Acne Skin Care Treatments

There is a pretty strong case against being a big milk and dairy consumer while struggling with acne. I am not bothering to quote the many dermatologists who claim there is no correlation between diet and acne. For acne sufferers dealing with this and experimenting, they have realized that there is indeed a clear relationship between what they eat and what occurs on their face. If we look at the many countries that are acne-free, with exceptionally junk-free diets and without the big emphasis on the milk and dairy we consume from the store on a daily basis, it is difficult to listen to dermatologists who won’t make a blessed buck by backing up the diet theory. Then there are some very ethical and experienced dermatologists who have studied this more indepth, have not just taken the text-book word of their educational profs who raised them on the “no special food” relationship with acne, have seen proof and evidence enough that they are wiling to experiment and make various recommendations based on what has been successful for others and for themselves.

If you choose to avoid dairy, there is one exception I would suggest and that is keeping yogurt in your daily diet, the more probiotic the better, with the bacterial culture it is supposed to have, and not the gelatin that some brands have been injected with. Or learn to make your own, which is not difficult nor time-consuming on your part. This is only a recommendation. You may find you are completely better off without any dairy whatsoever.

Soy products can be replacements for dairy, but I would recommend going with organic soy replacements and not over-consuming of the regular soy products you find at the grocery store, which are from soy raised with an abundance of chemicals none of us need when dealing with acne.

Try going without dairy for six months, which will help keep pores from gaining new “plugs” and help you gain some ground in this fight.

Throughout the remainder of the teen years and into your early twenties, keep dairy minimal and even eliminated still if possible. You can then start on dairy very slowly, but forget about adding Ben and Jerry’s every day to your food consumption. Ice cream is unfortunately a nasty culprit but lucky for you, there are many substitutes in the stores now that can help you win the battle over giving into that one. Your waistline will probably thank you also.

To replace the calcium from dairy, don’t fret too much over this, since there are many countries who have fabulous bones and are not force-fed dairy each day. You should have a healthy diet with calcium products, vitamin D both from supplements and sunshine, and don’t forget that cola and other caffeine products can leach the calcium out of your body, so replace that calcium if you tend to overindulge some time in those products.

Calcium-rich foods: salmon, but I would recommend avoiding this one, as it seems to cause major breakouts in people. Tofu, (made from soybean curd), broccoli, turnip greens, kale, cornbread, eggs, calcium-fortified juices. You should be getting 1000 mg per day of calcium, so look up what foods are high in calcium and what you are getting from each one. Broccoli has 160 – 180 mg per cup, tofu has 145 mg per 4 ounces, kale has 90 – 100 mg per half cup, one medium egg has 55 mg, calcium fortified juices vary but can start at 165 mg for a half cup and regular orange juice has 52 mg for a half cup. White beans 120 mg per ¾ cup, chickpeas 58 mg per ¾ cup, instant oats – one packet is 165 mg., roasted almonds ¼ cup is 93 mg., plain low-fat yogurt has 415 mg for one cup. So this is not impossible or too difficult to do. Natural acne treatments will not be topical only. It will have to include what we ingest. Our skin mirrors this well unfortunately.

You may be an avid dairy consumer and have great skin now. Congratulations and enjoy your Ben and Jerrys for those of us who cannot yet.  And the picture above is not dairy ice cream but rice and soy milk  ice cream. Try it.