Basically, Dale F. Bloom contends that acne evolved to keep us from having babies too early and even wrote an article about it in the journal Medical Hypothesis.

The article here states that basically, acne came about as a naturally developed way to prevent people from reproducing too young, before they were ready, by making their skin less attractive and making them less likely to reproduce.

This may sound like God’s way of playing a cruel joke or a natural yet inhumane means of controlling hormones, but there is some logic to his theory!

You see, children in agrarian societies and even our own modern societies are truly being trained every day in order to learn and adapt to their environment for survival. Most teenagers, regardless of what they might tell you or their parents, are not yet ready to fill the shoes of an adult when it comes to earning a living, paying bills or having children.

Perhaps this was evidenced naturally and the need for a symbiotic balancing of reproductive desires was needed to keep children too young from having young before they were able to feed and defend them.

It makes sense, and yet is quite cruel!

Acne is Nature’s Way of Trying to Keep You From Getting Laid?

So the theory says, anyways!

Unfortunately, children in modern societies are hitting puberty so early that this doesn’t even matter any more. Most kids become pubescent at the age of 12 whereas in many primitive agrarian societies in Paraguay and other third world countries, puberty doesn’t strike until 15 or 16.

So much for the population control.

Okay. Perhaps you already knew that. .

Either way, let me as you a question and I’ll see if you can relate.

Ever been on your way to an important meeting, party, or event and on your way out, you looked in the mirror and BAM! One or two big zits found their way on your face?

You use a bunch of great products, try everything to make it better throughout the week, but still, every once in a while, when you least need it, there it is again.

Annoying, isn’t it?

It’s the Stress!

Usually break outs are provoked by stress. Typically when your skin is in good standing, sudden changes to diet or stress can bust it out of its normal, healthy routine. It’s quite annoying.

So here are 3 things you can do to reverse the onslaught!

1. Use Acne Spot Treatment!

Acne spot treatment is fast acting and easy to use. There are a lot of great spot treatments out there. The number one treatment I recommend is Murad Acne Spot Treatment. It is a great damage control plan for your skin.

Seriously, it probably won’t get rid of the pimples instantly, but it will provide a lot of damage control so it will heal much faster.

2. Use Hot Water and Steam to Clean!

Steam is a huge exfoliant. By opening the pores and allowing skin to breathe, it helps your skin shed more quickly and produce better, more natural secretions when it comes to your pores, decreasing the build up of oils under the skin.

This is also powerful. The faster and more naturally your skin sheds and your pores stay open while cleaning, the faster those zits will clean up.

3. Get Some Antioxidants, FAST!

This one is pretty obvious.

If you don’t already know, antioxidants are HUGE for fighting acne.

You really need to keep your antioxidant levels high. Go to the store and buy some green tea or some hot chocolate and take a few supplements to help ward off the infection. Keep on the right path and you should be in better shape fast!

Unfortunately, most people who suffer with severe acne scars will need to see a dermatologist. I don’t say this to be mean or sound discouraging, but once a scar has reached a certain point, herbs, lotions and face masks just won’t heal it any more.

You remember that time you cut yourself really badly on your bike and had to get a bunch of stitches? Or maybe it was the time you had surgery. Chances are, even after all these years, the scars are still there because of how deep they are.

Acne scars are the same way. Don’t expect to heal them with a little bit of papaya and some aloe vera if they are deep and have been there for several month.

Types of Acne Scars

Acne comes in 2 essential types:

1. Crater Scars

These scars are much wider than they are deep. They are primarily superficial and haven’t done any significant damage to the skin, so they can be treated if handled gently.

2. Ice Pick Scars

These scars come as a result of serious, deep acne problems in the skin. They are typically deeper than they are wide. They are much more than just superficial and signal extreme damage as a result of the skin’s deficiency to fight infection. These scars will in almost every single case, need to be removed by a dermatologist.

Acne Scar Home Remedies

1. Use some lightening and moisturizing lotion to remove the appearance of the scars and try to heal them as they are. This is best assisted by a healthy diet including a lot of antioxidants and a face mask

2. Exfoliate the skin daily using sulfur and benzoyl peroxide treatments. Encouraging the skin to grow can help new skin replace scarred skin and allow the skin to regenerate.

3. Use a topical pock mark filler to cover up and improve depressed scar areas in order to encourage healing.

Should You See a Doctor?

I would never discourage someone from seeing a dermatologist if they have acne scars, but just to be sure you need one, here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Are my scars ice picks or craters?

If you have crater scarring, you might be able to heal it naturally, but ice pick scars, or scars that are much deeper than they are wide, will almost always need to be professionally treated by a dermatologist.

2. Have my scars been around for at least 6 months?

Many milder scars or scabs will go away on their own, but if they don’t, you may be in trouble. If your acne scarring has been around for 6 months and nothing has worked, it may be time to see a dermatologist

3. Are my scars severe enough that nothing covers them up or treats them?

You’ve tried diet, topical creams and even face masks, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING has worked? Okay, I think it’s time for you to check in!

Dermatologist Treatments for Acne Scars:

And to help me explain some of the treatment options and procedures as well as the difference between the types of scars, let me welcome my special guest, Doctor Neal Schultz!

But when talking about treating acne, you should be thinking more along the lines of, well, this:

That’s because unbeknown to many acne victims, sulfur is actually an excellent exfoliate for the skin and thus, can help treat acne!

Why Exfoliating Matters…

Treating acne is about doing more than just getting rid of pimples. In order to understand how acne sulfur treatment works, it’s important to understand how exfoliation of the skin works and how that contributes to making your skin healthier and more acne free.

Bottom line is, exfoliation basically means your skin is shedding at a faster rate and pores are becoming unclogged. When your skin sheds dead skin cells too slowly, this can often cause a build up of the pores when they are clogged. As you probably already know about acne, this typically causes a blackhead to form, which if left unchecked, can eventually turn into a full blown pimple. Not a good thing for anyone trying to maintain healthy, beautiful skin!

So, sulfur treats this by exfoliating naturally!

Any Side Effects?

You’re asking good questions!

If there are side effects, it’s primarily because of overuse. In the proper amounts with application 2-3 times per day, sulfur has no side effects unless you happen to be allergic. The worst that happens to people that use sulfur is the same as for people who use benzoyl peroxide. You might just end up getting irritable skin.

But the irritability will wear off quickly and when it does, your skin will have regenerated and your pores will be unclogged a lot more easily than without!

Should You Use Sulfur Acne Treatment?

I recommend it!

You can get a bottle of Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment online for only 22 dollars. It’s pretty darn effective and has some good reviews.

I’d only recommend staying away from it if you have SUPER sensitive skin. Otherwise, try it out and see what it does to improve your skin!

Good news. You’re actually in a very common situation and 95 percent of people who have acne problems can cure the naturally. But it might take a little bit of work to figure out exactly what is causing the acne to keep coming back.

The problem is this: acne is a complex issue. It’s never just one thing or another, it’s always a hundred things at once. You eat a little bit of chocolate, drink some milk, wear some unsafe makeup, then go to school and work while getting stressed out about life and rubbing your face with your itchy wool shirt.

…So Which One of ALL of Those Things is Causing Your Acne?!

Maybe it was all of them!

Maybe it was just one.

Point is, you never know until you start eliminating things and seeing changes in your skin. Sometimes curing acne without pills or ointments is the best way to go, and other times you need the creams to give you the extra boost to keep your skin clear!

Either way, if you have been trying this thing or that to get rid of acne and STILL don’t see changes, here are some reasons it might be coming back…

Reason 1: Too Many Products!

Crazy, right? Did you know that there is a such thing as putting too much of that chemical infused crap on your face?

Okay, it’s not all crap. But the point is, applying benzoyl peroxide or vitamin B5 based acne creams 20 times per day is going to SERIOUSLY mess with your skin. Treat your skin well, keep it moisturized and use some good products. But don’t use all of them all the time or your skin might actually get MORE irritated.

Reason 2: Your Stress Level!

If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably understand a few things about acne and stress. The two are pretty well related. Cortisol and other stress related hormones can put your sebaceous glands into unintentional overdrive. Bad news for acne!

So lower that stress with some exercise and maybe a little fun on the weekends. It couldn’t hurt, right?

Reason 3: Your Diet

Before I say anything else, keep in mind that acne and diet are purely anecdotal, not scientific.

What I mean is, no scientific studies have thoroughly proven a connection between the two. It’s mainly just how it affects SOME people.

You might be one of those people. After all, milk and high glycemic carbohydrates have been known to increase sebaceous production.

Here are some foods to consider cutting: milk, bread, rice, sugar, chocolate, fish, eggs.

Reason 4: Quit Touching Your Face!

I think this one needs little explanation!

Your face might itch or it could be a nervous habit. Either way, cut it out already!

Reason 5: Weak Immune Response

Acne is in part an immune system problem. Your body is supposed to fight off infection from these bacteria after all, but a lot of times just doesn’t do the job for whatever reason.

So, in order to get the job done better, you need to boost the immunities. That’s really important.

Boosting immunities is all about antioxidants. You need good antioxidant flow to get your body back in line. Eat berries, oranges, spinach and supplements to get more antioxidants into your system. You should also try green tea or red wine!

Does Steam Treat Acne Naturally?

Yep!

It’s simple.

Acne is all about infections in the pores. Pores get clogged, bacteria comes in and attacks the infected sebum that the body secretes naturally, then the next thing you know, you are inflamed and have big red bumps on your face! This is really not the way to go if you are trying to maintain clear skin.

So, if acne is about the pores, steam is essential because…

Steam Opens Pores!

Steam has a relaxing effect on the muscle of the body. You’ve probably noticed this the last time you were in the shower or at a sauna getting nice and toasty and warm. The steam has an effect on your body that causes all the muscles to feel mushy and relaxed. Nice, right?

So when you are taking care of your skin, one of the biggest things you can do in regards to cleaning is to use steam to scrub out the pores. Having the pores relax and open while you are cleaning allows you to scrub down deeper and utilize more benefits from the acne treatment you are providing yourself. In other words, better access to the infection makes it more likely to clean the infection up.

How to Use Steam…

When fighting acne, using steam is supremely essential. This is what you want to do:

1. Wash your face immediately out of the shower. This is really helpful. In the morning or whenever you shower, get right out and scrub your pores out while there is still a good bit of steam left in the air and your pores are still open.

2. Pour some hot water in the sink if you don’t have time to shower. This is almost as good. Hot water in the sink will evaporate. Let it soak into your face for 1-2 minutes, then scrub your face with a moist wash cloth while applying one of these fabulous acne products …

3. Use a clay mask or pore astringent after utilizing steam to clean pores. It’s good to have open pores while cleaning, but they shouldn’t be open throughout the entire day or could get infected. For that reason, make sure you are using a pore astringent. Exposed has one for you to use that I recommend.

So that’s it guys! Hope you get something out of this!

It’s True!

Every single day, people are hearing about something else that helps them in the fight against acne and it seems like the more we study antioxidant rich food, the more things we learn that they are capable of helping people with. It varies from just about everything including stamina, skin health, energy, stress levels and now even acne.

There really has never been a better set of reasons to start getting your antioxidants into your diet. But, in case you are curious, here are just a couple of reasons why antioxidants have been known to improve health and fight acne:

First off – What Are Antioxidants?

An antioxidant is basically a molecule that prevents the oxidation of another chemical in the human body, hence the term antioxidants!

When chemical reactions occur in the body, one of the natural results from it is the oxidation of electrons from enzymes that react in the blood stream. This means that electrons and other broken apart compounds are floating around in the system freely, a substance commonly referred to as free radicals.

These substances can do damage to your body if you’re not careful. They increase inflammation, can cause mutations in cells that lead to cancer and can weaken your immune system, hence it is so great that you have antioxidants.

The antioxidants bind to free radicals and pull them out of your system, allowing your body to retain its health and recover easily and quickly. That is the bottom line when it comes to antioxidants!

How Does This Influence Acne Treatment?

The answer is simple…

Acne treatment is ALL about your immune system! If your immune response to acne bacteria is strong, there is less chance of an infection.

Because getting rid of free radicals that interfere with your immune system is so great for it, you will inevitable end up building up more strength in your immune response by consuming antioxidant rich foods. The question is not should you eat these foods, but how much and what kinds are the best for your acne!

Best Antioxidant Foods for Acne Treatment:

Okay, here is my list. Start munching and you will see a tremendous improvement in skin health!

1.Berries

These are incredible for you. Just about any berry has some vitamins and antioxidants in it, including blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. You will get a lot better results from your skin and immune system from these

2. Pomegranate

Another great choice and delicious too! Preferably eat in raw form as juice is very high in sugar…

3. Green Tea

Delicious and mildly sweet, this tea contains green tea leaves which have been known to boost the immune system with antioxidants.

4. Oranges

High in vitamin C, a great antioxidant!

5. Red wine

Full of tannins which contain powerful antioxidants. White wine is okay but not NEARLY as strong!

6. Hot cocoa

Weren’t expecting this, were you? As it turns out, hot cocoa has more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, so if anything, you should be drinking this one above all else!

Hope this stuff helps you guys out!

You see, acne starts out deep in the immune system. In order to understand what causes acne better, you have to take a look at how oil on the skin affects everything else in the body and what the hormones are doing to influence it.

Acne Starts with Hormones!

When your hormones are acting up, whether it be from stress, adolescence, food or just genetics, this causes excess secretions from the sebaceous glands on the skin. The oil normally helps keep skin elastic and strong, but too much can create problems.

The Oil from Sebaceous Glands Clogs Pores…

This is commonly referred to as a blackhead. Ever see those gross little black spots on the face when you haven’t properly scrubbed your pores out for the past few days? Gross, right? Well don’t let those sit on your face all day long. They can turn into acne if you leave them be!

As the oil clogs up the pore, the bacteria go into attack mode and start eating up the oil just underneath the skin. Very problematic and can create a large growth of bacteria and puss under the pore where the oil is.

Next Thing You Know…Redness and Swelling!

The immune system in your body turns red and swells whenever you get too much oil in your skin that’s become infected. Your body is flowing more blood and antibodies to this area to try and mitigate the infection, so it turns bright red and swells in the process. Ouch!

This is really what causes acne to get visually and personally annoying and problematic to one’s lifestyle, especially when it is severe and will not go away. People often times suffer in this stage for very prolonged periods of time and need to seek help from either a doctor or find a product or service to use to clear up their skin.

Don’t Like Reading? Watch the Video on What Causes Acne!

For your viewing pleasure, I put together this entire post in a power point for you all to read, listen to and enjoy. Some people learn better this way! Have a look and let me know what you think and if there’s anything I left out, put it in the comments below. Until next time, folks!

Anyways!

The caveman regimen seems to have been invented by some of the folks over at Acne.org who have come up with an answer to the problem of using too many products. It’s a bit extreme, but bear with me a second. Here is the solution to using too many acne products and becoming overly irritated by the products themselves to the point at which your acne actually gets worse rather than better…

The Caveman Regimen – No Acne Products at All?

Essentially, that sums up everything about the caveman regimen. In fact, I’d say it’s so easy, even a…well, I won’t go there!

But I will say this: while some people might find this treatment to be effective, it does come with its own bucket of risks and problems. Let’s compare some of the pros and cons of a system such as this and see what we can come up with, shall we?

The Caveman Regimen Pros

• -Your treatment of acne in this situation is 100 percent natural. Okay, that’s good isn’t it? I mean, natural is better, right? Absolutely right! Going all natural leaves less room for side effects and other problems
• -Keeps irritation out of your system. Fewer products = less irritation. Isn’t that special?
• -Less costly. Who wants to pay for all these dumb products? Haha just kidding…
• -It’s real easy! So easy, even a caveman can…can…!

Now for some cons!

The Caveman Regimen Cons

• -Your skin may have a difficult time balancing out moisture levels due to the lack of products and creams. Creams help your skin maintain balanced moisture and elasticity. You are taking a risk by removing the products you use!
• -You may also have a tough time getting proper antioxidants into your skin. Antioxidants are SUPER important for skin health and immune system health. Be careful of this one. Drink some green tea at least, mister caveman.
• -There are no antimicrobial properties to going all natural. Your body has to fend for itself rather than taking benzoyl peroxide topical cream or Dermotologist prescribed antibiotics. Putting skin on its own can be risky if you are prone to acne breakouts!
• -More costly and specific diet. If you are not clean eating on this regimen, you will not get results. Remember, cavemen didn’t eat pizza or hamburgers. They ate meat, fruits and vegetables. So for proper results, you’d need to do the same. Kind of a pain!

Depending on your resources and what affects your acne the most, the caveman treatment might be right for you. I still think that most people with skin sensitive to acne would be better off taking the time to do research and work their own treatments out by choosing a good acne product and sticking with it. I have found some of the best for you to try here.

If you want to read more about this treatment, check out this popular thread on Acne.org for more information on it:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Caveman-Regimen-t254433.html

So, what are your thoughts on this one? Should the caveman treatment work on most people?

Benzoyl peroxide is a powerful regenerative chemical that allows the skin to grow and recuperate much more quickly and effectively than normal. The chemical structure of the chemical consists of two benzoyl groups and one peroxide group connecting them in the center.

The effect it has on skin has put it into many of the best acne products available on the market. It’s extremely well known as a healthy way to make skin grow more healthily and regenerate from scarring and acne more quickly, and thus most of the products featured on this website contain Benzoyl Peroxide in some amount.

In fact, in many acne treatment circles, the term benzoyl peroxide is so common that it actually has become shortened into BP for simplicity’s sake. It makes you wonder just how many people are using this substance if the term has gotten its own abbreviation that everyone in the acne community is generally familiar with! It has the same common effectiveness and recognition of results as does creatine in the bodybuilding and sports niche.

And it’s not just people on forums who have embraced this as a safe and healthy acne treatment. Doctor Neal Schultz from DermTV.com has a video on benzoyl peroxide where he discusses the overall effectiveness and safety of this substance and its mainstream use and effectiveness in fighting acne:

So the bottom line is, benzoyl peroxide or BP as many would call it has been a proven treatment for many years. You may want to consult a dermatologist before using it as some people experience itchiness or redness after using, but this often times goes away after the first week or so using the treatment for acne. With that in mind, check out any of the acne products that use this including exposed acne treatment which has been deemed safe and effective for most forms of acne.