before adding more. Depending on how sensitive you are, you may have to start at half the frequency described here and add more doses over time.
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There are quite a few acne home treatments available, however, one limitation they all share is that they cannot stop a break-out in progress. This is due to the cycle of acne, which I will look at another time. Meanwhile, the best way to handle acne is to prevent it from forming. Here are some of the ways that people exacerbate their break-outs:
1) Neglecting basic hygiene. it might go without saying, but protecting your body from the environment is the best ways to limit acne outbreaks before they start. For example, if you just finished a heavy workout or came in from a sweaty afternoon working in your yard, don’t sit down in your grimy clothes on the sofa for three hours. Instead, get in the habit of instantly hopping in the shower, washing yourself down with a good non-sulfate body wash or the like, and put on clean clothes. This simple step will dramatically reduce your body acne over time. For your face, clean it whenever you feel it becoming overly oily.
2) Watch your nutrition. It helps to remember that your skin is your biggest organ, and proper care and feeding of it will make all the difference for acne as well as other potential skin conditions. There are plenty of vitamins known to specifically help acne, but for now, stay on top of the basics: eat a reasonable mix of fruit and vegetables, keep your red meats down, and use a one-a-day multivitamin as well as a source of omega 3 fatty acids such as fish oil pills. These steps will benefit your health in general, but you will see a dramatic improvement to the quality of your skin tone as well. Which will, of course, give you better acne tolerance.
3) Be careful of your fidgeting habits. Many people have a natural tendency to rub their jaw or forehead when thinking, or will absent-mindedly pick at their face. This unfortunately common behavior leads to a breeding ground for acne-causing bacteria, as they are moved around your skin as you add dirt and other clogging agents to your pores. Every time you touch your face, you pass bacteria and other impurities from your hands. Stop this alone, and watch your acne levels drop within two weeks.
4) Also, avoid picking at acne break-outs…even when they’re throbbing or unpleasant, resist the urge to poke at it. in addition to the problems outlined above, you can greatly aggravate individual acne by forcing the infection deeper into your skin as you rub and cause damage and breaks in the face for the acne to spread. This can lead to acne scars, which will persist long after whatever acne break-out has ended.
Dealing with these basic steps will go a long way towards preserving your clear and healthy skin, which will in turn reduce how many acne breakouts occur naturally. From here, we will start looking at acne home treatments to further improve your skin.
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