Acne is a problem that the majority of the public has encountered at some point in there live. For many people acne is a daily battle that can cause physical and mental scars. Anyone that suffers from acne should start of with a basic daily acne regiment to help in controlling their acne.

As a dermatologist I’ve found that the process in finding a regiment that works effectively depends on each patient so to help here is the basic daily acne regiment I start with each patient.

• Acne journal – I start by asking my patients to start an acne journal. Each day I ask them to write down how there skin was in the morning, products they use in there normal routine, (cleansers, creams, make-up, perfumes and Hair products). I also ask them to put down there meals and snacks, and how there mood was that day. Anything that was different about there routine or day should also be of note sine acne can have many different triggers. It may seem like a lot of work but it has been very effective in understand individual acne.
• Basic Skin care routine- I get each patient to start a very basic and mild skin care routine including a mild cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. It is a “strip down to the basics routine so the products are very basic and mild and not acne targeting products. The reason for this is to start off fresh; since most of my patients have tried more products then they can remember.
• Healthier Diet more Exercise - I find out the kind of diet my patients have and try and help them incorporate healthier food into it. Food high in vitamin C and A help with good skin health and help to fight acne. If there not already involved in some sort of activity about 3 times a week I encourage them to start; simply by doing something they enjoy such as walking, dancing, hiking, or playing a sport. A healthier diet incorporated with exercise helps with eliminating “toxins” in the body and reduce the trigging of male hormones that effect the sebaceous glands (gland under the skin) to produce more sebum or oil. This is a major factor in acne.
• Less stress- finally I recommend reducing the stress in their lives. This can be as simple as taking time out of each day for you, just clear your mind of all you have to do or who you have to meet with. This will help relive stress and keep you focused. Stress can get out of hand and many patients I have encountered have gotten to the point of being so stressed that they become depressed with life. Mixing that with a lower self image do to acne can be a very dangerous combination for a person. If you have any negative feelings or bad thoughts remember to talk to someone you trust.

This acne regiment leads to pinpointing your problems and triggers and helps with finding the acne products and treatments that will help control your acne and lead to healthier clear skin, and a happy self image.

The relationship between acne and diet is a topic that is debated over time and time again. Since acne breakouts have different triggers for different sufferers it is hard to say if it plays and overall roll when effecting acne.

A good reason for the lack of research related to acne and diet is that any scientific studies on the topic would not result in outcome of prescribing drugs. No new drug to administer means no money, so it is near imposable to get funding for a project that has no profitable outcome. With out this research doctors and dermatologist have to assume that diet does not affect acne, especially when someone that has a fairly healthy diet has acne and one that eats poorly does not. With the many factors that determine why some people have acne determining the relationship to diet is hard.

So does diet effect acne? Luckily there has been recant research on the relationship between diet and disease in western society. These studies show that eating refined carbohydrates and sugar causes a surge in insulin and an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). This leads to an excess of male hormones, testosterone and androgens, causing the sebaceous glands (gland under the skin) to produce more sebum or oil. This combined with dead skin cells clog pores and is a great starter of acne.

If you look at most of the foods we eat today, they are all in some way processes and on top of that a great majority of the natural food that should be included in our diets is cooked. Fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their natural state provide the body with all the nutrients and enzymes required for digestion and absorption. When you cook these many of the vitamins and, minerals are lost making it harder for the body to digest and absorb the proper nutrients. As a result, we consume fewer nutrients and more acne aggravating free radicals or “toxins” are left in the blood stream. Since the digestive system is sluggish form working harder to digest, the bodies uses other means of getting rid of these toxins such as through the pores and are in the form of acne.

Looking at all the fact surrounding acne and diet it seems quite safe to say that acne can be a major player in the cause of acne. So adding more raw foods, having a healthier diet should help with controlling acne.