How Diet Influences Acne
It has been a subject of great debate if diet plays a role in acne. Now it's becoming evident that food items or diet may not directly cause acne, but during the metabolism of certain food items some chemicals released can directly stimulate factors that cause acne, and thus worsen the condition of pre-existing acne or trigger off onset of acne.
Acne is produced by augmented sebum production which is stimulated by the male hormone testosterone. Meat contains hormones and hormone-like substances which can affect the hormonal balance in your body. Beauticians have been reporting cases showing that women who regularly consume meat are more likely to suffer from acne, which is probably caused by the steroids and hormones present in meat.
In 90% of acne patients, this condition is caused by consuming foods that cause acne, whereas hormones producing oily skin is the partial cause for the other patients.
Acne vulgaris appears because of the blockage of hair follicle on the skin. This event occurs when too much sebum is produced and it accumulates within the pore. Mixed with the devitalized cells from the wall of follicle, the sebum forms a barrier which blocks the pore, and this oversized pore is then colonized by bacteria living in the skin. This results in inflammation and infection.
To clear acne, the cause of this dermal disorder is attacked; skin care must be oriented to unclog the pore, reduce formation of sebum, kill bacteria and lessen the inflammation. Occidental diets, which contain dairy products and high-fat content, causes acne to spread, whereas in the countries or regions thriving on the more natural low fat, vegetarian diet, people have little or no acne.
Diets lacking any fat at all or diets rich in fat are both bad for acne sufferers, as both conditions produce a great alteration in the sebum production processes. Some fat in your diet is necessary for the vitamins' absorption. But high fat content increases oil levels in and on the skin (sebum), which increases bacterial growth. Also, the rich Western diet increases sex hormones, which explain precocious puberty in girls and boys. Excess male hormones are well-known to worsen and cause acne by stimulating sebum production.
Acne is also promoted by a deficiency of plant-derived nutrients and antioxidants. These are crucial in maintaining the skin healthy. High fat diets cause poor blood circulation, making skin prone to acne.
People suffering from acne should avoid sugar and sugary foods like many cereals, soft drinks, jams, biscuits and cakes. They must also stop consuming food containing white flour like pasta, bread, biscuits and pastries. Canned foods containing chemical additives are also damaging for acne sufferers. Fried, fatty and processed food should be avoided to save the skin and digestive system from toxins released during metabolism. Finally, acne patients should not smoke at all.
The best solution to treat scars and other skin blemishes comes now in the form of a new acne skin care product, elaborated with the best biological components to regenerate your skin.
Published July 10th, 2008
Filed in Health
