I was doing some research today and stumbled across this awesome book on adult acne.
This book just proves what I’ve always said about teenage and adult acne - that both conditions can be very different and often can’t be treated in the same way.
What I love about this book is it delves into the psych of dealing with acne. You know - the frustration, depression and social isolation that can go with having spots. This is a topic that is often only brushed over, But Dr. Fried goes into great detail on how and why acne sufferers can experience these unwanted thoughts and emotions, and how we can combat them.
I went for a skate with a friend this morning. Before we left I caught my skin in bad lighting and saw a scattering of small white heads over my left cheek. These whiteheads scare me because I know they’re the result of clogged pores and they can turn into a pimple. I never experienced these until I first started getting acne a year ago. So I was feeling particularly down about my skin today, and when my friend pulled out his iRiver mp3 player, plugged it into his ears and started listening to Eckhart Tolle’s interview with Oprah about his The Power Of Now book, I put my head down and skated along feeling miserable about life and my skin.
It wasn’t too long into the skate that my friend turned to me and gave me the iRiver and told me to listen to it. It was a question from a caller for Eckhart. The caller was suffering from a chronic disease and did not know how to turn her mind off from her illness. Her identity had become the disease. This is how I sometimes feel with acne, especially considering I write and video about it every day. I feel as though I’m not Fran anymore, I’m Fran with acne. Well, that is how I look at myself anyway.
So the message to the caller in the interview, and the message that I received from Eckhart was to no longer associate yourself as the disease. Stop thinking about it and talking about it with everyone because you’re only giving it too much attention and focus that can make it worse. Instead focus on healing and well being. Fully surrender to your condition and do the treatments that you have to, but leave it at that. If you give it too much focus and let it consume your mind, then it will become a psychological condition which mine already has!
I thought this was a beautiful message, and something that I’m going to carry with me and keep reminding myself when I can. It’s almost funny how when I pass a mirror now I don’t see my little bumps as badly as I did this morning. You know why? Because I’m no longer giving them my full focus. I’m looking at my entire self in the mirror, not just my spots.
So back to the topic - the book. I love a book that first, talks about adult acne because most resources are for teenagers, and secondly talks about the psychological aspects of dealing with problem skin.
Dr Fried is a very knowledgeable man on the subject and runs a practice that helps a lot of acne sufferers. He seems to be similar to Dr Perricone but a little friendlier and explains stuff in a much easier to read way (sorry Dr Perricone).
If you’re an adult and you suffer from acne, I definitely recommend this book. It’s a fantastic resource on the treatment options available for acne sufferers, including both natural and conventional treatments. It also explains in great detail why as an adult we get acne, and what needs to be done to heal both our body and our mind 
If you’d like to find out more about the book, or even get yourself a copy, follow this link:
Healing Adult Acne: Your Guide to Clear Skin And Self-confidence
Fran
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.
2 responses ↓
Do you like any of the other Philosophy products? What about the moisturizers?
Hmm, I haven’t tried any of the other products. I think at the moment I’m happy with their cleanser. I was considering trying one of their exfoliants (it’s called …something ..micro ..peel?) but it’s a 2 step process and really expensive and of course, not natural. So at the moment I’m going to stick with adding baking-soda into my cleanser.
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