The Acne Journal

Dermatologists are the logical first choice for the acne sufferer.

There is a common pattern in the protocol used by most physicians for treating acne. Acne patients are given oral antibiotics, topical antibiotics, and/or a choice of prescription retinoids to try. Sometimes benzoyl peroxide will be recommended. If those treatments fail, physicians will often recommend a cycle of isotretinoin.

For many acne sufferers, these methods have been met with frustration; and quite often, abandoned.

...

For most people, acne is an inherited condition of the pores.

For those who are prone to acne, their pores clog with dead skin cells much faster than normal. Healthy pores shed about one layer of dead skin cells per day inside the pore, but acne-prone pores shed up to five layers of dead skin cells per day. The body just can't keep up with keeping the pore clear.

This condition is called retention hyperkeratosis - dead skin cells shedding more quickly than the pore can expel them.

As...

Many of our clients have been on Accutane (isotretinoin), but what’s surprising is that so many of them have been on it for two or three courses to get their acne under control.

One client admitted to having gone through the Accutane regimen seven times! Some of them didn’t get any benefit at all; however most of them experienced significant clearing, but to their dismay, they started breaking out again within months of stopping the medication. How disappointing!

The worst...

Birth control pills, IUDs, implants, and shots are widely used today and prescribed often as a means to control acne.

Most forms of birth control can have the potential to cause acne and weight gain in those susceptible. Typically birth control is divided up as estrogen or progestin dominant and has varying degrees of androgenic (testosterone-like) effects.

As a general rule of thumb, those with the potential for higher androgenic symptoms should be avoided for people prone to acne...

These are some things you can do to help control your acne.

Doing these do not take the place of using the right products in the right way for your acne, but they will support the process of getting clear skin.

1. Get enough rest and reduce your stress. Stress stimulates the adrenal gland and in the acne-prone individual, the adrenal gland promotes oil production which leads to clogged pores.
2. Stay away from foods, vitamin supplements and sports drinks/bars that contain iodides. Iodized salt,...

It's not the chocolate, sugar, or french fries...it’s the salt on those fries.

Yes, it is salty foods and food high in iodides that are the culprit in making acne worse. Below is a list of foods typically high in iodides. We tell people to not go crazy around eliminating these foods, just be aware of eating too much of them.

For example, we had a client who was almost clear. She then came into our clinic all broken out and we couldn’t imagine what was going on – I asked her...

Not all home acne remedies are bad, indeed some can even alleviate irritation or inflammation.

Keep in mind, however, that the only thing that will get you clear is a managed home care routine that works to prevent the acne cycle from starting in the first place. This includes the daily use of exfoliants and anti-bacterial ingredients used together in the right way. Anything short of this has only a band-aid effect and won’t do anything for long-term control of your acne.

Some common...

Vitamin A, or retinol, is considered by many a "wonder" product.

This is because it's proven an effect on both acne and anti-aging and skin rejuvenation. Our acne clients already know how effective Vitamin A is in keeping their pimples at bay. Let's look at how this versatile ingredient can work wonders for anti-aging clients. 

Vitamin A can aid your skin by recalling its proper function. Known as a “cell-communicating ingredient,” vitamin A blocks incorrect messages...

Those of us who are acne-prone understand how difficult it can be to find moisturizers, sunscreens, and makeup that are safe to use and won’t clog your pores.

To help us make the decision of what is okay to put on our faces, we often rely on those safe, scientific-sounding words on the labels as “non-comedogenic” and “dermatologist approved." These labels suggest to the buyer that the product has been tested by skincare experts who have found the product to meet...

What makes acne products effective? In order to get rid of acne, they need to:

• Penetrate the inside of the pore – stopping acne where it starts.

• Help to keep the pore clear of dead skin cells.

• Kill bacteria inside the pore.

• Be noncomedogenic (non-pore-clogging) so as to not make your acne worse.

At Elements Acne Clinic, we have found that acne products that include mandelic acid, vitamin a propionate or benzoyl peroxide are the best ones. But, it’s not enough to find and...