ACNE OR ACNE VULGARIS
Up to 80% of Australian teenagers are affected by acne. Those who suffer the most are those with an oily skin. The main cause of acne in adolescents is the increased production of hormones: oestrogen in the young woman and androgen in the youth. This increase in hormones stimulates the sebaceous glands of the skin, producing an oversupply of sebum and it is this oily substance that normally keeps the skin healthy. With clogging of the pores blackheads and whiteheads appear, which can become inflamed causing common acne.
Diet is extremely important and oily foods such as nuts, dairy products, chocolates and junk foods should definitely be avoided. Soy milk should be considered instead of milk. Plenty of exercise and the importance of cleansing the skin cannot be overemphasised, especially with soaps designed to keep the skin in a healthy state. Exfoliation is also necessary and a scrub should be used to remove the dead layers of skin which will open the pores to allow the sebum to escape without clogging. The pimples should be treated with a gel containing tea-tree oil. Tea-tree oil is an excellent anti-bacterial product which will not damage the skin.
Removal of blackheads should not be attempted unless the area has been sufficiently softened with special lotions to enable their easy extraction without damaging the skin.
If a program is followed, even though acne itself cannot be completely prevented, scarring can be kept to a minimum and quite often the amount of acne present is not of concern. Always remember that acne can cause severe psychological problems, especially in young teenage girls, and if you are giving advice then be tactful.
Hair care is also extremely important. Regular washing and care of the hair can also help reduce the oily skin condition.
Foods that are very high in Vitamin A have shown good results with acne sufferers and with most skin conditions, food containing zinc should also be considered. Owing to the poor quality of foods and eating habits of teenagers, supplementation could be of benefit under these circumstances.
SUPPLEMENTS
vitamin A up to 100,000 IU daily for 4 weeks,
then stop for a fortnight
Note: vitamin A can be toxic if taken in large amounts. See your practitioner before starting large amounts.
zinc
(elemental) 25 mg per day
(evening primrose oil
and marine lipids) 2 three times a day:
vitamin E 400 IU twice daily
(tocopheryl succinate)
avoid inorganic iron (inactivates vitamin E)
avoid female hormones (antagonistic to vitamin E)
vitamin C 2000 mg daily
Echinacea complex one tablet 3 times daily
External treatment
tea-tree gel once daily
anti-bacterial face wash once daily
(based on tea-tree oil)
*17\26\8*
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