Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Cure Acne Scarring Naturally

By Francisco Lakay

High school should be the most memorable time for anyone, but not for the wrong reasons. Mine was definitely memorable and mainly due to my unsightly acne and blackhead stricken face! I was embarrassed the whole time, did not even look people in the eye, AND would know exactly when my shoes were dirty ... because I would be looking at my feet the whole time!

Every morning I would wake up, steam my face, scrub my face, pick a few zits and feel miserable all over again. I tried every possible product on the market, went to the doctor even, but the acne was still around. I even stopped looking in the mirror because of what I would see staring back at me: red and inflamed acne and blackheads on a shiny, oily face. Yep, I had it pretty bad! I got so desperate that I kept on telling myself that the next product, or maybe even the very next product would clear up my skin permanently ... didn't happen ;(

So I decided to read up all the possible info I could lay my hands on about acne. It sure was an extensive read - talk about system overload. Nevertheless, I got to understand the causes and effects behind acne, pimples, blackheads and problem skin. And I started implementing all those information into my daily lifestyle and got back awesome results! Today I have been acne free with clear, blemish-free skin for years non-stop. The flipside though is that I don't notice anymore that my shoes have become dirty :)

Yours in clear skin,
Francisco M. Lakay (http://cureacne123.blogspot.com)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francisco_Lakay

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Are You Addicted To Your Acne Trigger?

An acne trigger is any thought, location, feeling, food, emotion, response, drink, drug, memory and/or experience that sets off a series of hormonal reactions in your body that ultimately result in an acne formation.

If a food or drink is the culprit behind your acne breakouts you may actually be addicted to your preferred culinary delight. The allergy addition could stem from the body's response to frequently consumed allergens. During an allergic response, the body releases endorphins. These endorphins in turn create the feeling of a natural high. Any substance that promotes this fleeting state of euphoria may be additive. So, you may be eating a food that you are allergic to just to get high, and as an after blow, you get acne. Ouch.

Surprisingly, eating a lot of any particular food, even a "healthy food", can incite an allergic response. Though still unexplainable, the food creates an immune response and/or stresses specific digestive enzymes. Poor digestion can irritate the body in multiple ways, generating an allergic response.

One way to decide whether or not you are allergic to a certain food is to examine the foods your most often crave. Are you eating the food to experience a gastronomic high? Foods containing chocolate, dairy, wheat, corn, tomatoes, and soy are common sources of food allergens.

Sources and additional reading:
The Inflammation Syndrome: The complete nutritional program to prevent and reverse heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, allergies, asthma. Jack Challem. John Wiley & Sons. 2003.
Stop Inflammation Now! A step-by-step plan to prevent, treat, and reverse inflammation- the leading cause of heart disease and related conditions. Richard M. Flemming, M.D. with Tom Monte. G.P. Putman's Sons. 2004.
Health author and Noixia campaigner Naweko San-Joyz lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. Her works include "Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne" (ISBN: 0974912204) and the upcoming work "Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we're still not getting this dieting thing" (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in June of 2005.
For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.noixia.com/

An Introduction To Acne Treatment

Nearly 17 million people in the United States have acne, making it the most common skin disease. Acne affects almost all teenagers as well as a growing number of adults. It attacks all kinds of skin - with little regard to race or gender - on the face, neck, chest, back, shoulders, and upper arms. It can take the form of whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, nodules and cysts ? even permanent scars. Often, acne clears up after several years, even without treatment. Sometimes, however, action needs to be taken.

Acne is formed when skin cells inside hair follicles shed too fast and clump together, plugging up the follicle and causing a pimple. While mostly genetic, acne can be aggravated by any combination of stress, hormonal activity, hyperactive sebaceous glands, accumulation of dead skin cells, bacteria in the pores, skin irritation or scratching of any sort, anabolic steroids, medications containing halogens (iodides, chlorides, bromides), moisturizer overuse, hair removal, lithium, barbiturates, androgens, or exposure to high levels of chlorine compounds.

Many acne sufferers think they have no recourse but to wait it out and pray that theirs is not a severe case. Today, an overwhelming variety of preventions and treatments exist to combat every kind of acne, from the humblest of whiteheads to the most vicious cystic inflammations. From kitchen to pharmacy to natural food store to dermatologist's office, there are dozens and dozens of treatment routes you can take, depending on your case of acne.

Over-the-counter topical treatments are your first line of defense against acne outbreaks. Benzoyl peroxide is the most popular chemical for this type of treatment, coming in such sommonly known brands as Clearasil, Oxy, and Neutrogena. It is important to treat acne early on, as all treatments are actually preventions against later outbreaks. For more severe cases, there are oral and topical prescription medications, as well as traditional or laser surgery.

Acne Treatment Info provides detailed information on the best acne treatments, including laser acne treatment, and scar treatment, as well as adult, natural, home treatment, and more. Acne Treatment Info is the sister site of Microdermabrasion Web.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

An Acne Home Remedy Does Exist, Will It Work For You?

Have you tried an acne home remedy? There are an amazing amount of products that are probably sitting in your kitchen right now, just waiting for you to put them on your face! You might be surprised at how helpful these acne home remedies can be. An acne home remedy may be more effective than you thought.

In this day and age, many of us are used to buying our cosmetics in pretty bottle form, with the name of some well-known manufacturer on the side. And while there is no doubt that skincare specialists are working hard to bring us the most up-to-date combinations of chemical ingredients to help our skin look good, many of the basic ingredients they use can be found in our own kitchens, just waiting for us to use them as acne home remedies!

Homemade acne remedies can be as easy to put together as slicing a lemon. The astringent properties of this fruit make it a wonderful acne home remedy. Simply rub a slice of lemon over your skin before you go to bed at night, and see how clear it looks in the morning. Tomatoes are also a great acne home remedy, and can be used in the same way.

Other effective homemade acne remedies include garlic, which can be applied directly to spots and pimples. An application of mint juice is also helpful in treating skin conditions, including acne, insect bites, and even cuts and scrapes.

Raw papaya can also help reduce the swelling and soreness of those angry, sore pimples, as can a paste made from the peel of oranges. There really are a multitude of products available right from your kitchen that can be used as an acne home remedy.

While many of these products are the basis for the expensive cleansers that you will find at the drugstore, using them in a natural form can take a little more time. But remember that these natural acne home remedies can also be kinder to your skin than their manufactured counterparts, which can ultimately have a more healthful effect on the condition of your skin.

Your kitchen contains many products that could be your acne home remedy. If you are fed up trying those sometimes harsh, highly processed skincare products, then a homemade acne remedy might be the refreshing change that makes a real difference to your skin.

An acne home remedy may work better than you thought.
Find out more about Acne as well as Home Treatment for Acne and Adult Acne, Acne Skin Care Products, the Best Acne Treatments and more at Peter's website, Acne All Gone.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

An Acne Herbal Hand And Footbath

In a book I read by William L. Fischer called Hidden Secrets of Super Perfect Health at Any Age, Book II, 1986, I learn how to do herbal footbaths.
In chapter 10, The F-M Circulizer System, Fischer discusses the use of an herbal footbath. After reading this chapter, I realized how herbs in a footbath could improve your skin and help you eliminate acne.
This book was written in 1986 and Fischer claims herbal footbaths have been in use overseas since 1946!
Now, you can do either a footbath or a hand bath. Once you prepare a container with hot water you can put your feet or hands into it and get the same results.
If you already have foot spa, thank your mother, sister, or whoever bought it because you're in for a treat. If you don't, with $20 or $30 you can get one just like I did.
When you use a heated footbath, veins in your feet start to expand. Over a period of 15-20 minute, the warm water affects your entire vascular (blood) system and you get improved blood circulation.

By adding an herbal infusion into the hot water in the footbath, minerals and other phytochemicals from the herbs enter the soles of your feet and into your blood stream.
This means that you can introduce herbal phytochemicals into your blood stream using the footbath. During your footbath, these herbal chemicals quickly circulated throughout your body and get to work neutralizing acid, killing bacteria, and improving your skin circulation.

Here is an herbal combination you can use. This herbal combination was taken and modified slightly from a book written by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., called The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, 1986. Mowrey says,
"This (herbal) blend attacks external skin disorders from within, purifying the blood, carrying away waste, reinforcing the blood's ability to ward off infectious agents."

The herbal combination to use is:
* Dandelion root - purifies blood and improves liver function
* Yellow dock root - purifies blood, helps liver, is anti-bacterial
* Saraparilla root - has antibiotic action, promotes waste elimination through urine and sweating
* Echinacea - increases immunity and promotes skin healing
* Licorice - protects the liver so that it can detoxify the blood better
* Kelp - provide minerals and vitamins and binds heavy metal that are bad for health
* Chaparral - is anti-microbial making effective against acne.
* Fresh Garlic - cut up a few cubes of garlic and place them into the hot water. Garlic is has antibacterial properties.
Buy one ounce of each herb and mix them.

Here's how to do the herbal hand or footbath:
* Place 2-3 tablespoons of herbal mix into 1 ½ cups of water
* Boil the water with herbs - use only a glass, porcelain, or stainless steel container
* After water starts to boil, pull the container off the stove
* Let tea sit for 15-30 minutes. The longer the tea sits the stronger the tea and its effects
* Prepare your foot spa with water
* Strain the tea to remove leaves and roots
* Poor tea and cut garlic into the foot spa
* Place your feet or hands in the hot water for 15 - 30 minutes.
Use the this footbath daily for 14-21 days in the morning for getting rid of acne.
I have been using a foot spa for many different conditions for my family and myself. I really like using the footbath. It is a convenient way to by pass your digestive system and get more nutrients into your body.

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid ebooks. He writes a newsletter call "natural-remedies-thatwork.com." More acne hints and information on his acne e-book can be found at: http://www.acne-remedies.for--you.info/

Monday, June 11, 2007

An Acne Fetish Is No Laughing Matter

While it may be easy to scoff off an acne fetish with remarks like, "I don't have that problem," this condition is more common than properly acknowledged. A fetish is an object of unreasonably obsessive attention or regard. Thus, extreme attention given to zits and pimples characterize an acne fetish. Two clinical forms of an acne fetish include excoriated acne and imagined acne.

Excoriated acne occurs when an acne patient continues to pick at or squeeze acne formations on their face, never allowing the skin to heal. This constant picking aggravates the acne condition and often times leaves severe scarring. Imagined acne happens when a patient is convinced she has acne but in reality does not. This person may have one small pimple and blow the existence of the pimple out of proportion and view it as a severe case of acne.

Underlying both of these acne fetishes is the fear of being ugly, or dysmorphophobia. It's an easy psychological state to acquire in a society that increasingly places more value on superficial looks than personal traits.
Steps to combating an acne fetish include: Spending less time self-critiquing in front of the mirror; and embellishing your talents.

Even a hiatus from mirror visits may help an acne fetish. If you do look in the mirror, focus on elements of your face besides the zits. For instance, look at the color of your eyes or the size of your lips, without criticizing of course. You may have lovely eyelashes or the perfect eyebrows. Whenever you look in the mirror stop making negative judgments about yourself. If you do find yourself ridiculing yourself and wanting to burst a zit in a rushed desire for clear skin, just remind yourself that every zit that you prematurely pop may encourage the formation of 3 completely new zits.

Focus on your greatest assets as a person, or cultivate new skills. You may be an awesome guitar player or fabulous singer, give yourself recognition for your strengths. Do something that you've always wanted to do, but did not do because you felt having acne precludes you from this activity.

In the final analysis, healing an acne fetish starts with recognizing that this condition has serious medical repercussions. An acne fetish can debilitate one's self-esteem while encouraging needless facial scarring. If you think you have an acne fetish, you can get help from a qualified dermatologist, psychologists or just talk it over with some really cool and understanding friends.
Naweko San-Joyz is creator of the Acne Messages program, the only acne program to combine the latest scientific research and ancient wisdom to deliver an acne cure as unique as the acne sufferer. As there are millions of people with acne, there are a millions cures, find your unique cure with Acne Messages.
ISBN: 0974912204 available at Amazon and Noixia.com, Home of Six Billion Natural Cures for Acne

Thursday, June 7, 2007

A Look At Microdermabrasion Machines

Microdermabrasion systems are safe for most all skin types. Microdermabrasion systems actually evolved from a process known as dermabrasion. Though effective, especially for serious dermis scarring, dermabrasion is harsh, requiring a metallic re-surfacing tool, anesthesia, and long recovery times. Microdermabrasion systems, however, gently smooth signs of aging, sun damage, and scarring with micro-crystal creams. The beauty of micro-crystal creams is how powerfully they polish the skin, but remains gentle and forgiving.

A special cleansing device circulates a cream, infused with tiny exfoliating crystals (aluminum oxide), directly onto the skin. These micro-crystals deep clean the skin's outer-most layer of dead skin cells and other debris, while the re-surfacing wand massages the upper-most surface tissue, clears pores, and jumpstarts circulation. In turn, creating a fresh skin surface that diminishes the appearance of wrinkles, lines, spots, blemishes, uneven skin surfaces, and scarring caused by acne, childbirth, weight gain, aging, sun damage, or genetics.

The process is not painful but more like a deep cleansing tissue massage. The re-surfacing tool has various strength levels and is easy to control. Most licensed estheticians and cosmetologists, RNs, or doctors perform professional microdermabrasion services using a closed-loop vacuum system, to include a waste catching canister. Professional operators of microdermabrasion systems are required to be trained. Home systems are also available, and usually provide training manuals.

Microdermabrasion equipment is adjustable and easily tailored to your specific beauty needs. Most systems include the following basic components: hand-held resurfacing tool that applies exfoliating solutions, specially formulated creams infused with exfoliating micro-crystals (aluminum oxide), and various foam attachments designed for polishing all skin surfaces.

Most major cosmetic manufacturers sell microdermabrason equipment, many are conveniently available online. Simply conduct a search for "microdermabrasion systems." Professional level microdermabrasion equipment is also available on the web, targeting salons, cosmetic surgeons, and entrepreneurs. The professional equipment is similar to many home systems in that they both use a buffing wand that applies micro-crystals. The primary differences between the two is that professional microdermabrasion equipment offers a re-surfacing device that simultaneously vacuums or sweeps the debris clear and increases tissue stimulation, while having more power and durability due to repeated use and varied clientele needs.

Microdermabrasion equipment ranges from inexpensive do-it-yourself lotion packages to medical and salon machines costing several thousands of dollars. This technology empowers you to experience serious skin improvements from home, at the salon, or in your dermatologist's office without the inconvenience and risks involved with surgery, lasers, and chemicals.
Microdermabrasion Info provides detailed information on microdermabrasion, a progressive skin re-surfacing technique that targets wrinkles, lines, superficial scarring, stretch marks, acne, and sun damage. Microdermabrasion Info is the sister site of Acne Treatment Web.