One of the most common concerns from our customers across the board is acne. It is often thought that teenagers are victoms of acne, when in fact adult onset acne is becoming more and more common.  This is partly due to our hectic lifestyles; there is no time to eat properly, relax and be fully aware of how we are treating ourselves.  It is the most frustrating thing when people sail through their teenage years and then hit their 20’s, 30’s or even 40’s waking up with little surprises known as the dreaded pimple.  Acne is not just a nuisance because it does not look attractive, but it is also painful in some cases.  Once acne is out of control it can lead to depression.  Remember that acne is a way for your body to tell you that something is wrong. 

Acne may be telling you that either your body is:

1. Under stress.
2. Going through some hormonal changes: teenage years, pregnancy, or menopause/PMS.
3. Producing excessive sebum.
4. Inflammed usually from the foods we consume.
5. Not getting the right nutrition, i.e. too much coffee, too much deep fried foods.
6. Under oxidative stress.

Steps you can take to deal with your Acne:

1. There is no other way to say this; eat a cleaner diet.  Essentially we are what we eat.  If you drink 3 cups of coffee per day, start to cutt it down to perhaps one a day.  Regular coffee is acidic and makes your body inflammed.  Acne is a sign that your body is inflammed.  Also, if you eat at the food court or fast food 5 days a week, cut it down to 2 days per week, the rest of the days get yourself in a routine of making your own lunch.  If you make a salad make your own dressing!  Store bought dressings are not the best for you.  Suggestion would be to use extra virgin olive oil, or flax oil, or Nutrasea Fish oil and mix in some balsamic.  Then just crack in some pepper and you are finished!  If you are too busy to make sure that you consume the right amount of vitamins and minerals take a multivitamin, a greens + supplement and a tasty protein shake.
2. Reduce your stress in a way that works for you.  Remember to breath while you are at work.  Take a walk everyday even if it is for just 10 minutes.  It is very important to get away from your cell phone, computer, car, T.V and even music.  It is important to hear your own thoughts and smell the air outside.  Another way to relax is to stretch every day.  I try to make sure a get a little stretch in during my break at work.  Stretching as well as exercise releases endorphines, which leads to a good mood.  Remember to take care of yourself first and foremost even if you are a nurse, doctor, or mother for example.  You are the most important and the only way to help others is to make sure you are in tip top shape.  Also, there are many supplements you can take to help you manage your stress such as: B-Complex, Holy Basal, Rhodiola, Royal Jelly, a good multi vitamin etc.
3. Don’t do too much with your skin.  Don’t touch it all the time.  Use a mild cleanser, sometimes people use something as simple as a bar of vitamin E soap.  Don’t get too fancy with creams.  Keep your regime simple. SebaMed is gentle for sensitive skin.  Viva and Derma E are excellent skin care lines with no chemicals.
4. Lastly, if you are noticing that acne is only a problem during your period, and you know that it must be hormonal you can try safe and natural supplements to restore your hormones back into balance.  Lorna Vanderhaeghe has a fantastic product called Estrosense, there is also a product by Derma Med called Troubled Skin that has a little bit of the important Omega 6 oils that help balance hormones such as Evening Primrose, and borage oil.   

This is the end of part 1.  Stay tuned for part 2 on how to conquer acne.  Remember that while acne can be complicated and that everyone can have acne for many different reasons, these are basic lifestyle changes that will not harm you and will not only help you with acne, but it will make you healthier in other areas as well.  You have nothing to loose by trying to make simple changes.  Remember that we are all in this together!  We only have one body and one set of everything: eyes, ears, nose, heart etc so we might as well look after what we have.  As always we look forward to helping you at Alive Health Centre, Supplements Plus  and Morning Sun. 

Happy New Year!