What is Ayurveda and How it Helps Clear Acne
June 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
What is Ayurveda and how’s it going to help my acne?
The word Ayurveda translates to “the science of life” (Ayru – life and Veda – science). Ayurveda has brought true health and wellness to millions of individuals throughout the ages with simple changes in daily living practices. Incorporating just a few of these proven methods into your lifestyle can bring about radical changes in your life.
It is currently considered a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the United States of America, but this ancient art of healing has been practiced continuously for over 5,000 years.
Where Ayurveda differs is in its approach. Unlike other treatment methods, Ayurveda is a comprehensive, holistic system that uses a variety of therapies in an attempt to bring about fundamental change in a person’s lifestyle.
Ayurveda states that each person is unique, exhibiting a distinct energy pattern that is a combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics. These energies manifest themselves within three doshas, or regions within the body. The three doshas and their perceived locations are vata (colon), pitta (small intestine), and kapha (stomach).
There are more than 20 types of Ayurvedic treatments. These include herbs, nutritional changes, healing oils, massage therapy, meditation and breathing exercises, yoga and other forms of exercise, as well as inducing a person to sweat, move his or her bowels, or even vomit to cleanse the body of toxins.
According to Ayurveda, ojas is the source of the body’s immunity and the subtle substance that gives healthy skins its natural glow. When ojas is depleted, the immune response is weak and the skin becomes lifeless. Low ojas and low immunity result from the same cause: an overload of physical, chemical or psychological stress. Ayurveda describes this overloaded condition as an imbalance of the three doshas, and seven dhatus (or body tissues).
For example, acne rosacea is a blood disease and therefore originates in the second tissue. Whether the stressor is the wrong food or an undigested emotion, it takes a couple of weeks from the time the stress occurs for this type of type to break out. Cystic acne, on the other hand, is a disease of the fat tissue–or fourth dhatu-and takes as long as three to four weeks to appear on the skin. Cancer, a disease of the bone marrow and reproductive tissue –the sixth and seventh dhatus, may exist in the body as long as seven years before being discovered.
The basic premise here is one that western medicine is only now beginning to recognize–that every organ, tissue and cell in your body, are directly connected to each other. The skin and the mind form from the same embryonic tissues in the womb. Our skin can be seen as our second brain and the mirror of our thoughts and emotions. What you eat or drink can affect your mind as equally as how you think or feel can affect your body. This is experiential fact, for any of you who may have enjoyed too much alcohol at one time or felt your stomach turning the last time you were nervous or upset.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that they must first identify which of a person’s doshas are out of balance before suggesting treatment methods.
General Ayurvedic treatment options for acne will be explored in another article.
Celebrity Acne
June 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It doesn’t matter if you are rich and famous or not – acne does not discriminate. In fact, some very notable and beautiful celebrities have struggled with acne in the past, or even occasionally may show up on the red carpet with a blemish! Of course, this is rare when they have any dermatologist they want at their disposal before major events, but we all know how newsworthy it is when one is photographed with a zit!
Take for example, poor Katie Holmes. I’m not sure what it was on her face, but it was a blemish of some sort, although it may not have been acne but rather perhaps a cold sore of some type. Boy, you would have thought that was international news that a celebrity actually had – gulp – a visible imperfection. Or how about when you see nowadays a beautiful actor of actress on that great new high definition television, with a big plump zit on their forehead?
I recently was watching a TV series and saw a particular actress with a definite zit on her forehead. You could tell the cameramen were advised to shoot around it and light it so that it was less noticeable, but when the light caught it just right, there was no mistaking it was a raging pimple. But it’s not just the occasional zit that celebrities may struggle with. Some of them have talked about how they suffered horrible hormonal acne in the past, in their teen years.
One successful celebrity has said that she suffered from acne when she was younger, and still has to watch her naturally oily skin even as a woman in her thirties. That actress is Cameron Diaz. Vanessa Williams, who won a beauty queen title and went on to a successful singing career and is known as a great beauty, has suffered from acne since she was a teen. There is a little bit of noticeable pitting in her face, but in general her face has recovered beautifully from her earlier acne struggles. She is actually a spokeswoman for a major brand of acne treatments currently, which fits perfectly since she really did struggle with this skin condition as a youth, and may even still struggle with it today, although you’d never know by looking at her.
Another notable star, Victoria Beckham, and the lucky woman who snagged the highly desirable, gorgeous David Beckham, had acne when she was younger and her skin emerged unscathed, although you can tell she has naturally oily skin when you look at some of her photographs, so she may suffer a breakout or two here and there still.
Alicia Keyes, another woman with flawless skin today, had acne problems in the past. Jessica Simpson has also said that she suffered from acne in her teens, but now keeps it under control as an adult. By the way, she also happens to be a spokesperson for Proactive as well. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen her with a zit, but I’ll have to take her word for it.
What you have to remember with celebrities is that since they have an army of skin care specialists at their disposal if they so choose, if they happen to have a horrible acne breakout before an event where they will definitely be photographed, they can get this taken care of with a shot of cortisone, which usually makes a large, inflamed acne postule go down almost immediately, so don’t feel bad when they seem to have perfect skin all the time, it’s because they have the resources to look like that at all times, and it literally means their career sometimes to keep perfect skin all the time.
Now, onto the male celebrities. There are actually a lot of male celebrities that have had acne in the past, and because their skin tends to show acne scarring and pitting a lot more for some reason, or maybe they just weren’t as cognizant of getting it corrected, you can tell that these men have acne scars now in their adulthood and probably had acne as teens. One of the more noticeable ones is Ray Liotta. His handsome face has acne pitting on the sides of his cheeks, and yet it somehow fits his features.
Another is James Woods, and Brad Pitt. You wouldn’t know it to look at Brad unless you see a close up, but there is definitely some acne scarring going on there, although his face still looks irresistible to most women! Teen idol Ricky Martin had struggled with acne, but his pretty face still looks great today, so it is hard to tell. Most men are beginning to wriggle with discomfort as the tables continue to turn and the world is starting to pick apart their every body part just as they have with women. More men are becoming self conscious about their skin, especially the ones before the camera.
I always appreciate when actresses and actors that are in the spotlight and admired by so many are honest about their imperfections. It makes the rest of us more realistic about our struggles with cosmetic imperfections. Furthermore, celebs spend an average of $100 000 EVERY YEAR on cosmetic tune-ups, from facials to line fillers to the best brow shapers, hair dressers, and so on. If we spent that on our appearance, we would also look like a million bucks, hands down.
Acne Terms and Causes
April 28, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Acne: Words to Know
Androgen:
A male sex hormone found in both males and females.
Anti-androgen:
A drug that slows down the production of androgens.
Antibiotic:
A drug that kills bacteria.
Comedo:
A hard plug that develops in the pores of the skin composed of sebum and dead skin cells. The mildest form of acne.
Comedolytic:
Drugs that break up comedos and open clogged pores.
Isotretinoin:
A drug that decreases sebum production and dries up acne pimples.
Sebum:
An oily material produced by sebaceous glands that keeps the skin moist.
Tretinoin:
A drug that increases the rate at which skin cells are formed and die.
CAUSES
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The exact cause of acne is not known, however, several risk factors have been identified.
• Age. Because of the effect of sex hormones, teenagers are quite likely to develop acne.
• Cosmetics. Make-up and hair sprays that contain oils can make acne worse.
• Diet. Acne is not caused by diet, but some foods can make the disease more serious.
• Disease. Hormonal disorders can increase the severity of acne problems in girls.
• Drugs. Acne can develop as a result of using certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and anabolic steroids. Steroids are synthetic hormones that may sometimes be abused by athletes to increase the size of their muscles.
• Environment. Acne can become worse as a result of exposure to oils, greases, and polluted air. Sweating in hot weather can also make the condition worse.
• Gender. Boys are more likely to develop acne and tend to have more serious cases than girls.
• Heredity. Acne is more common in some families than in others.
• Hormonal changes. Acne can flare up during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Menopause is the period in a woman’s life when her body stops producing certain hormones.
• Personal hygiene. Strong soaps, hard scrubbing, and picking at pimples can make acne worse.
• Stress. Emotional stress can contribute to acne.
Skin Conditions – Understanding Acne and Hormone Levels
March 25, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Most of us have at one stage or other sought an acne remedy when suffering from that troublesome and common acne problem that first appeared in our early teen years. Many more have continued to suffer into our adult life. A rare few have avoided the embarrassment of pimples appearing at the worst possible time – knocking self-esteem to its lowest – usually when we are trying to make a good impression. A fast and effective remedy is what we want if acne is a problem.
Acne is caused by hormonal changes that occur during adolescence when oil glands in the skin become hyperactive. This additional oil combined with dead skin cells that block hair follicles and skin bacteria infect the hair follicles producing a breakout of the skin. Result? Clear skin is marred and embarrassment can follow.
There are many acne remedies available from natural home varieties to potent pharmaceutical drugs. Modern preferences are to avoid drugs because of their side effects and rather find a natural acne remedy. One acne remedy is to cut a raw potato in half and rub the flat section over the affected areas in an attempt to neutralize the bacteria that is causing the trouble in the pores. If it works for you, great.
The truth is acne comes second only to premature aging in the charts for skin disease. If you are a sufferer you will likely be aware that flare ups will always occur before a special event. You can put all the blame on testosterone produced by the adrenal glands which are trying to help you deal with the stress of that interview, wedding or important presentation.
Another acne remedy is to go on a fast for several days and to change the diet to healthier eating of mainly raw food. No doubt there is an element of truth in following this acne remedy but it does require some discipline as fasting and a strict diet regime is often too much like hard work for the majority.
High in iodine foods, shellfish, leafy vegetables including spinach and cabbage, and peanuts are other potential problem foods. If you have an acne problem, experiment with your diet. If you crave certain foods that may aggravate this problem curtail consumption to see it there really is a difference in acne activity
If you have a special sensitivity to a food, small amounts of anything – even soft drinks, chocolates will not make a major difference.
One of the more widely spread (and often believed) myths about acne is that it is caused by dirt or grime. It’s more likely to be because of oily skin, in which case simply washing regularly with either a mild soap, special acne skin cleanser or even antiseptic soap and warm water can make a big difference to controlling and managing oily skin. And don’t forget to keep your hair clean – again, depending on your skin type, your hair can also become extreme oily if not cared for properly.
The bad news is that acne cannot be cured, but the good news is that it can be treated. If you’re suffering with only mild acne, then some form of non prescription (over the counter) acne medication will no doubt have a positive impact for you. If you have bad or severe acne you will definitely need to see a doctor to get some professional advice.
A vitamin A deficiency can lead to skin problems. Not all cases of acne call for professional attention. An occasional blemish or pimple could be called “drugstore acne”. Topical antibiotics prevent about fifty per cent of blemishes, and are a significant breakthrough for treating average acne.
