Entries from February 2008 ↓

I’ve already posted a few articles on food and acne, but I thought I’d record a series of videos as well because I’ve got a lot to say about it.

This is the first one I recorded. It talks about why the food you eat can aggravate your acne, and why at the same time it’s important not to become too obsessed about what you eat.

I’ve always been fascinated with food. I don’t drink alcohol or take drugs or even go to clubs anymore so food is my small pleasure in life! I love to eat well too, and have studied a bit of nutritional medicine at the Australian College of Natural Medicine. I was so overwhelmed when I did my study at how complex food and ‘eating well’ can be. And I was also very surprised to discover that I wasn’t eating as well as I thought.

The next video in this series will be available soon.

Fran

Thanks Becky for your great blog article on Himalayan Salt. It inspired me to look into how the salt could possibly help acne sufferers, and I did find a couple of interesting resources. This is a very short video on how the salt can help conditions like acne and psoriasis:

The salt works on the skin by drawing out toxins. Toxins in the body and under the skin are just one of the causes of acne.

Now I don’t think Himalayan salt is the miracle cure to treating acne, or any skin condition for that matter. But if you’re looking into detoxing your body, you might want to look into Himalayan salt before you go on some crazy juice only or air only diet.

I also found an interesting article written on George Cleanthou’s blog ‘Acne Reviews, Acne Treatments & More …’ about using Himalayan salt for treating acne. This is an excerpt from his article:

The best product I have found for the treatment of active acne is by far Himalayan Crystal Salt. This is not advertised as a treatment for acne and usually cannot be bought from your local chemist. I purchase mine online in a bar form (i.e. in the shape of a soap bar). Crystal salt is easy to apply (just wet the bar and apply to skin), it is cheap to buy, and is 100% completely natural. Himalyan Crystal Salt has over 90 of the elements concentrated over 250million years. It works much like salt water does, by drying the skin and allowing it to absorb the nutrients. You may be wondering why this is such an effective treatment but think of any surfers or swimmers that you know. How many have acne? None. Salt is one of the most effective treatments against any infection and is an essential part of the human body. And by drying the skin (naturally) it prevents the development of further acne. You should apply it to affected areas anywhere on the body at least 2 times a day for the best results.

I don’t 100% agree with George, I think drying the skin out too much can aggravate the skin and I do know a surfer that does get a spot every now and again. However, he has a good point. Swimming in the ocean is great for your body and for your skin and it’s a well known fact that good quality natural salts do have some healing powers.

Fran

I’ve heard a lot about these ‘zit zappers’ all through the Internet, but I’ve never seen something quite this …err…pretty. I can’t believe this cute little pink thing that looks like a mobile phone is actually a device for getting rid of your pimples. Wow.

This pink one is called the zeno and works by treating inflammations through heat. What? Heat cures acne? This is what zeno had to say on their website:

Zeno stimulates a heat-shock response in p. acnes, the bacteria causing at least 90% of all acne blemishes. Heat shock proteins, activated by bacterial cells under heat stress, cause the self-destruction of p. acnes within the lesion, reducing inflammation and allowing the skin to return to a healthy state.

This sounds great, and I’m eager to try one because it sounds a lot faster and certainly cleaner at treating spots than using something like …tee tree oil or apple cider vinegar (which can make your skin a little smelly and dry).

There are a few brands you can choose from that all seem to do pretty much the same thing. This one is the ‘thermaclear’.

Reading a few reviews and blog articles about these products started to get me excited and of course the uncontrollable impulse thought popped into my head “where can I buy one!?”. The main problem I can see with a device like this - and what is stopping me from buying one - is the cost. At $150 (or $189 if you want a pretty pink one - yes please!) it’s a hefty price to pay. Especially when you have to fork out a further $25 every time you need to replace the cartridge.

Until I can trial one out, you can read bellasugar’s review on her blog. She has a really useful table which compares the zeno and thermaclear devices.

The zappers work on inflammatory acne, so don’t bother using it to try and get rid of your blackheads. You can however treat an inflamed pimple as soon as it appears, so it’s good at preventing that really annoying and embarrassing pussy head.

Fran

This video is REALLY cheesy in the beginning but it’s worth it to keep watching. It explains in good detail why raw cocoa is so good for you and how it can even help your skin.

I disagree with them when it comes to eating chocolate three times a day to improve your health. I think ‘healthy’ chocolate can be added to your diet, sure, but using it as a supplement seems a little strange. Unless of course your naturopath orders it

There are a few brands like this popping up. When searching for a healthy chocolate all you need to do is check that the cocoa is cold compressed and that it does not contain refined sugar.

It’s important for the cocoa to be cold compressed because this ensures it keeps all its nutrients. Most cocoa powder is heat extracted (up to 150 degrees celsius) with solvents from low-grade chocolate bean varieties resulting in a bitter, oxidized product that has very little if any health benefits. Cold compressed cocoa has 360% more antioxidants than regular cocoa, and is packed full of nutrients that are good for both your body and your skin.

Happy chocolate shopping!

Fran

I bumped into a couple of friends of mine when I was out yesterday. The topic of my blog came up and my friend asked me “why don’t you just take roaccutane”. I was kind of taken aback because I thought most people that knew me well would know that I don’t promote taking this product as the most desirable acne treatment …so I didn’t have a very good comeback at the time I think I mentioned suicidal thoughts as a possible side effect, which he said back to me that not everybody gets - which is true.

I realise that I may sound as though I’m 100% against oral medications and topical gels and creams for treating acne, but really I’m not.

However, there are two very good reasons why I choose not to promote oral medications as the best acne treatment, and why I prefer to exhaust natural alternatives first. Continue reading →