Help for Acne - Congresso MV

Help for Acne
Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

Acne is a condition consisting of pimples separated by a bright red rash,
usually prominent on the cheeks and chin, or other parts of the face as
well as the chest, shoulders, and back. Acne usually runs its course in 10-
15 years, and often leaves the face smooth, but sometimes pockmarked.

Acne is usually limited to the adolescent years when the oil glands of the
skin go through an extended period of active development like the rest of
the glands of the body. This may cause them to develop sensitivity and an
overgrowth in susceptible persons, whose glands may go through the same
kind of process as the interior of the nose goes through in hay fever. In
this case the oil glands become clogged, swollen, and inflamed. They are
prone to infection. The cystic form of acne can be disfiguring and include
chronic, widespread, large, and painful lumps. Pimples, red spots,
blackheads and whiteheads, swollen areas on the face, chest, shoulders, and
back usually occur just at the time in life when social relationships are
the most important, and looking nice is highly desirable.

One way to help an adolescent avoid the development of acne is by promoting
slow and steady growth in children, rather than the explosive growth often
seen at puberty in Western countries. This is done by a lifetime of
healthful diet and lifestyle. Slow down the growth of children if they are
the tallest, fattest, or biggest compared with the average on growth charts
by putting them on a moderate vegetarian diet.

Causes
Diet
The most important matter is diet. Some young dermatologists may cast doubt
on diet connections with acne, but those experienced in dealing with this
disease are aware of the value of avoiding certain food items in an effort
to stop the formation of pimples, not simply inhibit their expression or
soothe their inflammation. A totally vegetarian diet will be found to be
most helpful, eating freely of fruits and vegetables, moderately of whole
grains, and sparingly of nuts. Eat liberally of all foods richly colored
green or yellow. Gas-forming foods should be used in small quantities and
chewed well, taking small bites. These include: beans, corn, apples,
raisins, bananas, prune juice, and apple juice. Spend 30-45 minutes on a
meal, chewing food to a cream before swallowing it.

Do not mix too many foods in one meal. Besides being stimulating to the
appetite, it causes a chemical warfare inside you. Keep dishes and menus
simple. Avoid overweight or overeating. Overweight stimulates the
production of hormones that contribute to acne. Overeating encourages
"leaky gut" which has become in recent years a suspect in a wide variety of
disorders, including skin diseases. Avoid constipation by proper measures.
Fast one day weekly.


Food Sensitivities
It seems clear to us that the major cause is sensitivity to certain foods
(especially in youngsters who have had early puberty), particularly to the
combination of sweets and fats, but many other food sensitivities are
frequently involved. Various food sensitivities such as milk, sugar,
citrus, chocolate, fats (margarine, mayonnaise, fried foods, cooking fats,
salad oils), nuts, peanuts, wheat, honey, yeast, legumes, and all animal
products have been implicated.

An Elimination and Challenge diet is done by eliminating those foods most
likely to be involved for a period of two to six weeks. As soon as the acne
clears up, begin adding foods, one every five to seven days, which were
formerly eliminated. When a food causes the pimples to return, make a list
of those foods and omit them for at least one year to see if the body heals
itself.

Animal Products and Fats
Animal fats from meat, milk, eggs, and cheese are an important cause of
acne. Most experienced dermatologists and acne sufferers will attest to the
value of avoidance of chocolate, fats, and sweets. Avoid all oils. Leave
off all animal products until the condition is under control. Read labels
to be sure. Milk is especially harmful.

Sugar
Avoid sugar and honey. The value of avoidance of a high sugar diet is
attested to by the Eskimos who had eaten little or no sweets prior to 1950.
They had had no acne whatsoever, but they had a veritable explosion of it
after the Alaska-Canada Highway went through. In eight short years this
population who had always had a high fat diet from whale and seal blubber,
and other animal fats, now began taking around 120 pounds of sugar per
person per year, up from around 20 pounds per person per year. Overnight,
diseases they had never had became as common as on the mainland-acne,
diabetes, carious teeth, gallstones, and appendicitis.

Salt
Restrict salt to 1/2 teaspoon daily for six weeks as a test. Salty foods as
found in the fast foods market, chips, pork, fries, dairy products, catsup,
mustard, and vending machine items should be reduced for all, and
eliminated for some. A salt-free diet is completely curative for an
occasional case. For some, the removal of salt must be severe-no tasting,
even, of salted foods. Try it for six weeks to see if it helps. Use the
same guidelines for eliminating salt as hypertensives follow. These rules
of thumb include the following:
a. No foods from fast food places.
b. No ready prepared foods from the grocery store unless declared salt-
free.
c. No salt added at the stove.
d. No salt added at the table.
e. No dairy products as they have naturally occurring salt in large
quantities (The Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association 58.8
(1965): 839).

Minerals
Oral zinc sulphate, about 135 milligrams, significantly improved acne in 64
patients in an experimental trial (Clinical Pearls News, 9.12 (1999): 233).

Iodine triggers acne and is present in approximately 30 times the daily
requirement in the typical fast food meals served from fast food
restaurants. It is especially high in beef from the additives in animal
feed, from the salt in the fries, and in the bun. Even some residual iodine
gets into the food from the disinfectants (The New England Journal of
Medicine, November, 1990). Avoid high iodine foods such as seafoods,
seaweed, kelp, beef and pork, iodized salt, some swimming pools (the
disinfectants), and many soaps such as Betadine. Bromides are chemically
related to iodides and may promote acne. They are found in some soft
drinks, cooking oils and many cough medicines.

Avoid entirely all chemicals that end in "-ine" such as nicotine, caffeine
(coffee, tea, and colas-and all other soft drinks), theobromine
(chocolate), and all medicines that might contain them. Additives and
conditioners, etc., should be removed from the diet as much as possible as
they may produce sensitivities.

Treatments
Cleansing the Skin
Cleansing the skin every four to six hours will discourage bacterial
growth. Washing may be done with or without a washcloth. Using lukewarm
water, lather gently and thoroughly for one minute. Rinse well in lukewarm
water. Repeat a second time if heavily contaminated by dust or dirt.
Failure to cleanse the skin thoroughly, and touching the skin often with
the fingers, makes acne worse. Do not prop your hands against your face.
Touch the skin only with a clean tissue, even to scratch an itch. Keep the
hands clean and the nails short. Most people have an unconscious habit of
frequently touching the face, eyes, or lips.

Pine tar soap, such as the Grandpa's brand, should be lathered on at night
very heavily, rubbing the face with the bar, and leaving it to dry. It will
"pull" all night. Next morning rinse it off and lather up freshly and dry
the face without rinsing. Any treatment that causes irritation should be
discontinued, including the pine tar soap. Spread a thin film of lotion on
the face after careful washing of both hands and face.

Keep the hair clean by frequent shampooing (nightly or twice a week). Keep
your hair off the face either by short haircuts or pinning it back from the
face.

Cosmetics
Many cosmetics and lotions contain chemicals that may aggravate acne.
Dermatologist Nia K. Terezakis states that some of the most popular
commercial skin care products may be the greatest culprits in skin
problems. Dr. Terezakis suggests compresses of cornstarch, baking soda, or
a combination of the two.

A light coating with plain vinegar, red or white, can also encourage the
increased peeling of the skin scales. A light brushing with a soft brush
while washing the face also helps the peeling process. Sunshine will help
acne by increasing the peeling of the surface keratin and preventing
blockage of the skin glands. Do not allow sunburning. The relaxation
associated with sunbathing may also benefit acne. Get some sun on the face
each day it shines.

A tincture of cayenne can be enormously helpful in some cases. Make the
tincture yourself by putting a teaspoon of red pepper (cayenne) in a jar
with a screw cap. Add four ounces of ordinary rubbing alcohol. Swirl the
solution. It may be used immediately but does not develop full strength
until three weeks. Then the alcohol portion may be poured into a dark
dropper bottle. Use the dropper to scatter drops over the face while gently
spreading evenly with cotton tipped applicators. Avoid introducing into the
eyes, mouth, or nose.


Pimples
Do not squeeze pimples or blackheads as this often pushes the blackhead
down into the skin. Use a pimple extractor to remove