Well, just about everything is bad for us these days, dairy, carbs, gluten, meat, bread, you name it. For me it will always go back to the same thing: moderation. Unless I have a particularly bad reaction to a food or drink, everything in small amounts is ok. Enjoy food but nothing in excess! It’s not that easy for acne sufferers. It is impossible to know what causes this difficult skin condition. It’s not about dirty skin and poor hygiene so it’s got to be down to diet on some level. In some cases, where creams or tablets haven’t worked especially, maybe diet should really be given a good overhaul. It’s a huge point of interest at the moment for health professionals who deal with this mysterious condition.

The hormones in dairy are said to have an effect on hormones that produce spots and pimples. Sugar, as always, takes a lot of the blame as it causes inflammation, which is exactly the kind of condition acne is. Even the milk substitute for many, Soya, is said to be responsible for acne in those who suffer with break outs around the mouth and jawline. Watch those veggie chinese take-outs! Coffee, bread, coconut oil, and peanuts are also on the list and these seem like to me, the less offensive foods in the human diet. I suppose, sugar is mostly found in processed food products and avoiding stimulants like coffee is always good. With certain oils and peanuts for example, a skin intolerance to these foods will be on a person by person basis but it might not be a bad idea to leave these foods out of the diet and watch how the skin responds in turn. Foods can be slowly reintroduced into the diet while the skin observed carefully over a period of time. If the skin starts reacting again, this food is obviously not for you.

This diet examination requires patience and consistency but it will pay off to see what contributes to your acne breakouts where topical treatments and tablets have failed to heal. Some medications are strong and the side effects can be pretty serious. Looking at the diet before starting an oral tablet is also recommended.

To read more on dietary choices on acne, please see this website.

Acne is an incredibly common skin problem and usually affects young people but is also known to affect adults, and increasingly so. Approximately 80% of those between the ages of 11 and 30 have it. When one thinks of acne they think of huge, inflamed spots that cover the entire surface area of the face, but stubborn and recurring spots are also classified as acne and can be tough to get rid of too. Spots usually appear on the face, back and chest and the severity of this chronic skin condition varies from person to person. You can view pictures of acne here.

One of the most popular selfies on instagram this week depicts the young popstar, Lorde, rocking her acne cream before bed in Paris. Images like this can help teenagers remember that everyone gets spots and they are an irritating problem for most, especially at that age. On the other hand, Cameron Diaz recently opened up about her long lasting struggle with acne in her new book, The Body Book, where she claimed she had zero control over her skin issue until she realised it was down to the cheeseburger and fries she ate every day throughout her twenties, (as hard to believe as this diet is). According to Cameron, once she stopped eating fast food, her skin slowly got better and she never returned to her bad habit, however, there is no medical evidence to support this idea.

For most sufferers, it is a hormonal issue. That’s why many girls start taking the pill as teenagers and why pregnant women are horrified when they see acne spots in the mirror, their old friend returned or, their teenage fear finally realised. Hormones trigger the sebacious glands to produce oil which, combined with dirt and blocked pores, causes the skin to flare up in the form of acne.

For acne sufferers who aren’t pregnant, there are great treatments available. For pregnant women, the spots are par for the course and will likely go away after term. With current acne treatments, results are unlikely to be instantaneous and it could take between four and eight weeks before any improvement is noted. These solutions include Skinoren, which reduces keratin skin growth and the production of this oil/sebum which causes acne. Duac also breaks down this keratin, and the antibiotic erythromycin is combined with the mineral zinc, to form Zineryt, another effective treatment. 90% of those who start treating their acne experience a 50% improvement after a couple of months and then other treatments can be incorporated in order to maintain the skin. Despite what people say, acne is not caused by poor hygiene or a bad diet and it’s just one of those things. Good hygiene will of course help the spread of the spots but is not an initial cause. If you have already been prescribed acne treatments for by your doctor then you can get repeat prescriptions online. There are a number of online clinics and pharmacies in the UK that provide this service. Personally, I use www.theonlineclinic.co.uk as they always provide a next day delivery service and they are reasonably priced. One of my friends uses Lloyd’s Pharmacy as they have click and collect option. For myself, delivery is better but it is good to have the option.

For more severe acne, other prescription drugs such as roacutane are an option and these drugs should always be prescribed by a licensed dermatologist considering the potential side effects can be quite severe and serious.  This product is not available online because it is a very serious treatment. Here is a useful forum that I use where people discuss their experience of Roacutane.