I mentioned briefly in my last post about acne and how different it can be for teenagers and adults. I can’t stress how important this is. If you’re an adult and you suffer from acne, please don’t attempt to treat your acne in the same way that you did when you were a teenager. Also please shut your eyes when you see an advertisement on TV or on the Internet about miracle acne topical creams, lotions and potions that are supposed to be for teenagers.
The fact is, if you’re over 25 and you suffer from moderate to severe acne, then you’ll either have a large amount of stress in your life, or some kind of hormonal imbalance from pregnancy, or going on or off the pill. To properly fix your acne, you will need to fix the cause of the problem. This means, removing the stress from your life or balancing your hormones through diet and natural supplements.
Topicals that are designed for teenagers will just dry out your skin, cause premature aging, and in fact make your skin worse when you decide to stop using them.
I tried two different Benzoyl Peroxide treatments which are supposed to be the ‘gold’ of acne treatments (one of these was the well known Proactiv). Not only did these products dry my skin out, but they also gave me cystic acne. Yes, my skin did improve by 95%, but as soon as I was fed up with having dry itchy skin and stopped using it, my acne came back with vengeance, even when I was sticking to an uber healthy diet and practicing daily yoga and meditation. I really believe that these harsh chemicals played havoc on the natural oil balance of my skin and the dry skin blocked my pores and made me break out with whiteheads and pimples. Two weeks after stopping the use of Benzoyl Peroxide, I counted ten cysts on my face. That’s a lot of nasty yucky cysts.
If you’re an adult and you suffer from acne, I strongly advise you to adopt a healthy lifestyle first, before you try anything else. Start to eat really healthy, exercise, meditate and try and relax and de stress as much as you can. If this doesn’t work for a period of three months (this is often how long it takes to notice change in your skin), then go and visit a naturopath. Ask your friends and family and find a really good one, it’s best to go with a naturopath that’s been recommended by someone. The naturopath should be able to give you natural supplements that will help fix the cause of the problem. If after an additional three months there is still no change, then go to the doctor.
Listen to all the choices the doctor gives you but whatever you do, do not take accutane. Accutane has horrible side affects including suicidal thoughts, which is just not worth it. The pill and antibiotics are two medications that are commonly taken for acne which don’t have the same serious side affects as accutane.
Why leave the doctor and medications as a last resort?
Because in most cases, acne can be treated holistically. The natural way is always the better way because it’s the healthiest and the most long term. If you can fix your acne through diet and relaxation, then you are not putting any chemicals into your body, nor are you interfering with your bodies natural processes in the same way that antibiotics and the pill can.
If you have any questions about any of this, please leave me a comment. I know how horrible adult acne can be. I’ve spent literally hours researching to try and fix my own problem skin and have tried a heap of different natural remedies and topical gels, so I have a fairly good idea as to what does and doesn’t work.
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.
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