It’s time to find out the truth…

How Pantothenic Acid Impacts Acne

To better understand the benefits of the pantothenic acid acne treatment, we must first explore how pantothenic acid impacts your health as a whole.

Pantothenic acid provides such benefits to your health as: [1]

• Treating hair loss
• Alleviating asthma
• Reducing allergies
• Relieving stress
• Treating heart problems
• Treating respiratory disorders
• Boosting immunity
• Reducing signs of aging
• Alleviating skin disorders

As you can see, pantothenic acid does contribute to the quality of your skin. But how? The answer may be much different than you think…

One major pantothenic acid acne benefit is in the fact that this vitamin greatly boosts and protects the immune system. So what does that have to do with your acne treatment? Well, what many people do not realize is that a compromised immune system can directly lead to acne.

When your immune system is weakened, it will leave the protective barrier of your complexion vulnerable to damage, making it highly likely that the acne bacteria on your skin will result in chronic, inflamed acne lesions.

To take it a step further, another pantothenic acid acne benefit is that this vitamin relieves stress. Stress is yet another factor that will compromise your immune system, which could result in hormonal imbalances, excess oil production, and bacteria on your skin that will cause acne.

However, as a word of caution, this vitamin is not a complete acne cure-all. Come again?

While pantothenic acid is highly necessary to improve the quality of your skin and strengthen your immune system, you will never be able to defend your body against acne if you don’t first of all correct your diet. A weakened immune system stems from poor digestion, caused by an unhealthy diet.

To get started, it will greatly benefit your immune system and skin to eliminate processed, sugary foods from your diet. These foods cause an overload of toxins in your body, which will throw your hormones out of whack and lead to acne bacteria overgrowth to result in serious breakouts.

In addition, it pays to include foods rich in pantothenic acid in your diet, like: [1]

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Salmon
• Legumes
• Collard greens

While you may be tempted to supplement your diet with a pantothenic acid acne supplement, it is always best to try to get this vitamin from fresh food sources since they will provide a variety of vitamins and nutrients to benefit your skin.

On top of that, some foods rich in vitamin B5, like salmon, also contain omega-3 fatty acids. These omega-3 fatty acids are vital to the health of your skin since they once again boost your immune system to strengthen your complexion to naturally resist acne. Do you see how it all works together?

Check out what a few acne sufferers from the acne.org forums had to say about pantothenic acid acne remedies:

After reading about pantethine (the active form of B-5), i'm wondering why people aren't trying it instead of b5? From what ive read, you get a better effect with a lot less to no side effects. Because you only have to take around 900 mg or so of pantethine, there will be no adverse side effects.

I've been taking B5 for 2 weeks now. My skin is less oily and my break out minimizes but my skin isn't clear yet. So I am going to give it another 2 weeks to see if there are any further improvements. Basically, I am taking 10mg (20 pills and 4 times a day) per day. I see a significant reduction of oil after my third day. Also, I used to have on average 3 new pimples per day and now I'm only having 1 new pimple in 3-4 days.

I've been taking B5 for about 4 days now, and my skin looks and feels better. My cystic acne that I had cleared up. Now I just have hyperpigmentation from all of my old acne.

So what have we learned today? While a vitamin like pantothenic acid definitely has the ability to benefit your skin by boosting your immune system, it will not provide an acne cure by itself. Start out on the right foot by cleaning up your diet and including foods rich in vitamin B5 to strengthen your skin to naturally fight acne!

Sources:

1. "Health Benefits of Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid." Welcome to Organic Facts. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. <http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vitamins/health-benefits-of-vitamin-b5-or-pantothenic-acid.html>.

About the Author: Bethany Ramos is an aesthetician and makeup artist with a special interest in using nutrition to heal and alleviate a number of conditions in the skin. You can find out more skin care and makeup tips by visiting her blog at FacebyBethany.

Vitamin A Acne Benefits

According to the vitamin A fact sheet found at AnyVitamins.com, vitamin A is an essential component of healthy skin.[1] Having a deficiency in this vitamin could cause dry, itchy, and flaky skin, not to mention dry eyes, night blindness, and stunted growth.

Let’s explore the top 3 vitamin A acne benefits for your skin…

1. Strengthened immune system. Vitamin A is essential for a strong and well-functioning immune system, but what does that have to do with the health of your skin? Well… everything! A strong immune system is essential to stimulate healing in your complexion to naturally resist acne bacteria, and it also helps to balance your hormones levels and regulate sebum production so that you are less likely to break out. The truth is that one of the greatest vitamin A acne benefits is that it will keep your immune system robust and strong to be ultimately reflected in clear, healthy, and acne-free skin.

1. Superior antioxidant protection. By now, you have probably seen a slew of skin care products that are full of protective antioxidants, but the truth is that you can get no better antioxidant protection than by eating healthy vitamins that will prevent damage in your skin internally as well as externally. Eating a diet rich in the antioxidant vitamin A will neutralize free radical damage in the skin to greatly reduce your risk for skin cancer and premature aging. This protection from free radical damage will also strengthen the outer barrier of your skin so that it is naturally resistant to acne bacteria, adding yet another vitamin A acne benefit to the list.

1. Healthy skin cell growth. Vitamin A is essential for the healthy growth of epithelial cells, which are found in the mucus membranes and in your skin. Vitamin A also plays an essential role in protein synthesis and fat storage to aid in healthy metabolism to ensure that your skin gets the vital nutrients it needs to replenish and repair itself from the inside out. As if that wasn’t reason enough to include vitamin A in your diet, it also promotes healthy digestive and urinary health to greatly slow down the aging process. Perhaps one of the greatest vitamin A acne benefits of all is that vitamin A as a part of a balanced diet beautifies and balances the surface of your skin to keep your complexion fresh and youthful, not to mention free from blemishes.

To give you a clearer picture, let’s check out what a few acne sufferers had to say about vitamin A acne benefits on the acne.org forums:

My husband bought me a bottle of vitamin A 10,000 IU after having mentioned that Accutane was my next attempt to try to get rid of my acne. After taking two pills a day for two weeks I noticed that I had no new breakouts since the begining of this treatment and what I had on my face had cleared up! I dropped down to one pill a day which was fine until the week prior to my period. Then I got a couple of breakouts, but after that week they cleared up again. I'm still acne free.

I wondered if a small dose of Vitamin A would help. I started taking just IU10,000 every day. I am SHOCKED with the results. In 2 weeks, everything was level and calm. I still have scars, but NO new breakouts, and the scars are fading. If your problems sound like mine, I highly recommend Vitamin A!!

Although it may seem easier to simply take a supplement of vitamin A to reinforce and strengthen your skin, supplements are nowhere near as effective as whole foods rich in vitamin A. Of course, the fact is that many food sources today are highly processed, so a well-chosen vitamin A supplement can complement an already balanced diet.

Here are some of the best food sources of vitamin A to add liberally to your diet:

• Liver
• Milk
• Egg yolk
• Carrots
• Yellow fruits
• Green leafy vegetables

The recommended daily allowance of vitamin A at a minimum is 4000 IU for women and 5000 IU for men. While it is possible to exceed this dosage and cause vitamin A toxicity in your body, this possibility is highly rare since a toxic dosage of this vitamin must exceed 15,000 IU per day to cause any health issues.

Now that the vitamin A acne benefits within a well-balanced diet are clear, you may be wondering just how beneficial topical vitamin A is for your skin…

Topical Vitamin A Acne Benefits

From my years of experience as an aesthetician, I will offer you one word of caution in the use of topical vitamin A for acne treatment: use sparingly! Topical vitamin A is highly aggressive and will exfoliate the outer layers of the skin in the hopes of reducing the risk of acne breakouts, yet it can often do more harm than good to sensitive skin types that are plagued with acne.

Using too much topical vitamin A can cause serious redness, irritation, and even long-term scarring in the skin, not to mention the fact that topical vitamin A only focuses on exfoliation in the hopes of treating acne externally, when the real source of acne lies in an imbalanced diet.

Although there are numerous skin care products on the market that contain vitamin ingredients, these ingredients only focus on the surface health of your skin and cannot treat your acne until you first of all correct your diet.

So what is the bottom line when it comes to vitamin A acne benefits? It is an inarguable fact that vitamin A taken internally in whole and healthy foods is an effective way to benefit and improve the clarity of your skin.

Still, do not overlook the fact that one vitamin does not provide a standalone acne cure. If you want any hope of clarifying and strengthening your skin to fight acne, you must focus on a diet that is balanced with healthy vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A.

Acne stems from an imbalanced diet that causes digestive issues and floods the body full of toxins, leaving your skin weak and vulnerable to acne bacteria and breakouts. By eliminating unhealthy, processed foods from your diet and focusing on whole food sources rich in vitamins, you have the opportunity to strengthen and balance your skin internally so that acne bacteria on the surface of your skin doesn’t stand a chance!

Sources:

1. "Vitamin A Information Page. All about Vitamin A and the Role It Plays in Your Diet." Zest for Life Vitamins and Supplements. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://www.anyvitamins.com/vitamin-a-info.htm>.

About the Author: Bethany Ramos is an aesthetician and makeup artist with a special interest in using nutrition to heal and alleviate a number of conditions in the skin. You can find out more skin care and makeup tips by visiting her blog at FacebyBethany.

While it is important to carefully read your product labels and seek out natural acne products that are free from chemicals, an even more important question begs to be asked when it comes to olive oil acne products: Are they better for your skin when used topically or consumed internally?

Olive Oil Acne Treatment Benefits

To begin with, it is essential to pay attention to the ingredients that you put on your skin since topical acne products that contain chemicals can quickly absorb into your bloodstream to negatively affect your circulatory system. That’s something that you want to avoid at all costs!

Still, if you are only focusing on the topical ingredients that you put on your skin, then you are simply slapping on a coat of paint to cover up a greater issue and are not treating the source of acne at its root.

The true source of acne stems from an imbalance in the diet that causes digestive issues that will ultimately weaken the immune system and make it difficult for your skin to resist acne bacteria. This means that no matter what kind of quality acne product that you use, you will not be able to stop the vicious cycle of acne if you don’t first of all pay attention to the foods that you eat.

Which brings us to the amazing benefits of extra virgin olive oil within the diet…

According to WHFoods.com, extra virgin olive oil has an impressive list of health benefits when included in the diet: [1]

• Protection against chronic disease like diabetes, atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and arthritis.
• A longer life span with a 50% reduced risk of mortality.
• A reduced risk of coronary heart disease by almost 50%.

While these overall health benefits are simply astonishing and a good enough reason in themselves to enjoy extra virgin olive oil regularly, extra virgin olive oil also provides healthy fats in the diet that will aid in digestion and better absorb nutrients in the food that you eat.

The whole point is that your skin needs valuable nutrients in order to repair itself and flush harmful toxins from the body that break down the skin’s protective barrier and leave it vulnerable to acne bacteria on the skin.

There is truly no way to clear up your skin and get rid of acne for good without firstly focusing on healthy fats and other healthy food choices within your diet to restore your immune system, aid in digestion, and strengthen your skin from the inside out.

That being said, there are still benefits to using topical olive oil acne treatments, so let’s check out a few testimonials from fellow acne sufferers on the acne.org forums:

I have been using extra virgin olive oil in my regimen since early December and must admit that it leaves my face very smooth and moisturized. I actually use it as a make up remover to "melt" off my make up and it works very well in taking off my eye make up. I apply the olive oil to dry skin, then rinse, then wash with cetaphil. It takes all the oil off. Works wonders for dry skin around the elbows and hands, too!

I just wanted to touch back and say I am still in love with EVOO!!! My skin is baby butt soft and I have gone from 15-20 active zits to 3. My nose pores are looking really good too... the little black dots ( blackheads) are all but gone. I really think all the bp I was using was keeping my skin in a constant state of trauma, seriuosly. This is really going good for me.

I think the EVOO is helping my skin as well, I use it as well as emu oil. And yeah, I've also noticed alot less blackheads on my nose; when I use QH Mint Julep masque the same thing happens but it lasts for maybe a day, if that. Most of the time, less. But olive oil masks + emu oil as a moisturizer has softened my skin and helped with red marks. I don't know what it's doing as far as active acne because it's only been since friday for the emu, and maybe since sunday for the olive but I'm liking the results so far.

Using topical olive oil acne products can soften and smooth the surface of the skin, but they do not have the capability to treat acne in the long run.

I would definitely encourage you to look for natural acne products that contain olive oil to provide topical antioxidants to protect the skin from outside free radical damage, yet you will see much more success in clearing up your skin by including olive oil within your diet, along with many other healthy food choices.

When you begin to make these beneficial dietary changes, your body can quickly eliminate and purge toxins that are harming your skin to finally get rid of acne for good!

Sources:

1. "WHFoods: Olive Oil, Extra Virgin." The World's Healthiest Foods. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132>.

About the Author: Bethany Ramos is an aesthetician and makeup artist with a special interest in using nutrition to heal and alleviate a number of conditions in the skin. You can find out more skin care and makeup tips by visiting her blog at FacebyBethany.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it is also the perfect representation of your inner health. Inflammation of the skin means inflammation in your body!

If something starts to go wrong in your skin, then instead of just slapping a product on it to make it better, you must instead explore the inner health of your body to get to the true source of the issue. This is really the only way to clear up your skin and get rid of acne redness in the long run…

What Causes Acne Redness?

Obvious inflammation occurs in the body due to a compromised immune system, which is a direct result of an imbalanced diet such astoo much daily sugar.

The surface infection begins when the p. acnes bacteria mixes with oil and dead skin cells to create an acne lesion or pimple, which your immune system then tries to fight off to bring your skin back into health and balance. This infection will cause a chain of events known as the inflammatory response, which will result in pain, redness, heat, and swelling around the acne lesion. [1]

Even though it may appear embarrassing and uncomfortable, this inflammatory response is actually a good thing because it is your body’s way detoxing!

However, for chronic acne sufferers, it does no good to wait for this acne redness to go away since it is likely for inflammation to appear again and again if the true source of the acne is not treated through making dietary changes.

Acne Redness and Your Diet

To help your body out in fighting infection and inflammation to keep your skin healthy and in balance, you must take a clear look at your diet to see whether or not you are eating foods that are creating more inflammation in your body.

For the majority of people out there, high carbohydrate diets are the ultimate trigger of inflammation. [1] This is because high carbohydrate foods cause immediate imbalances in the anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, resulting in increased inflammation as insulin levels rise when carbohydrates are digested.

Here are what several acne sufferers from the acne.org forums had to say about how carbohydrates in their diet affected their skin for the worse:

When i was attempting atkins for about 6 months, my skin was awesome. Then i moved back out to university, where living on meat etc is expensive, and went back to almost all carbs. I had my worst break out ever, coincidence?? prob not. Ive been back on the meat for nearly a month and my skin is clearing up rapidly.

I've had bad acne for about 15 years. Not to sound like a commercial but I tried every stupid cream, lotion, cleanser, diet and perscription you've ever heard of. And yes BP and "the regimen" does work but it never seems to get them all and you always have to keep it on your face 24/7 and as soon as you stop guess what... it comes back. So 6 months ago I had a bad break out and I got pissed so I spent a few days looking at other causes b/c it just isn't natural to have acne. When your skin looks bad be it from acne or a rash it's usually a symptom of a greater underlying problem with your body.

So while searching the net, I came upon the carbohydrate and insulin connection (the links are at the end of this post) and I was skeptical to say the least b/c I've tired cutting out all kinds of food in the past, (Dairy, meat, salt, sugar) but I read it b/c I was desperate and so I tried it. Well to make a long story short, it was the best decision I've ever made b/c 5 months later my face and body is smoother than a baby's a**. No zits, pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, no oil, no redness, no blotchiness. And damn am I happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what is the true solution for acne redness?

A healthy diet!

As you include more fresh, whole foods in your diet that are low in sugar and carbohydrates, you willl

• boost and strengthen your immune system
• ensure that your body has all of the nutrients and minerals that it needs to repair your skin.
• stimulate digestion and metabolism to flush toxins from the surface of your skin
• keep your blood sugar levels stable to balance out the inflammatory compounds in your body.

Do you see how it all works together perfectly?

Sources:

1. Pick, Marcelle. "Causes of Inflammation." Women to Women — Changing Women's Health — Naturally. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/causes.aspx>.

About the Author: Bethany Ramos is an aesthetician and makeup artist with a special interest in using nutrition to heal and alleviate a number of conditions in the skin. You can find out more skin care and makeup tips by visiting her blog at FacebyBethany.

Your body wants to keep the toxins away from your vital inner organs, so it brings these toxins to your extremeties, e.g. your sinuses, your skin, etc. This is a good thing. What happens when you accumulate too many toxins over time? Cancer. Notice it usually takes decades of accumulating toxins for cancer to manifest itself.

The same goes with acne, and all skin ailments for that matter. Your body is getting rid of the toxins through your skin – hence your acne. In a sense, acne is a good thing (rolls eyes.) The skin is a very efficient way for your immune system to get rid of toxins.

What does this mean? It means if you have acne, your body has accumulated more toxins then it can get rid of through your bowels and urine. This is a very simple yet important concept. Realize that acne is caused by toxins and toxins are the result of poor dietary habits.

What is an acne sufferers insides like? They are filled with toxins, toxins are all things unhealthy for your body like harmful bacteria, fungus, etc. Every unhealthy person has a superfluous amount of this bad shit in them, and everyone's body deals with it differently. In your case, your body is releasing these toxins through the biggest organ of your body – your skin. Lucky you.

The battle with acne is a war in many senses. In this sense, inside your body these toxins are taking hold of as much real estate they can get their hands on, and your defense mechanisms are trying to fight back. Only, they are losing the battle. Every time you consume something unhealthy like sugar, these toxins are getting reinforcements. You're immune system cannot win this battle alone. Here is where garlic comes into play.

Garlic is like a battalion of snipers and tanks. The snipers pick off all the bad bacteria, leaving the good bacteria to continue the fight, and the tanks destroy everything else bad (fungus, parasites, etc). You will notice that after consuming enough garlic, you may have to burp a wonderful garlicy aroma. That's bad bacteria being killed off in your body. What a sweet, sweet smell.

Why raw, and crushed? Garlic has a unique little component called allicin. Allicin is what does all the dirty work. When you cook garlic, the allicin is killed off and there go all the health benefits of this spice. By crushing the garlic you are releasing this allicin.

How can you consume raw garlic? You don't have to go and munch on cloves of raw garlic. My favorite method is to mix it with eggs. After cooking some bacon and eggs in, I will spread some raw and crushed garlic on them. It actually adds to the taste.

How much garlic? There is no such thing as too much garlic. In fact, you will learn from these readings that you cant get enough of anything healthy. The human body has been trained thousands of years through evolution to accept all things healthy. Your body will take from it what it needs and throw everything else off through your urine, feces, sebum, etc. I personally try to consume 4-6 cloves of garlic a day. Now when you start to implement the acne cure, you will want to take things slow. Start with one clove a day and work your way up.

George McCumiskey, ND

Sugar and too many carbohydrates are very non-essential to human health since meats, eggs and healthy fats contain all the necessary nutrients needed in order to be completely fit and healthy. Your body converts sugar, carbohydrates into glucose – glucose is necessary for healthy function. Your body also converts 60% of protein and 10% of fat into glucose, making sugar very non-essential! Too much sugar in your diet WILL cause problems with your skin.

• Sugar can suppress the immune system and it contributes to the reduction in the body's defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases) inside your body and on your skin. Scientists have proven that too much sugar is the death of the immune system.
• Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body. It also interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. All vitamins and minerals work together in the body and all contribute to the health of your skin.
• Sugar produces a low oxygen environment which leads to candida and acne.
• Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function making the skin less supple and healthy looking
• Sugar can cause and/or lead to a far range of health concerns beyond acne.
• Sugar causes indigestion and constipation. Sugar is the number one enemy of the bowel movement. Healthy bowel movements are necessary for healthy skin.
• Sugar can cause depression, the last thing an acne sufferer needs to deal with!
• Sugar feeds superfluous fungus and bad bacteria in the body and on the skin
• Sugar is an addictive substance, and it can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.

The fact that sugar greatly depresses the immune system has been known for many years, mainly because of Linus Pauling. He is the only person ever to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes — for Chemistry (1954) and for Peace (1962). He concluded that white blood cells need a high dose of vitamin C, and so he developed his theory that high doses of vitamin C were needed to combat the common cold, the flu, and even cancer.

Did you know that vitamin C and sugar have similar chemical structures so that means they compete with one another for entry into the cells? New research confirms Dr. John Ely's 30-year theory that sugar (glucose) competes with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) for insulin-mediated uptake into cells.

Vitamin C is directly related to skin elasticity and collagen. This is why there have been numerous studies showing sugar leading to premature aging. Sugar also allows for an inflammatory environment which is far from optimal for healthy, acne free skin.

Consuming sugar can effectively crowd out the ascorbate (vitamin C). The effect of the Pauling Therapy [high doses of vitamin C] is reportedly much more pronounced and immediate when sugar is eliminated. Your skin will heal and improve much faster when sugar is eliminated from the diet!

If there is more sugar around less vitamin C is allowed into the cell, and vice versa. It is interesting that taking vitamin C also helps curb cravings for sugar, alcohol and carbohydrates. Since our bodies cannot make vitamin C on its own, it must be obtained from foods or supplements on a daily basis.

In his book Sugar Blues, Bill Dufty points out numerous examples of physical diseases and psychological disorders, such as acne, that can be traced back to diets that are deficient in whole unprocessed foods, and dominated by highly processed fats and sugars.

The problem with sugar consumption is not just limited to refined table sugar. Other types of sugars are just as damaging, i.e. corn syrup and sweeteners, honey, maple syrup, molasses, glucose, fructose (fruits), and all artificial sugar substitutes and sweeteners, i.e. NutraSweet, aspartame, saccharin, etc.

Names for Sugars and Sweeteners (partial list)

George McCumiskey, ND

The right kinds of fats are nature-made saturated fat, in spite of what we've been led to believe. They play many important roles in body chemistry. The truth is, natural nature-made fats and oils have components found only in them, which are health-promoting, and all man-made fats are now known to be disease-causing.

Health-giving saturated fats are stable and do not become rancid easily, and they do not draw upon the body's reserves of antioxidants, nor do they initiate cancer or irritate the artery walls like man-made fats and oils.

Healthy saturated fats are an important part of any healthy meal. They draw nutrients out of foods and slow digestion so that natural enzymes and the assimilation process can take place. Remember that your skin needs many nutrients to become and remain healthy, anything that helps your body is helping your skin. As Sally Fallon writes in Confused About Fats: "The following nutrient-rich traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years:

• Butter
• Beef and lamb tallow
• Lard
• Chicken, goose and duck fat
• Coconut and palm oils
• Cold pressed olive oil
• Fish oils

The following new-fangled [man-made] fats can cause a wide range of skin issues, including acne, eczema, seb derm, rosacea, etc:

• All hydrogenated oils
• Soy, corn and safflower oils
• Cottonseed oil
• Canola oil
• Hemp oil
• All fats heated to very high temperatures in processing and frying

When you are cooking with oils or make note of the type of oils used in food products you are purchasing, remember that these fats infallibly find its way out of your pores. If you choose to consume unhealthy oils, your skin will be ridden with problems. If you choose to consume healthy oils, your skin will become soft, supple, acne free, with a healthy glow!

George McCumiskey, ND