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Enter your search terms Submit search form Treatment Tips for Acne Sufferers Get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Not only will your skin appreciate the vitamin D, your body and mind will enjoy the oxygen and stress reducer of just being outside in the fresh air.Remember to use sun protection or tanning lotion if you're out for any period of time. Even "good" stress can trigger internal chemical responses that result in acne, so plan ahead to deal with extra stress when planning a wedding, graduation, move, new job, job transfer, new baby, etc. Get help around the house, take time off, exercise have fun or whatever you need to do. But be proactive. When you control stress, you help control the stress hormone cortisol - reducing its release as you reduce stress, reduces the effects of acne. Activity and exercise help improve blood flow and circulation and are natural healing aids for your skin enabling improved waste management, via your skin pores. Both blackheads and whiteheads are filled with trapped sebum and bacteria. So prevention and treatment advice for how to handle them is important. Drink plenty of water daily. A recommendation is three to four tall glasses of mineral or filtered water. If you don't drink enough, it can lead to dehydration, which leads to dead skin cells not naturally falling off or sloughing properly. This results in blocked pores which ultimately turns into acne. Acne has nothing to do with dirt, so don't over-wash or over-scrub your face or the rest of your body. Too much washing and scrubbing can result in dry skin. Dry skin means your skin creates more oil. which leads to extra dead skin cells and blocked pores which trigger acne flare-ups. Add more fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts to your regular diet. Add salads, dried fruit and nut snacks, juices and other healthy treats to your daily diet plan Decrease your intake of caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates. Some studies show caffeine can increases levels of stress hormones inside your body, provoking or worsening acne conditions. Sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as that in white bread, rice, flour, pasta, etc., can result in an insulin surge, resulting in an excess of hormones stimulating the skin to discharge lots of sebum. Decrease your dietary intake of red meat and dairy products. Since they are more difficult to digest, it's thought their acid-forming properties are linked to our bodies's health. It's thought when the body puts effort into the digestion of high levels of animal protein, waste products are not completely processed as quickly as they should be, i.e. they shed slowly, blocking pores which causes acne. Red meat and dairy products may contain high levels of hormones that may generate higher levels in humans thus causing acne. Use natural products on your skin. Avoid unnecessary chemicals in skin/body products that may be harmful. Use non-pore clogging or noncomedogenic products like make-ups and tanning lotions. Look for any combination of these terms on labels: natural ingredients, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti fungal, anti parasitic, antiviral and / or antimicrobial agent. Taking these basic steps can help you control your acne. About the Author Kim Standerline is a Registered Nurse working for a large hospital trust in the UK. She can be found at http://www.acne-and-you.com and http://www.nursing-hints.com

Does Alcohol Have a Place In a Healthy Diet?
A number of recent news stories have reported that drinking alcoholic beverages has health benefits--some even imply that one or two drinks a day is a government-endorsed route to better health. Other stories say that alcohol abuse is related to...