Diet Beats the Other Acne Cures
Controversy surrounds acne treatments based on eating certain foods. There are many very popular diet-based holistic acne programs online that are successful for many people. Doctors have been hostile to any acne cure having to do with special diets.They claim there is not enough evidence and that anecdotal evidence isn’t good enough. The latest studies have revealed the relationship between our complexions and diet that has been assumed by the holistic community. I expect the diet-based acne cures to gain traction and acceptance over the long term as more dermatologists study the evidence and see the benefits of special acne diets over their current treatments. Take a look at these acne product reviews for examples of available dietary acne cures.
Let’s take a look at the common ways that pimples are treated by medicine. Acne patients are typically first prescribed oral antibiotics, topical antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide creams and gels. Benzoyl peroxide is really only useful in treating mild cases of acne. Like antibiotics, it eradicates the P.Acnes bacteria on the skin surface that can infect blackheads and whiteheads and turns them into pimples.
But acne is a complicated disease and bacteria is only one part of the equation. That’s the problem. Acne is actually caused by how our bodies produce and react to androgen hormones. Bacteria doesn’t even have to be present for people to have acne. Fighting acne with antibacterial agents fights the symptoms of pimples but not the actual cause of acne. You cannot cure a disease by tackling the symptoms. Even if their symptoms are reduced, a cycle of dependency is created where they cannot stop taking the medication or their acne will return. Month after month, the acne sufferer has to buy additional expensive medicine and often, especially if the acne is severe, sees disappointing results.
Not only are antibiotics less effective than they should be, but their use (not including benzoyl peroxide) causes an increase in the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. We have no weapons to use against the new superbugs we are producing. Humanity is facing a serious threat. Doctors no longer routinely prescribe antibiotics for infections that don’t absolutely require them. This is the responsible thing to do.
Accutane is the dermatologist’s other major weapon. Accutane use should not be taken lightly. It is a drug of last resort, although it can be effective in curing acne. You can no longer buy Accutane in America because the severe side effects associated with it have forced it out of that market. The side effects are well documented, but what acne patients might be less aware of is that Accutane does not work overnight and they should expect to look much worse, not better, for up to a year while on the drug.
The production and synthesis of androgen hormones are affected by diet. This has recently been proven by a medical study. (Source: Berra B, Rizzo AM. Glycemic index, glycemic load, wellness and beauty: the state of the art. Clinics in Dermatology. 2009:27:230-235) The claims of the popular holistic acne diets available on the internet make sense when seen in this light. Acne can be cured by following the right healthy diet. It remains to be seen if this new knowledge will have any influence over how doctors choose to treat their acne patients. This is, however, great news to acne patients who have been disappointed with the results they have been getting from traditional medical approaches. With drug companies poised to lose a lot of money, doctors will be pressured to continue to prescribe these old fashioned remedies. Even though most acne cures are a waste of money, the billion dollar acne industry carries on by making promises to acne patients that it can’t keep. Hopefully, word will get out that there are cheaper and more effective ways to treat acne in the privacy of your own home by adjusting your diet to fix your complexion. This would be a welcome development in our fight to help everyone clear their acne.
