Acne

Acne is an embarrasing problem to at least ten percent of teenagers at the onset of puberty. If not treated properly, it could last for many years, even into adulthood, leaving permanent facial scars.

Your skin, laid out, is about the size of a tennis court and is one of the largest eliminating organs in the body. Weighing about 3 kilograms, the skin is one of the body’s most important eliminating systems. It sheds a large quantity of dead skin cells each day, and provides a protective covering between you and the rest of the world. It regulates body temperature, synthesizes vitamins and excretes waste. To keep in optimum health, you need daily attention to skin cleansing.

What causes Acne?

SOME blame it on sex hormones. Your has thousands of little cells called sebaceous glands, which are attached to hair follicles. It is possible that they can be overstimulated by sex hormones. When excessive skin oil is produced, these glands become blocked. Bacteria then builds up causing infection and inflammation, resulting in pimples, and either black- or white-heads.

Methods of skin care and cleansing

AN excellent way to invigorate the surface of the skin is to rub down your body with a dry skin brush each morning before bathing or showering. If you do this, you will find that your skin will be very sensitive and tender for about three days. After this, you will notice that your skin will produce a pink glow after brushing. The rubbing stimulates the skin, bringing the blood closer to the surface. At the same time, it eliminates a lot of toxic the skin cells.

Another good way of eliminating toxins from the skin, is to have a hot bath with one cupful of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate). After soaking in the hot bath for approximately half an hour, dry off your body with a rough towel and immediately cover up well before retiring. You may respire profusely, and in most cases will fell weak for a few hours, as this will completely relax you and eliminate many of the surface poisons. It is advisable to drink several glasses of warm water with either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

One other good way to stimulate the skin (and this is also good for gums), is to install a hand-held, flexible hose shower head. It has stimulating water pressure that you can direct on any part of your body. It is also good for stimulating the scalp and promoting healthy hair. You could also massage your head vigorously with your finger-tips until your scalp tingles. This action encourages blood circulation by bringing blood to the surface of the scalp which helps to stimulate the hair follicles and to promote strong hair growth.

| Dont’s

Sunbathing – use your head, don’t get red! Burning the skin with the sun is like burning your skin with a blow torch. It can cause severe shock to your nervous system, which, in turn, can weaken your immune system and cause a multitude of side effects.
Avoid cosmetic creams and lotions
Avoid foods such as chocolate, coffee, alcohol and deep fried fatty foods, spices, cheese and milk, soft drinks, refined and processed foods, ice cream and sweets.
If you are intolerant to gluten, cut out bread and wheat products.

| Do’s

Interal hygene is very important. You should try to drink a glass of filtered water every daylight hour, because frequent urination and regular bowel movements are essential, in order to rid your body of toxins.
Your food balance is one of the most important helpers to improve your acne.
A high fibre diet will help you speed up the cleansing process. Your main diet should consist mainly of vegetables, fruit and fatless protein.
It is very helpful to have daily hot showers or baths in order to help eliminate the poisons from your skin (use filtrated shower water).
Wash your face with antiseptic soap. If possible, expose your face to 10 minutes of direct morning sunshine to help curb the infection. Acne preparations with Tee Tree oil are excellent.

Foods to avoid

Chocolate
Cheese
Condiments
Spicy foods
Ice Cream
Bread and yeast products
Soya
Tofu
Pizza

Soya products
Fatty foods
Fried foods
Hot chips
Almods
Alcohol
Sweets
Fizzy Sweet drinks and colas
Take away foods

Seaweed
Iodine
Kelp
Preservatives
Additives
Excess animal protein
All food colours and food chemicals
Pickled and cured meats

Essential Foods

All vegetables, either raw or steamed, are good for the skin. Almost all of them are alkaline foods. Most traditional diets include too many acid forming foods which are great promoters of acne.

Vegetables: Garlic, onion, parsley, ginger, cabbage, capsicum, broccoli, brussels, sprouts, green sprouts, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini, basil, potato, carrot, pumpkin.

Vegetables juices: Carrot, and celery with ginger, cucumber or parsley.

Fruits: Apple, prune, pineapple, plum, organge, grapefruit, cherry, peach, passion fruit, banana, kiwi fruit, blueberry.

DRIED FRUITS: Date, fig, prune.

Vegetable juices: Pineapple, prune, grapefruit, apricot.

TEAS: Ginger, dandelion, alfalfa, cornsilk, lemon grass, green tea.

WATER: 8 glasses of filtered water daily is essential.

Other remedies

Unsweetened yogurt with acidophilus is an excellent basis for breakfast. Sprinkle with lecithin granules, which is good for dissolving fats in the blood. Also, try sprinkling with freshly fround flaxseed and ground pepitas seeds. (A coffee-bean grinder is ideal for the job). Green barley powder, liquid chlorophyll, spirulina, rice bran syrup.

Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs

VITAMINS: A, B, C, E.

MINERALS: Zinc, Sulphur.

HERBS: Echinacea, garlic, liquorice root, silicon, dolomite.

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES: Papaya enzyme, bromelain, lactobacillus acidphilus – bifidobacterium.