Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Herbal Acne Pills - Natural Acne Remedies The Clear Acne - F

Remember the angst ridden acne years of your youth? Or perhaps you are still a youth. By youth, I mean either adolescent or teenaged. So many people today suffer from teenage and adult acne. The effect acne has on your self esteem can be devastating, especially at a young age, when appearance seems so important, and people can be cruel. The nutraceutical acne pill is now changing that scenario for many teenagers, and is also helping many people suffering with acne into adulthood to permanently clear acne.

There are some excellent, and fairly new acne pills that actually clear acne through precise combinations of herbal compounds and pure, natural ingredients. These acne pills have been used as very successful, and often times permanent, remedies to clear acne on both adults and adolescents.

How do acne pills work? Acne pills actually work by correcting the hormonal and chemical imbalances in the body that lead to acne flareups, persistent acne, and the more severe form, cystic acne. People suffering from cystic acne can really benefit from a natural acne pill, since they are designed to treat acne at it's source, from the inside of the body, rather than topically. Cystic acne sufferers really tend to have hormonal issues, which acne pills address by "calming", soothing and balancing.

Some of the common ingredients in these complexion-clearing acne pills are actually known in herbal communities for their skin soothing and "calming" properties, and have commonly been used to treat various skin disorders in the past. Natural acne pills actually blend several of these ingredients together in precise combinations to effectively clear acne permanently, or with very little follow up treatment.

Let's look at some of the common skin clearing and therapeutic herbs and compounds that are found in an acne pill. First, vitamin E is a common ingredient. Vitamin E has been used as a skin soothing and repairing agent for decades. Vitamin E actually will help smooth rough skin when taken in the proper dosages, and actually helps facilitate the clearing of acne in combination with other ingredients.

A second common ingredient in the acne pill is aloe vera. Aloe vera actually has many of the same skin soothing properties and advantages as vitamin E. I'm sure you've used aloe vera at least a couple times to treat sunburn or irritated skin. Aloe vera seemed to be a staple in everyone's home growing up for it's skin repairing benefits.

Two more ingredients you may find in an acne pill are alpha lipoic acid and collagen, both of which are actually beneficial for both aging skin and skin suffering from disorders such as acne or acne rosacea. Alpha lipoic acid is gaining a lot of recognition in recent years, especially with the publication and advocation of popular cosmetic dermatologist Nicholas Perricone in his book The Perricone Prescription and other popular follow up books on how to stop and reverse the aging process of the skin.

Other skin cleansing, purifying and balancing ingredients botanicals found in the acne pill are chamomile, rosemary, rose essential oil, and horsetail, all traditionally used to clear, tone and purify the skin for the most blemish-free complexion possible, even back as far as the early 1800's.

The bottom line is, I highly recommend investing in either a natural acne system that combines topical treatment with an oral acne pill or just investing in a natural acne pill that is high in purity standards and has a good track record of customer satisfaction. These treatments have proven to be just as effective as many of the often long-term and sometimes harmful treatments dermatologists prescribe. Not only that, you can order them from the comfort of your own home, and don't need to be burdened by dermatologist visits, or repetitive costs. It is truly one of the best investments you can make in your skin!

About the Author:
Danna Schneider is the webmaster and founder of CosmeticsGalore.com http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com, a natural cosmetic enhancement and cosmetic correction product review site that offers acne, rosacea and breast enhancement (among others) products reviews, testimonials, and honest information about the latest in cosmeceutical and nutraceutical technology.
Source: www.isnare.com

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Simple and Effective Ways to Control Acne

Acne control include unclogging the pores of the skin, destroying bacteria and reducing excessive oil, or, in other words, "Prevention".

As the saying goes "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

With this in mind, what then are the best ways to prevent and control acne?

First of all remember the basics of healthy living- nourish your body with good food, consume 6-8 glasses of water per day and try to get enough shut eye (8-9 hours is highly recommended).

A method of controlling acne that is not widely known is to take fish oil supplements on a regular basis.

Fish oils contain EPA and DHA fatty acids as well as omega-3 and omega-6 oils.

These essential elements create prostaglandins in the human body.

Prostaglandins are chemical hormones and they serve to maintain optimum functioning in all of the body's organs and cells.

They keep androgen hormones, which cause the production of excessive oil, in check.

Using mild soap-free cleansers such as Cetaphil, Dove, Purpose or Neutrogena helps keep the skin clear of dirt and surface impurities.

Exfoliating creams and masques are also good for acne control as they work to gently peel away dead skin cells. But make sure you don't choose one that is overly abrasive.

Using an astringent or toner to rid your face of excessive oil is an effective way to control acne as is using topical solutions containing benzoyl peroxide or sulfur.

Some acne sufferers find products with benzoyl peroxide to be harsh or excessively drying to their skin.

Stress is a contributing factor in acne growth so try to keep it to a minimum.

Too much stress becomes a vicious circle in that pressure triggers the production of more oil which ultimately causes more skin problems and the acne that results tends to stress out the sufferer even more.

About the Author:
Mike Herman
"Who else has been search for more articles and information regarding acne and skin treatments", visit Acne-Care-and-Skin-Treatments.com
Submitted On: August 04, 2005
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Hormone Therapy for Women with Acne

More frequently women are combating acne and wrinkles simultaneously. It’s a hideous fight wrought with mysterious hormone signals and an even more baffling search for a cure.

Acne does not go away with age

Dr. Alan R. Shalita, who co-authored "The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on Acne," found that contrary to the adage that, “You’ll grow out of acne”, premenstrual acne only seems to get worse with age. This study examined a group of 400 women ages 12 to 52. The investigators observed that 53 percent of women over age 33 experienced a higher rate of premenstrual acne than women under age 20-- who only reported a 39 percent increase in premenstrual acne.

Dermatologist Diane Thiboutot, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center , Hershey , Pa. , proposes to clarify acne treatment options for women. Dr. Thiboutot explains that control of acne is an ongoing process and that all acne treatments work by preventing new acne. While most women suffering from adult acne seek standard treatments such as topical preparations or antibiotics, 60 percent of these femmes either do not respond to standard acne treatments or build up a tolerance to frequently prescribed medications such as antibiotics.

Causes of Adult Acne

It is not yet known exactly what causes adult acne, but several dermatologist like Dr. Alan R. Shalita, link adult acne to hormone fluctuations. Acne in a woman is often linked to her menstrual cycle. Women with premenstrual acne outbreaks, such as pimples on the lower face and neck, seem to respond particularly well to treatment with medications that either reduce or block androgen production. Androgen hormones create male traits in women such as a deepening of the voice, an increased libido or hirsutism that causes excessive or abnormal growth of hair. They also stimulate the oil glands. The oil mixes with skin cells and bacteria, causing inflammation in the skin that can result in the arrival of zits.

What to Know Before Your Begin Hormone Therapy for Acne

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Before you begin a hormone treatment for acne, you should confirm that you are not suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, worldwide, about 15% of the women of reproductive age have PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal imbalanced characterized by irregular menstruation, obesity, infertility, acne and hair growth on the face, chest, and back (hirsutism). Like acne, PCOS is caused by an imbalance in androgen hormones. Dermatologists should work closely with your gynecologist to reduce the risks of infertility, cardiovascular disease and insulin-resistant diabetes.

Before your dermatologist prescribes hormone therapy, she may perform a standard screening that includes two hormones - testosterone and DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate). It is important that you stop taking oral contraceptives for at least one month before any tests are performed because birth control pills can suppress androgens.

Acne Hormone Treatment Options

Dr. Diane Berson, MD, a clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, New York University , New York states that once a woman is diagnosed with hormonal acne, treatment options include oral contraceptive pills, corticosteroids and spironolactone. These treatments act by decreasing sebum production.

Oral Contraceptive Pill

The oral contraceptive pill, OCP, is the keystone of hormonal therapy. The OCPs most successfully employed in controlling acne contain a hormone called progestin, which has low androgenic activity, combined with 35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen. You can find generic forms of this pill under names such as norgestimate or desogestrel.

Oral Corticosteroids

Oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone and dexamethasone may help improve acne by decreasing androgen production in the adrenal gland.

Oral Spironolactone

Oral spironolactone is a steroidal antiandrogen that prevents excessive oil production by blocking androgen receptors. Additionally, spironolactone decreases androgen production in both the ovaries and adrenal glands, resulting in fewer acne flare-ups. Doctors usually prescribe oral contraceptives with spironolactone to reduce spironolactone’s side effects of breast tenderness and menstrual irregularities.

Risk Factors with Hormone Therapy

Dr. Thiboutot counsels, "As with any therapy, there are risks and rewards. The risks of hormonal therapy require regular breast and pelvic exams to guard against the increased risk of certain types of cancers. It is vitally important that dermatologists work with the patient's gynecologist to determine the most appropriate treatment and follow-up especially in women over the age of 40 or those who might be smokers".

About the author:
Health author and Stanford University graduate Naweko San-Joyz lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. Her works include “Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne” (ISBN: 0974912204) and the upcoming work “Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we’re still not getting this dieting thing” (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in June of 2005. For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.Noixia.com