Lifestyle Choices

The Cause

It is more common among teenagers than among any other age group, although acne, an infection of the sebaceous glands, can occur at any time in life. It shows up as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and pustules that occur on the face and neck, back and chest, almost always when levels of testosterone and progesterone—two hormones necessary for growth—are high. Testosterone, known as the male hormone (although women have it in small quantities too), spurs the sebaceous glands to increase their production of sebum. When too much sebum is produced, a keratinous plug can fill the duct, which then becomes infected while the skin around it becomes inflamed. If the problem is severe enough—and luckily most people never get to this stage—the walls of the infected ducts even disintegrate, and cystic lesions may develop in the skin which leave permanent scars after the infection itself has healed.

The cause of acne is still not completely understood, and the recommended treatment tends to vary from dermatologist to dermatologist and even from year to year. Much of the medical profession has tended to ignore the nutritional aspect of treatment, although vitamin and mineral therapy coupled with proper external care has been responsible for many cures. Many people with acne are victims of one or another food allergy —the most common allergens being wheat, milk, or preservatives and colorings. And when the elimination of wastevia the alimentary canal is inadequate, often wastes are eliminated through the skin. This is certainly a contributor to acne. Some experts believe that acne is made worse by a diet high in fat and sugar, and there is some evidence linking acne with a disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism. Most doctors agree that iodides and bromides can contribute significantly to acne. Iodides are found in iodized salt, saltwater fish, and shellfish, and some drugs containing iodides or bromides may aggravate the condition; these include cough syrups, sedatives, and cold medications. Finally, stress and emotional upset are often implicated.

Prevention and Cure

Look to your diet first. Eliminate sweets, sugared soft drinks, and fatty foods such as nuts and fried foods. The Rohsafte-Kur followed by a diet in which at least 50 percent of your foods are eaten raw often does wonders for even long-term acne, provided it is used in conjunction with the proper external care and vitamin and mineral supplements where necessary. Vitamin A, taken internally, helps restore and then maintain clear, healthy skin in a daily dose of 10,000 to 25,000 international units. Riboflavin and pyridoxine (B₆) are essential in reducing the secretion of excess sebum and in eliminating the tendency to blackhead formation. Vitamin C in large doses—from 6 to 8 grams a day—can help prevent infection, and vitamin E both taken internally and used on the surface of the skin can be helpful in preventing scarring. The mineral most useful in the treatment of acne appears to be zinc. It can be taken as chelated zinc or zinc gluconate, 15 milligrams twice a day. Finally, some experts in nutritional therapy find that niacin (B₃) taken in doses of 50 to 100 milligrams a day can help because of its dynamic action on circulation and its ability to increase the blood supply to the troubled area. Of course any B vitamin should never be taken alone but be accompanied by the full B group.

Externally, it is essential to keep the skin clean, removing dirt and excess oil or waxy sebum regularly, but this should be done with gentle, pH-balanced soaps or detergent cleansers that do not contain sulfur or bactericidals or other drying chemicals, which in the long run can only make matters worse. Skin should be washed in warm water at least twice a day and steamed twice a week to encourage the release of waste matter. Of course your hands should be immaculate so as not to encourage further infection.

Topical agents are often helpful. Vitamin A acid (available only by prescription) applied to the skin is one of the commonly used and generally effective treatments for acne. It appears to work because by halting the excess growth of cells that clog follicles, it also drastically peels away the layers of dead cells that clog pores. It brings about an intense redness and skin peeling at first, making the acne seem much worse. But after several weeks it reduces oiliness and the number of blackheads and eruptions. It usually takes about six weeks to treat skin with this method, using a 5 percent solution. Another approach to treatment for girls and women is to give conjugated estrogens (1.25 milligrams) just before menstruation, which seems to suppress flare-ups that occur with the monthly period. But there are often complications with this method, as there are with putting women on the Pill for the treatment of acne. It can delay menstruation and of course does affect the endocrine balance in the body as a whole.

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