WHY DO I HAVE ADULT ACNE?
You may wonder why certain people get acne and others do not. Acne can appear at different times of your life, not just at puberty. If you are an adult and you still are getting acne, you will be happy to hear that there are reasons behind your problem.
FOOD ALLERGIES
Don’t get discouraged about your acne; it could very well be a food allergy!
You skin is the largest organ of your body. Most of the toxins in your body are released through your skin and acne develops from the inside out because of these toxins. If you take medication or antibiotics they will help reduce the outward signs of acne, but they will not get rid of the underlying cause of the problem.
Food allergies are one of the number one causes of acne and can develop at any point in your life. This may explain why acne comes on as an adult. Eating a food to which the body is allergic leads to a continuous toxic inflammatory reaction. In such a case the immune system fights the food as if it were an invading organism. This will cause inflammation in the skin along with many other conditions.
Most people eat dairy, gluten, and other common foods everyday so it is hard to connect your symptoms with your eating habits. Symptoms can appear right away or take up to 3 or more days to show up which is why it is hard to know which foods are causing your acne. The acne will not appear and go away quickly enough for you to be able to associate it with a certain food.
It is best to be tested with a blood allergy profile in order to figure out what foods are producing the allergic response. You would be amazed at the foods people show allergies to. For example, pineapple is a frequently seen allergy, who would have thought?
HORMONES
Adult acne can also come from hormone imbalances. If hormones are suspected by the doctor, it is best to get hormone levels tested to find out which hormones are out of balance. Acne can be caused by an excess amount of hormones called androgens such as DHEA-S and testosterone. Androgens are considered “male” hormones, but adult women have androgen levels about 1/10th the level found in men.
Your skin has a gland that creates oil called sebum. Androgen hormones stimulate these glands to produce more sebum. Sebum plugs up the pores and traps the oil inside. Bacteria begin to develop in the trapped oil and as the body fights the bacteria, swelling, redness, and fluid build up in the cells. If acne appears when going through menopause and/or during menstrual cycles, it could very well be hormone-related, since androgen levels usually increase during these times.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS AND ELIMINATING TOXINS
Help yourself get rid of your acne by cleaning up your diet and including foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids like fish, seeds, and nuts. The skin needs essential fatty acids to stay healthy. Many of our patients also suffer from dysbiosis of the GI tract. In other words, they have a “leaky gut” which is releasing toxins that come out through the skin. Many times, these people also complain about digestive difficulties. We see a lot of these cases and usually orders a comprehensive stool test to find out if this might be contributing to your acne problem. If it is, many times getting back on track with proper diet and nourishing the GI tract with pro-biotics such as acidophilus and bifidus can get you back on track.
SUGAR
Reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates or sugars, such as sweets in your diet. Refined carbohydrates can lead to high levels of insulin which, in turn, can increase production of the androgens affecting oil production in the skin. And, of course, drink plenty of water each day. Stay away from soda.
NUTRIENTS THAT HELP NOURISH THE SKIN
Certain nutrients have been studied and shown to enhance skin function. Here are some of them:
Vitamin A: Many believe this vitamin to be very effective for skin disorders such as acne and psoriasis. As an antioxidant vitamin A may also help enhance immune function.
Vitamin B-12: As an essential nutrient, one of its many functions is to help build proteins, which is what collagen is made of, which is what your skin is made of!
Tea tree oil: This is a natural antiseptic and may be used for a wide variety of things such as acne and many other skin afflictions when applied topically.
Vitamin B6: This vitamin may help premenstrual or mid-cycle acne. It is essential for the proper metabolism of steroid hormones and can reduce the sensitivity of skin to the effects of testosterone.
Zinc: Especially in the form of zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate, it may be helpful in preventing acne. Zinc has been shown to help heal blemishes, reduce inflammation, and reduce androgenic hormonal effects on the skin.
Essential Fatty acids: As mentioned above, skin needs essential fatty acids for normal elasticity and function. Often times, we find that our patients are lacking in the “good fats” but eat plenty of the hydrogenated fried fats. Including fish and fish oil, nuts, and seeds, can help you achieve this goal.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Here at Caring Medical we have food allergy blood panels that test for 90 or more of the most common allergenic foods, including dairy and wheat products. We also utilize hormone testing which determines if you have a deficit or elevation in hormones that may need to be corrected. Don’t feel like you have to just suffer with acne. There may some very treatable and easily/naturally treatable conditions causing this skin difficulty. If you have adult acne you may want to consider making an appointment to get tested for food allergies.
