Acne Relief

Posts Tagged ‘vitamins’

It could not have been more than five minutes after I posted best way to get rid of acne, that I received an email from my friend Clark who was writing to tell me about chocolate as an acne treatment. Since it wasn’t a good time for me and Clark is somewhat of a practical joker I didn’t pay much attention and put it off to the side to take a look at later. Clark lives in Hershey Pennsylvania so my first thought was this is his way to boost chocolate sales in a downturned market. Well today I finally around to following up (actually it totally slipped my mind) and clicked on some links in the email that takes me to information for a company in England called Frutel’s. I poked around some of the company literature and sure enough they are pitching chocolate as a way to get rid of acne.

Let me preface myself here. I am by nature a very critical person. It probably started when I was a little kid and took thinks apart for no other reason than to put them back together. As I got older and started to see things through more educated eyes, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was living in a world where people were constantly selling and being sold to. When I developed acne issues I got a front row seat on the consumer roller coaster.

Initially I thought I’d go to the doctor and bada bing I would get rid of my acne. When the results were unsatisfactory to say the least the Doc tinkered around with some more pills and potions, told me to lay off the fried foods and candy and my mom and dad were now making the doctor’s car payments. It was starting to appear the doctor was not trying to cure my acne as much as setting me up on the acne product purchase plan. I just wanted to let you know a little something before I get back to the Willie Wonka acne chocolate bar.

From a promotional advertising point of view I love the idea of a chocolate as a way to get rid of acne. With the exception of all fried foods, I can think of no other food that is more associated with the cause of acne than chocolate. To take that perception and twist it as a way to get rid of acne is brilliant in my humble opinion. I also can appreciate what appears to be their company philosophy that acne has to be treated from the inside out. Pimples and zits are the symptoms of an out of whack hormonal and dietary system. Acne isn’t the problem it is the result. The question becomes whether adding vitamins and minerals to chocolate is the solution.

While chocolate will not cause acne I am at a loss to find its nutrition specific acne fighting benefit. Without getting all technical on its molecular structure and its nutritional value there really isn’t a specific reason to include this food per the discussion of this post. While I grant eating chocolate has a certain emotional and euphoric benefit it would appear that in the case of getting rid of acne, its main reason for being are promotional and commercial. The other aspect of these products is vitamin and mineral supplements. While vitamin and mineral deficiencies can and do causes hormonal change as well as a host other problems. Is it really necessary to put it in chocolate and charge a premium? Can’t I just run down to the corner and grab the latest Flintstone chewable’ and be done with it. Also I would be interested in how the heat in the processing of this chocolate delectable affects their potency.

All in all it seems to me to be a big waste of time and money. The best way to get rid of acne is to get your vitamins and minerals by eating a healthy diet. If you want chocolate there is always the Hershey bar.

You really are what you eat. This means that if you have a problem with acne vitamins and mineral supplements may make the difference between getting your skin under control and suffering for most of your young adult life with outbreaks.

Vitamin A is used as a prescribed medical treatment for acne, not just as an acne vitamin. Marketed as Accutane or Retin-A, megadoses of a specific subtype of vitamin A have been proven to reduce the problem of acne in even the most stubborn cases. However, the dosage required can be dangerous in some cases. For instance, it can cause birth defects to the unborn children of pregnant women who take it. It also causes the skin to be especially susceptible to sun damage. It’s usually prescribed by a doctor only after other regimens have not worked. A course of therapy lasts up to twenty weeks in most people.

Over-the-Counter Vitamins for Acne

If you’re not ready to plunge into the Accutane world, there are several other acne vitamins you can supplement your diet with to promote overall skin health and to help reduce and even cure your acne problems. Ordinary vitamin A supplements, if not taken in too-high dosages, can produce many of the same effects as Accutane, but won’t carry the same side effects. Be careful to not exceed the recommended daily allowance.

Vitamin E is known to be a great vitamin for overall skin health, and it can help fight low-grade cases of acne. While most people take vitamin E by mouth, the capsules usually come in a gel-coated liquid form. The liquid inside each capsule can be applied directly to the skin, but those who have sensitive skin may find this to be irritating rather than helpful.

If you take acne vitamins E and A, you should also take a zinc supplement with them. Zinc doesn’t directly affect the skin, but it does enhance the absorption of vitamin A and helps keep the levels of vitamin E in the blood stable. Zinc, applied directly to the skin, can also kill surface bacteria. A high-zinc concentrate ointment, such as Desitin (used to treat diaper rash), can be applied directly to an acne lesion to reduce its appearance overnight.

Selenium and magnesium aren’t vitamins for acne, but rather trace elements that most people don’t get enough of. The effects of these two minerals aren’t completely understood, but selenium seems to improve skin elasticity, a useful effect when you’re drying your skin out with acne treatments. It also helps boost the effects of vitamins E and A. Magnesium helps balance out your hormones, which can reduce the impact of hormonal cycles on acne breakouts.

A high-quality acne vitamin supplement is called Acnezine, and it contains special nutrients that attack breakouts at their source and reduce the likelihood of future blemishes.

In addition to these specific vitamins for acne, a deficiency in any vitamin may be enough to cause an acne outbreak. Always take a good general vitamin supplement with your acne vitamins, and take all vitamins with a meal that includes an 8-ounce glass of water and some fats to ensure your body absorbs them properly.