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One of my goals this year is to pull some of the posts off of this blog and create blogs that are more tightly focussed. Don’t worry about the posting frequency or the content, I just want to make sure that this blog concentrates on diet, exercise and fitness. Over the last year or so I have been diving a little bit away from this focus and giving you posts about a few other topics.

Today I want to announce that I have moved off all of the acne and skin care posts over to a new blog. That blog is Acne Info Today. Acne info today will be focussed exclusively on skin care.

So as I start looking through the 600 or so posts on this blog what would you like to see? I have been thinking of doing more muscle building but of course the motivation for diet and exercise are important as we get near the end of January and the quick death of the new years resolutions. Do you want more diet articles? More supplements? I started new categories for both supplements and for nutrition so that I could start getting a bit more concentration on those two important topics.

More to come.

As an acne sufferer you have probably wondered for years what you can do to naturally get rid of your acne. Most dermatologists are quite happy to very quickly throw a prescription for Accutane or Tetracycline at you. How about more holistic natural methods to treat your acne? Eating is a great natural acne treatment.

Instead of immediately trying to treat your acne with pills or creams why not try your best to be more healthy in the way that you eat and see what your eating is going to do to help you.

Most dermatologists and the health industry as a whole do not seem to care much about the food you eat but think about your body and the way that your body reacts to food in other ways. If you eat greasy food how do you feel? Tired? If you  drink too much coffee how do you feel? Shaky and distracted?

Fogetting what the skin doctor days for a moment why not take a serious look at your diet and get really serious about cleaning up your diet. Here are some things that you should definitely avoid.

Greasy Foods - Deep fried foods are the very worst thing that you can eat. I have always found that my skin will break out if I eat a lot of greasy food.

Sugar - Sweets are very bad as they start your body in unnaturally increasing your metabolism and we do not even want to talk about how this will affect your blood sugar.

Caffeine - caffeine stimulates hormone production. This is bad.

Other than the above foods it is important to remember that dairy products like milk and cheeses as well as refined and cooked carbohydrates like flour, bread, rice, and chips are acid-forming in the body.

If you really want to get rid of acne, you need to eat more alkaline-forming foods like fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as some nuts and seeds.

Eating really can be a great natural treatment for acne. Looking at this list of foods you can probably guess that the more natural a food that you eat and the closer that it is to the source (unrefined) the better it will be for you.

One more thing to remember in this system is that you really need to drink water. Water is going to have a much bigger effect on your then almost anything else. What water will do is clean out your body as well as regulating your sweat and metabolism.

Try this natural acne treatment using healthy eating and your will see that it will help you get rid of your acne better then any prescription can.

I get asked often what is the best acne treatment and as you have probably seen by many of my post good diet and correct methods of facial cleaning is all it takes for most people to treat their acne.

When I have looked at products in the past I have always tried to cut through the hype and the crap and concentrated on which products are going to work from the inside to cure acne. Creams and soaps and lotions are fine for basic, simple acne but you need to make some real changes in order to cure the tough acne problem that you are dealing with.

In the case of those that have struggled with acne for many years as I did though, there are two different products that I think both qualify as the best acne treatment. I have reviewed both Acne No More and Acnezine in the past but wanted to again bring these up to answer the question that I get asked so often:

What is the best acne treatment?

Acnezine - Pills to fight Acne

Acnezine acne product review introduction
Over the years I have suffered as many others have with acne. During the time that I had severe acne I tried everything. I tried all of the lotions, Accutane, tetracycline and even shots directly into cysts. Eventually my acne went away and I am so much happier now that it is gone. Now, years later I have found a natural product that does a great job of getting rid of acne and I have not had even one person say anything bad about this product.

One of the most powerful treatments for acne is taking something orally. Taking pills will help heal you from the inside out by controlling how yoour body reacts to the factors that produce acne

Acnezine is a herbal product that is specially formulated to treat and cure acne. Acnezine was previously sold as Acuzine is one of many products on the market that treat acne but the difference with Acnezine is that it uses ingredients that have been proven in clinical tests to successfully treat acne. It is very well known, works quickly, has safe ingredients, and is reasonably priced. Acnezine provides antioxidants that can help eliminate the free radicals that are dangerous to skin and promote infections. It also fights inflammation, to reduce redness. Clients reported much clearer and smoother looking skin after just a few weeks. They also have a cool website with lots of information.

Acnezine ingredients
-Vitamin E Acetate
-Vitamin C Ester
-Collagen Hydrolyzed
-Alpha Lipoic Acid (as Thioctic Acid)
-Hyaluronic Acid
-Ubidecarenone Co-Enzyme Q10
-Proprietary Blend
-Aloe Vera (Aloe vera) (leaf)
-Bioperine Extract
- all bound in a gelatin capsule -

Acnezine product availability
The only negative is that Acnezine isn’t sold in stores. Acnezine is only sold online. Some people are a bit nervous about buying products online but in this case it should be fine as Acnezine comes with a full six month guarantee, this is much better than any other product that I have seen.

Acnezine product review conclusions
If you have any kind of acne, even very severe acne, there is nothing you will find that works better to clear your complexion than the revolutionary Acnezine anti-oxidant! Acnezine is all-natural and scientifically formulated to treat acne from the inside-out. Practically everyone has to deal with acne from time to time. It’s not because we eat chocolate. It’s not because we don’t wash our face enough. In fact, washing too vigorously can make acne worse!

Buy Acnezine today

Acne No More - A diet and more to cure acne

What is the best acne treatment? There are many ways that you can deal with acne. There are diet and healthy eating methods, there are stress management methods, and there are lots of pills and lots of creams.

The most common acne treatment that doctors look at is to treat the acne itself instead of the underlying reasons that acne is starting up in your body in the first place. The best acne treatment however would be to treat the causes of the acne itself.

When I hit my 30’s my acne just started going away naturally, in saying this though I do not believe that the best acne treatment is to wait until you are 30. Although my acne is now mostly gone, this did not end my quest of looking for real cures to the acne that I suffered with for so long.

As you can imagine there are a lot of acne methods out on the market that claim to be the best acne treatment but there are very few that work and most of the so called acne cures, plans and treatments are no more than shams and scams.

What is the best acne treatment on the market?
While researching for my own acne articles I ran across an ebook that seems to have unanimous support from people that look at these things. Acne No More is the best acne treatment, or so it seems, an acne plan that seems to work. The reason that “Acne no more” seems to work is the fact that it looks at the base, underlying causes of acne instead of just treating the acne breakouts and scarring itself.

There are many principles that Mike Walden looks at in the book Acne No More and the basis of the Acne No More system goes through the following principles:

1. It balances your hormones and prevents any future hormone irregularities.
This action alone will yield dramatic results on your acne and on your skin and hair condition in general.

2. It naturally and permanently gets rid of any blocks in your system. This will allow your main organs of elimination to handle hormonal irregularities more properly thus help prevent future breakouts.

3. It eradicates the internal organisms that contribute to this system blockage. In this way you regain more control over what the main causes of your acne.

4. It controls the environmental elements, as well as your own daily habits that cause hormonal imbalance and system blockage leading to acne formation.

5. It builds, fortifies and strengthens your natural internal mechanisms responsible for hormone regulations and blockage prevention.

6. It neutralizes the external factors that may lead to acne during and after the plan. It this way your skin will not only will it stay acne clear it will always look healthy, clean, and glowing.

7. It maintains the results you have achieved (acne free system) using a well structured maintenance plan.

So which of the two treatments above is the best acne treatment? Well I have had people buy both of these products and have not had a single person say that they were disappointed with the results.

I would have to say though that Acne No More is probably my number one choice for treating acne and then if you need a bit more of a boost then you can order a month or two of Acnezine just to finish off your acne problem.

The really funny thing about this is that both of these products are so cheap. Apparently the writer of Acne No More as well as the creators of Acnezine never saw how expensive a product like Accutane is. If anyone has noticed either of these products is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of Accutane or even a second class product like Proactiv.

I have to say in the end that both of these products qualify as the best acne treatment in my eyes.

Treatment of severe acne is something that some of us need to deal with at one time or another. Severe acne is when you have lumpy acne that does not go away and is very red. When I was younger I took Accutane to get rid of my severe acne as well as injections and drainage to get rid of my severe acne.

Drainage and Surgical Excision
Some large cysts do not respond to medication and may require drainage and extraction. Drainage and extraction, or acne surgery as it is also called, should not be performed by patients. Dermatologists are trained in the proper technique and perform acne surgery under sterile conditions. Patient attempts to drain and extract comedones by squeezing or picking, can lead to infection, worsening of the acne and scarring.

Severe acne requires an aggressive treatment
regimen and should be treated by a dermatologist.

Acne Injections
When an acne cyst becomes severely inflamed, there is a good chance it will rupture and scarring may result. To treat these severely inflamed cysts and prevent scarring, dermatologists may inject such cysts with a much-diluted corticosteroid. This lessens the inflammation
and promotes healing. An interlesional corticosteroid injection works by “melting” the cyst over a period of 3 to 5 days. As painful as this may sound I never found it to be bad at all, the needle is this and it is really good to get rid of the lumpy red zits.

Accutane
Accutane is a potent drug reserved for treating severe cystic acne and acne that has proven itself resistant to other medications. Accutane is a synthetic (man-made) retinoid (form of vitamin A) that comes in pill form. It is usually taken once or twice a day for 16 to 20 weeks.

Today, it is the most effective acne treatment available because it is the only acne treatment that works on all four factors that predispose a person to acne - excess oil production, clogged skin pores, P. acnes and inflammation. The remissions achieved with Accutane usually last for many months to many years. For many patients, only one course of Accutane therapy is needed.

While Accutane is the most effective acne treatment available, it cannot be prescribed to everyone due to a number of potential side effects, some serious. One of the most serious side effects is the potential to cause severe birth defects in a developing fetus. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that women not be (or become) pregnant while taking Accutane. FDA regulations require women of childbearing age to take 2 pregnancy tests prior to beginning Accutane therapy and use 2 forms of birth control for 1 month before therapy begins, while taking the drug and for 1 full month after therapy. It is also important that women not breast feed during this time. Women who wish to become pregnant after taking Accutane should talk to their dermatologist and gynecologist about when it is safe to get pregnant after receiving Accutane therapy.

Other possible severe side effects that may occur while taking Accutane include:

* Severe pain in the chest or abdomen
* Trouble swallowing or painful swallowing
* Severe headache, blurred vision or dizziness
* Bone and joint pain
* Nausea or vomiting
* Diarrhea or rectal bleeding
* Depresion
* Dryness of the skin, eyes and nose
* Thinning hair

If any side effect occurs, the patient’s dermatologist or other healthcare practitioner should be contacted immediately because some of these side effects can lead to serious health problems.

While taking Accutane, patients are regularly monitored for side effects through follow-up visits. For most people, these side effects are tolerable and not a reason to discontinue therapy before remission is achieved. However, it is important to keep appointments for follow-up visits because monitoring can reveal conditions that a patient might not notice. For example, a patient may not realize a rapid increase in bad cholesterol that is detected through a blood test.

The decision to use Accutane should be made jointly by patient and dermatologist. When used with all due caution under close medical supervision, Accutane can resolve severe acne that has not responded to other therapy. It has proven especially effective in resolving cystic acne, a severe form of acne that usually does not respond to other therapies.

For a substantial number of patients, one course of Accutane therapy is all they will ever need. A small number of patients require more than one course of Accutane therapy to control severe acne.

It is important to take Accutane as prescribed even if the skin clears before all of the pills have been taken to prevent relapse. At the end of an effective course of Accutane therapy, all or most of the acne lesion will have cleared. Patients may notice residual erythematous (reddish) macules (flat spots) where acne lesions were present. These macules are not scars, and they will fade in 6 to 8 weeks.

After therapy, patients should continue to follow the Skin Care Guidelines for People with Acne.

Antibiotic pills
Oral antibiotics have been a mainstay of therapy for severe acne for many years. Like topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics work to reduce the P. acnes population (a contributing factor in acne), which, in turn, decreases inflammation. Treatment with oral antibiotics usually begins with a high dosage, which is reduced as the acne resolves. Over time, the P. acnes bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic being used to treat it. When this happens, another antibiotic can be prescribed. Numerous studies support the effectiveness of the following broad-spectrum oral antibiotics that are used to treat acne in the United States: doxycline, erythromycin, minocycline and tetracycline. For information about each of these oral antibiotics, see Prescription Acne Medications.

Birth Control pills
Birth Control pills have been shown to effectively clear acne in women by suppressing the overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives can be used as long-term acne therapy; however, this medication should not be prescribed to women who smoke, have a blood-clotting disorder, are older than 35 or have a history of migraine headaches without the advice of a gynecologist.

Spironolactone, a synthetic steroid, may be used in combination with birth control pills to treat acne in adult females. Spironolactone inhibits androgen production. Side effects include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue

Are these tips all you need to prevent acne? If not you should be interested in a proven method to rid you of your acne. Then read my review of a best acne cure. Another great product I have reviewed is Acnezine.

Here are some good but kind of obvious tips for treating and preventing acne from Acne net. I have written about these before but wanted to point you to a new service that I have started and that is a series of emailed articles to get rid of acne for good. Sign up for the emails and get rid of your acne soon.

Good skin care plays an important role in treating acne. Following these skin care guidelines unless your dermatologist instructs otherwise can help improve treatment results:

1. Do NOT pop, squeeze or pick at acne.
This can make acne worse by spreading inflammation. With medical treatment, removing lesions is rarely necessary; however, when comedo removal is needed, it should be performed by an experienced healthcare professional.

2. Gently wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser and pat dry.
Acne is not caused by poor hygiene, and vigorous washing and scrubbing will not clear your skin. In fact, all that scrubbing can irritate your skin and make acne worse. The way to clear acne is with appropriate acne products and good skin care.

3. Use noncomedogenic (does not clog pores) cosmetics and toiletries.
When buying cosmetics and other products that you will use on your skin or hair, be sure to look for ones labeled noncomedogenic. Makeup, sunscreen and toiletries that are not likely to cause acne state that they are noncomedogenic on the product.

4. Avoid aggravating your acne.
Oily hair, sporting equipment that rubs against your skin and airborne grease all can irritate and make your acne worse. Ways you can avoid these situations include:

* If you have oily hair, keep it off your face and wash it daily.
* Avoid using hair care products that contain oil, such as pomades and gels.
* Wear cotton clothing or moleskin under sporting equipment to avoid skin-to-equipment contact.

5. Give acne products enough time to do their job.
Ask a dermatologist (or pharmacist) how much time is needed for each particular product to work. This way you will know when you can expect to see clearing and not stop using the product(s) before you see results. As a rule of thumb, it takes 6 to 8 weeks before you begin to see an improvement.

6. Use medications as directed.
Using more medication than directed will not improve results. In fact, it can make acne worse by aggravating the skin. Be sure to read all labels and use accordingly or as instructed by a dermatologist.

7. Avoid excess exposure to sunlight, and do not use tanning booths or sun lamps.
Contrary to popular belief, tanning does not clear acne; it simply masks acne. Tanning also increases one’s risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. Additionally, some acne treatments can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight and ultraviolet light from tanning booths and sun lamps. If you have acne, it is important to protect your skin by following sun-protection practices, such as wearing sunscreen and avoiding sunburns.

Are these tips all you need to prevent acne? If not you should be interested in a proven method to rid you of your acne. Then read my review of a best acne treatment. Another great product I have reviewed is Acnezine.

Acne is a disorder that causes outbreaks of skin lesions commonly called pimples. It is caused by the skins oil glands making too much sebum, an oily substance, which leads to plugged pores. It also can be caused by the rapid production of a bacteria P. acnes.

Acne lesions occur mostly on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. It is the most common skin disease. Although acne is not a serious health threat, severe acne can lead to disfiguring and permanent scarring.

How does acne affect women?
Most young women and men will have at least a few pimples over the course of their lives. But acne seems to affect men and women in different ways. Young men are more likely to have a more serious form of acne. Acne in young women tends to be more random and linked to hormone changes, such as the menstrual cycle.

As women get older, acne often gets better. But some women have acne for many years. Some women even get acne for the first time at age 30 or 40.

For many women, acne can be an upsetting illness. Women may have feelings of depression, poor body image, or low self-esteem. But you don’t have to wait to outgrow acne or to let it run its course. Today, almost every case of acne can be resolved. Acne also can, sometimes, be prevented. Talk with your doctor or dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in treating skin problems) about how you can help prevent acne and if treatment would help you.

To find out about the the best acne treatment read my review.
Read the rest of this entry »

The FDA has been busy with advisories lately and here is one about buying Accutane online. Apparently Accutane is a bad thing to buy online and based on how it can increase blood pressure you should really talk to your doctor before getting a prescription.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a special Web page to warn consumers about the dangers of buying isotretinoin (Accutane) online. Isotretinoin is a drug approved for the treatment of severe recalcitrant nodular acne that does not respond to antibiotics. Improperly used, isotretinoin can cause severe side effects, including birth defects. Serious mental health problems have also been reported with isotretinoin use.

The Web page, http://www.fda.gov/buyonline/accutane, will be positioned as a search result on Google and other search engines when a consumer initiates an online search for the drug under any one of its four names (Isotretinoin is sold under the brand name of Accutane and in generic versions called Amnesteem, Claravis, and Sotret.) The web page warns that the drug “should only be taken under the close supervision” of a physician or a pharmacist, and provides links to helpful information, including ways to check that drugs purchased online come from legitimate pharmacies.

“This Web page is yet another step we’re taking to ensure the safe use of a drug that can provide significant health benefits when used properly, but that can also cause very serious side effects if used without supervision of a health professional,” said Steven Galson, M.D.,M.P.H., Director, FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

FDA and the manufacturers of isotretinoin have put in place special safeguards to reduce the risks of isotretinoin, including a strict distribution program, called iPLEDGE. The aim of the distribution program is to ensure that women using isotretinoin do not become pregnant, and that women who are pregnant do not use isotretinoin. Isotretinoin is available only at a pharmacy that is registered for this distribution program. Additionally, the distribution program is designed to prevent the sale of isotretinoin over the internet. Dispensing must comply with the agency’s risk management requirements.

There are a couple of products that I have recommended in the past to combat and cure acne. The first one is the herbal product Acnezine and the other is the Acne no more program

I have had a lot of email lately on the newest popular treatment for acne and that is Juice Fasts, or fast in general for detoxing your body to get rid of acne. Acne fast have become popular because over the last tow years or so many people have been trying fasts and enemas to aid in their health. These two methods are not new but just like Atkins a couple of years ago some health fads come and go and then a few years later after the hype has worn off the concept comes back again. This is exactly what has happened with fasts.

The question about using fasting to get rid of acne is one of anecdotal evidence more than anything. People go on a fast and then afterwards find that it has helped their skin, the idea is that a lot of toxin buildup in your system is flushed away by the very clear and clean diet that you go on for a few days. I know that there are a lot of naysayers to fasting and I am sure we will see a few comments on this but remember, if it works for you then it works .

I am no expert in fasting and the longest I have fasted for in the past is about half a day, but for treating acne there is a great book that I reviewed a little while ago and that is the Acne No More plan. Acne no more has a lot of it’s grounding in fasting and is a very popular book. Read the review and order the book. If it works then great but if you find that it stinks and does not help you then you can of course get a refund from the writer of the book.

I have helped sell a few copies of Acne no more through this review. and I hope that you like it as much as I do.

I just ran into some interesting information on vitamins that are useful in the prevention and treatment of acne. I can not seem to find the original source of this research as it seems to have bee ncopied around to various sites around the internet.

In a double-blind trial, topical application of a 4% niacinamide gel twice daily for two months resulted in significant in improvement in people with acne.4 However, there is little reason to believe this vitamin would have similar actions if taken orally.

Several double-blind trials indicate that zinc supplements reduce the severity of acne.5 6 7 8 In one double-blind trial,9 though not in another,10 zinc was found to be as effective as oral antibiotic therapy. Doctors sometimes suggest that people with acne take 30 mg of zinc two or three times per day for a few months, then 30 mg per day thereafter. It often takes 12 weeks before any improvement is seen. Long-term zinc supplementation requires 1 or 2 mg of copper per day to prevent copper deficiency.

Large quantities of vitamin A�such as 300,000 IU per day for females and 400,000 to 500,000 IU per day for males�have been used successfully to treat severe acne.11 However, unlike the long-lasting benefits of the synthetic prescription version of vitamin A (isotretinoin as Accutane�), the acne typically returns several months after natural vitamin A is discontinued. In addition, the large amounts of vitamin A needed to control acne can be toxic and should be used only under careful medical supervision.

In a preliminary trial, people with acne were given 2.5 grams of pantothenic acid orally four times per day, for a total of 10 grams per day a remarkably high amount.12 A cream containing 20% pantothenic acid was also applied topically four to six times per day. With moderate acne, near-complete relief was seen within two months, while severe conditions took at least six months to respond. Eventually, the intake of pantothenic acid was reduced to 1 to 5 grams per day�still a very high amount.

A preliminary report suggested that vitamin B6 at 50 mg per day may alleviate premenstrual flare-ups of acne experienced by some women.13 While no controlled research has evaluated this possibility, an older controlled trial of resistant adolescent acne found that 50�250 mg per day decreased skin oiliness and improved acne in 75% of the participants.14 However, another preliminary report suggested that vitamin B6 supplements might exacerbate acne.

Acne no more
Take a look at your acne problems and the good ways and bad ways of fighting the underlying reasons that you have acne in the first place. Acne no more is an ebook and is likely the best acne fighting book on the market. At $39.00 this is the best acne treatment and is a great investment in curing your acne and ultimately in helping you overall health at the same time. Check it out today and let me know if you think that this ebook is the best acne treatment!