This article was written by my friend Clara Myers from Face Natural. Clara knows a ton about natural skin care, so had some great tips about diet and acne that she wanted she share with you 
Clara’s also included a recipe for an amazing pore cleaning mask which I’m really keen on trying.
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What’s new for acne sufferers? Well, it’s not so much that there’s new information as much as what’s known has been refined. A common myth is that adolescents and young adults get acne because of a diet heavy in sugar- sodas, chocolate, and ice cream for example. Lately, increasingly large numbers of adults way past puberty have been experiencing acne. Obviously, there must be another cause other than sugary foods.
Diet does affect acne, but not in the way you may think. An Australian doctor, Dr. Neil Mann, noticed that in traditional societies where the diet was based on minimally processed foods, acne was almost non existent.
Dr. Mann conducted a study in which participants ate natural foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean red meat, seafood and whole grains, with processed food and takeouts kept to a minimum.
Over the course of 12 weeks on this diet, acne was reduced by 50 percent.
A great side effect of the diet was that there was a decrease in insulin resistance. Why is this important? Have you ever heard the expression raging hormones? In the case of teens, it’s not just an expression. The fluctuation of hormones during the adolescent years is a another cause of acne. Testosterone and growth factor hormone are both responsible for eruptions on the skin. Participants in Dr. Mann’s study also had a decrease in the hormones related to acne.
While diet is the root of acne problems, there are things you can do in the meantime to expedite your journey to clear skin such as the use of herbs. Over-the-counter acne treatments can be harsh and often contain chemicals that may actually make acne worse. A good alternative is to use herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. Consider doing one or two of the following–
- Take an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement. This type of fat possesses remarkable antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. It helps to maintain healthy cell membranes and aids in the transportation of nutrients throughout your body.
- Chamomile tea is an old remedy that will help calm irritated skin. You can drink it, steam your face with it, or wash your face with it. If you feel a zit forming, steam your face with chamomile tea and hold a tea bag over the spot for a few minutes
- Moisturize your skin. Even oily skin needs moisture and the best way is to drink lots of water. Water will also carry toxins out of your body, and it’s pretty much free.
- Clay masks are another good remedy for pimples. Clay is more than just mud, it contains minerals that help clear your skin. Bentonite clay is a great one for masks because it contains volcanic ash that will pull toxins from your skin. A recipe I’ve had success with is as follows–
Amazing Pore Cleaning Mask
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons Bentonite clay
1/2 teaspoon glycerin
5 teaspoons Water or Hydrosol
2 drops of rose geranium essential oil
Handling acne doesn’t have to be about tubes of chemicals that dry out your skin and expensive prescriptions from the dermatologist. If you get your diet under control and combine that with a few herbal remedies, you should definitely see an improvement in your skin.
Clara Myers
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For more tips on diet and acne, and how to cure your acne once and for all, join the High on Health free mini-course. Join by submitting your first name and email in the box on the right hand side bar.
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
10 responses ↓
[...] acne treatments. Way to go Frannie! So head over there and check out her great blog–and my guest post too [...]
Diet Remedy For Treating Acne — High on health…
Just like taxes and the poor, acne will always be with us. Luckily, science has found the root of treating acne lies in your diet. A study conducted in Australia has found a way to reduce acne by 50 percent–and that’s without expensive prescriptions …
Good advice. Nice article. Lots of useful info.
Even with a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables over the course of 12 weeks, acne was only reduced by 50%?? I would expect a higher percentage and that figure is disappointing to me. So is it only 50% because of hormones that cannot be controlled? But I thought that such a diet would at least regulate/restore hormonal imbalances, therefore reducing skin problems by way more than 50%.
Hi Alexi- I think Clara wrote 50% to be safe, because it varies from person to person. It also depends on how disiplined the person is with their diet, and what diet they follow in the first place.
Just to clarify - there are many cases of acne being cleared 100% by food and diet alone. And studies have now been done in Australia with teenage acne and low glycemic diets, with results better than 50%
i think the written informations r the best i have ever read ….. cz it both includes inside and outside natural remedies …
Hi Fran. I really do believe that chamomile is helping me. I drank it daily for breakfast while I was in Mexico and my skin had no problems. I stopped when I came home and my skin was awful. I have started drinking it again for the nearly three weeks, and the past week my skin has been great. Even while I was PMSing I didn’t have big breakouts, just teeny tiny ones.
does that mean teens cant cure their acne through diet?
Zoe,
teens totally can!!! I did I’m 15. Over the summer I went on a strict diet I ate eggs, little fruit, lots of veggies, I tanned alot in the sun, a healthy amount. NO grains, sugar, wheat, or dairy this is KEY. After about a month I added brown rice into my diet again. Along with clear amazing skin. I got so skinny and toned, just from cutting out these foods. Good Luck!
Amber, why eat little fruit? they’re healthy lol
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