Acne Home Treatment versus Pharmaceuticals Part IV

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

Is acne caused by toxicity, diet, stress or unnatural cosmetic products as many experts claim? Are you frustrated by contradictory advice on how to treat skin disorders? Have you spend a lot of money and wasted time on home remedies for acne that haven’t worked? Are you wondering if there’s an acne home treatment that’s genuinely effective?

A Closer Look at Acne Cause and Effect

1. Toxicity:

Acne can be AGGRAVATED by a body that isn’t assimilating nutrients effectively (or that has a genetic propensity toward a specific deficiency) or that doesn’t efficiently eliminate waste through the gastrointestinal system. However, the trend to label poor elimination as “toxicity” has lead to a plethora of hypothesis about how to “detoxify” the body in order to cure everything from cancer to skin blemishes. While poor assimilation of nutrients and improper waste elimination contributes to an unhealthy internal environment that makes curing anything more difficult, “toxicity” isn’t the CAUSE of acne. Acne detox formulas can help to keep skin clear once the root of the problem has been treated with medication.

2. Diet:

An improper diet can produce an imbalance in blood sugar levels, lead to obesity, increase insulin related problems (even create a propensity toward type II diabetes) and indirectly affect the skin. But diet alone is not the CAUSE of acne. It’s merely one more factor that aggravates a condition that’s caused by something else (see the Real Causes of Acne below or refer to the more detailed explanation in the article: Home Remedies for Acne versus Pharmaceutical Treatments Part I.)

3. Stress:

No one can dispute that “stress” has a detrimental effect on every part of how the body (and the mind) functions, but it’s such a broad term (and something so unavoidable in our modern world) that it can hardly be the single “cause” of a specific medical condition. Once again, factors that aggravate skin conditions, aren’t necessarily their primary cause. Since stress is not something most of us can escape or eliminate completely, we need to seek practical acne remedies that work in the real world while managing stress as best we can, and that can include a B vitamin complex.

4. Cosmetic Products:

While low quality cosmetic products may induce rashes, allergic reactions, clogged pores, trap pollution and aggravate breakouts, such products are seldom the underlying CAUSE of chronic acne vulgaris.

Choosing non-comedogenic products that won’t clog pores or contribute to bacterial infection is essential, but it’s important to realize that cosmetics alone are not the cause and therefore not the solution.

The Real Causes of Acne:

The three causes of acne are not toxicity, diet and stress, but hyperactive androgens (hormonal imbalances), hypersecretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands and bacterial infection. In women, the primary cause of acne is due to an increase in male androgens and a decrease in estrogen, and/or other hormonal imbalances that may create a tendency for the sebaceous glands to become hyperactive, causing pores to become clogged, prone to bacterial infection and inflammation (to the point of sometimes becoming cystic). The cause of acne vulgaris is associated with ovarian problems, blood sugar and insulin imbalances, often accompanied by weight problems in adult women; also stemming from temporary hormonal changes in teens. There are very specific hormonal causes for acne breakouts and also very specific treatments.

Effective Acne Treatments

Although hormone imbalances can be helped by diet, controlling blood sugar levels, decreasing excessive insulin production by reducing carbohydrate and refined sugar consumption, lowering the risk of obesity (and therefore reducing hormone producing adipose cells), as well as by stimulating waste elimination and nutrition assimilation, the CAUSE of most acne conditions is hormonal and must be treated as such. Both teenage and adult acne can be treated with antiandrogen therapies along with oral contraceptives. One acts as a hormone inhibitor and the other as a stimulator. A physician will determine the correct dosage to bring hormone levels under control in a particular case.

The Fear of “Unnatural” Hormones

Due to inaccurate information, many teens and middle aged women needlessly suffer from severe acne (that often worsens to the point of leaving scars) simply because of not correcting hormonal imbalances with proper medication – usually out of fear of hormones. Many women believe that any kind of hormonal therapy is “unnatural” and therefore avoid correcting lifelong problems. Instead of getting genuine help, many individuals rely on an herbal or traditional acne home treatment that’s touted as “all natural” without understanding that hormones are a natural part of the body, and when they’re out of balance, it’s essential to correct them with stimulants / inhibitors as needed.

See what Dr. Berger has to say about why mature women with acne may benefit from hormone replacement therapy.

Dr. Berger: Women’s Hormone Replacement Therapy & Acne

When An Acne Home Treatment Is Appropriate

Once hormones or sebaceous glands are under control (or while treatments are being taken), then cleansing the skin with an acne home treatment that may include natural facial washes with tea tree, acne creams with azelaic acid, and certain dietary changes, will be beneficial.

Eating raw vegetables, drinking lots of water, taking linoleic acid or squalene supplements and reducing stress through yoga, swimming or other forms of exercise, will also prove beneficial.

A Brief Note About Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Many women are following the recent trend toward bioidentical hormone replacement. These plant-derived preparations are not considered more effective or safer than synthetic products. To date, there’s no evidence to suggest that bioidentical hormone treatments are better for the body.

One issue is about how dosage is determined. Patient’s hormonal levels are tested using saliva, which isn’t an accurate means to determine blood-hormone levels.

It’s easy to be swept up by the term “bioidentical”, which makes it sound as if synthetic hormones are not biologically identical, but of course, they are.

A company called Radiant Laboratories makes bioidentical hormones called Natural Radiance (from wild yam), which are sold in cream preparations. Although they’re not cheap, Radiant Laboratories makes it clear that their products are not designed to treat, cure or prevent any disease, and are sold with a disclaimer that the statements they make (about using their products to help with hormonal issues) have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Products Mentioned in this Post:

1. 7 Day Acne Detox by Health Science Nutrition

2. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Tinted Moisturizer (1 ounce format)

3. Nature Made Stress B-Complex (Special 3-pack)

4. Source Naturals Tonalin 1000 CLA (Linoleic Acid from safflower oil) Price: $20.14

5. Saliva Hormone Test – Female by TestMyHormones Price: $65.00

6. Bio-Identical Estro Pack by Natural Radiance (contains 2 ounces of 2% bioidentical progesterone and Estrogen/Estriol cream (This is the menopause kit) Price: $57.95

Read the Complete Series of Articles About Acne:

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