PIMPLE PLANET Episode VI: Return of the Blogger

Hello everyone!!!
Well after a long and unexpected leave of absence, I'm back and with good news too! My skin has cleared up a crapload since I last left you guys; I'm pretty much clear except for some light scarring and a pimple or two i get every now and then...

That doesn't mean that I'm not going blog about acne or pimples anymore, hell no! My skin clearing up was my motivation to come back on here and to start blogging again about the thing that was once such a big part of my life. Having acne was such a pain in the ass but also very much a blessing too; now that I'm acne free I feel more confident than ever, I feel so grateful to have good skin, but I am also humble about it too. I like to relate it to the stories you here about when people have near death experiences and live; they always talk about how they have such a new found love and meaning towards life!

Also acne is just an interesting topic in general, it can be gross, it can be amusing, and it can be sad as well. So i hope with this blog that some of you can get at least a little something out of it in the posts to come, and don't forget your comments and feedback are always appreciated! Talk to you soon everybody!

- JPC

Accutane Update Day 63

Im on the third day of taking the 40mg Accutane which was upped from the original 20mg, and so far so good! My skin is looking and feeling like its starting to tighten up again, and as for the problems that I mentioned in the previous have subsided a lot. I think they’ve all gone away because I started taking some melatonin chews to help me sleep at night, and being well rested is helping me stay in a really good mood! The only thing now is that I smashed up my right ring-finger really bad to the point where I think it might even be broken! So I’m bummed out cause I can’t play games, I can’t lift weights, I can’t really do anything with my right hand because my finger is throbbing so bad! I uploaded a video of my finger to youtube, check it out!




Take it easy everyone, I'll update you on my progress in a few days!

Accutane Update Day 58

Went to the dermatologist yesterday and he seemed a little surprised that my skin wasn’t doing so well; he said something like, “Yeah you’re still little red here and there.” So he upped my dosage form 20mg to 40mg and said he’d see me in a month. I was not able to pick up my prescription yet, because there was a questionnaire on the Ipledge website that I have to do first (if you haven’t already heard Ipledge is a total pain in the ass!), but when I logged onto the site it said that I had no questionnaire to do and that I could pick up my prescription, arghhh! Either way I still have a couple of 20mg capsules left, so I’ll be set for the next couple of days.


Also there are other things that I have been noticing for the past few weeks that have been bothering me. I’ve been having trouble sleeping every night and I’m always exhausted because of it. I noticed that I can become very stressed and angry very quickly and easily over the slightest thing. I’ve been having mood swings where one minute I’ll be happy, the next I’ll be sad. My head/brain feels fuzzy almost; it’s hard to explain, sometimes it feels like my brain is shrinking and growing. At first, a few weeks ago I didn’t think much of it and I thought that maybe I was just having a bad day or something; basically just trying to convince myself that it had nothing to do with the Accutane. Today though when I was looking at my Ipledge card it clearly says Stop using Isotretinoin (which is Accutane) and call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following… And sure enough all of the symptoms I have been experiencing are on the card! I mean I don’t know if maybe everyone experiences these things just not as bad as others, but one thing is for sure I don’t want to stop Accutane unless I physically feel like I’m dying! I don’t want to tell my doctor or my derm about it just because I don’t want them to take me off it. So I’m kind of anxious about starting the 40mg because I know if these things get worse I’m definitely going to have to tell my doctor and dermatologist. I’ll definitely keep you guys updated every couple of days, and if there are any of you have experienced anything like this while on Accutane let me know!



-JC

Quick Update

Hope everyone had a good weekend, and that you are all enjoying your summer. I just wanted to update everyone on a few things like Accutane. It’s funny because I swear that after I wrote that Accutane Update Day 45 entry that I started to breakout. It is a little alarming because they’re coming in big and in pairs almost, and not only that but because Accutane makes your skin sensitive it hurts super bad to even try and pop them. So I don’t know if this is normal or if my body is getting used to the medication and I need to be brought up to a higher dose. Either way my next appointment with my dermatologist is this Wednesday, and I know he will be able to answer my questions and hopefully bring me back peace of mind. So when Wednesday comes I’ll let you know what he says, but in the meantime don’t forget to be drinking plenty of water during this time of year especially if you have acne. You need plenty of water during this time of year even if you don’t feel thirsty, because your body is using more of that water and sweating it out as well. Although you might not be drenched in sweat all the time your body actually is perspiring (sweating) a lot more.


So like I said I’ll let you guys know what my derm says on Wednesday; in the meantime though check this video out! It’s not Acne related, but it’s just so damn gnarly that I had to share!

What Is Microdermabrasion

My dermatologist says that after the Accutane I still might have some scarring, so microdermabrasion is something that I might do! Here is cool article that sums it up rather nice and quick; it’s from about.com.

“Microdermabrasion is mechanical exfoliation that removes the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face, chest and hands. For best results, it is recommended you get a series of treatments and use in conjunction with anti-aging skin care products.

The price for a single microdermabrasion treatment usually ranges from $100 - $150. With a series, you might get one free. Microdermabrasion takes about 20-30 minutes and there's no down-time for the skin to recover. That's why it's also sometimes called a "lunchtime peel."

Benefits of Microdermabrasion

* Microdermabrasion leaves skin with a fresher, more glowing look.

* Microdermabrasion diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, and coarse textured skin.

* Microdermabrasion makes it easy for high-tech skin care products to actually penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and help build collagen, which gives skin its youthful appearance.

Other Names for Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is also known as particle resurfacing, power peel, derma-peel or Parisian peel.

How Microdermabrasion Works

Microdermabrasion uses a powerful device to spray microcrystals of aluminum dioxide (corundum powder) across the skin’s surface. The aluminum dioxide is a very fine, very hard, sand-like material that blasts away the uppermost layer of dead skin cells on the skin's epidermis.

Microdermabrasion can be uncomfortable around the sensitive tissue of the mouth and nose, but should not be painful. After the treatment, the technician vacuums away the traces of the corundum powder.

Cautions on Microdermabrasion

*Check on the training of the person who is going to give you the microdermabrasion treatment. Results depend in part on their expertise.

*Make sure all traces of the aluminum dioxide is removed from your skin.

*Apply sunscreen and stay out of the sun after your treatment. Along with the dead skin cells, you have removed some of your protection.

*Microdermabrasion is not recommended for sensitive skin, skin that easily reddens (called couperous), or skin with acne breakouts.

*Aging skin is already thin. Overdoing microdermabrasion treatments can make it even thinner.”

 
 
What do you think? Are then any better options?
 
-Jpc

Accutane Update Day 45!

Hey guys I know it’s been a long time since the last entry, I apologize I’ve been out of town for the past few weeks, but I return with good news! My skin is still doing really well, and getting better every week that goes by! I’m now on day 45, or about 1 month and 15 days (whichever sounds better) and I can honestly say that I have had only 3 legitimate new pimples surface since I last wrote. I have had a few more baby pimples but they don’t count because they’re gone within a day. Besides all of my scarring (which is slowly, but surely getting better) and a few pimples under the skin near my ears, I can safely say that my skin is pimple free! Don’t get me wrong I still have a long ways to go but it is such a huge improvement from what my skin looked like a month or 2 ago. Also I have still yet to experience any of the side-effects like: super-dry flakey skin, chapped or cracked lips, and lower back pain just to name a few. I mean I do notice that my skin is slightly dry sometimes but one layer of moisturizer will do the trick. As for lips it’s the same thing, I might need to put chap stick on every couple of hours, but none of these things are serious or have gotten worse since I started. At first I thought I was very lucky because I haven’t had any of these issues, but when I asked my buddy who did Accutane about his experience (which by the way made his skin flawless, and he had terrible acne!) he explained to me that he didn’t experience any of these symptoms either until the end of the third month. He said that the end of the third month his skin was so dry that he was putting lotion on every 30 minutes even at school, and I too even remember his skin was very flakey too! So I have my fingers crossed and I’m hoping that I won’t experience these symptoms as roughly as he did, after all I’d say I’m a fairly healthy dude and I drink more than enough water each day. Either way I don’t care as long as I know it’s moving my skin forward in a better, clearer direction and possibly even clear for life!




So again guys I apologize for the absence of any new entries for a while, and I will try and have some new pics of my skin up in a few days!

Take it easy!

-Jpc

The Best Drink for Clearing Your Acne... WATER!

If you have acne one of the biggest things you can do for yourself is to cut out all of the sody-pop, sugary juices, energy drinks, etc. and replace them with water! I can’t believe how many people I’ve seen have their skin get quite better from just cutting most if not all other beverages and just drinking water! These days all I drink is water, sometimes I’ll have a cup of green tea, and very rarely will I have any soda or anything similar; one because they’re actually pretty bad for you, and two because I just simply like water a lot. I started drinking plenty of water as my main beverage of choice a couple of years back and never stopped short of about 8 glasses or more of it. Although not a whole lot changed with my skin, I knew it was an easy step forward in a healthy direction and all I had to give up was soda pop and what not. You never know though if you’re one of the people who rarely or even occasionally drinks water maybe that’s what is causing your acne, because buddies of mine who cut out all the crap and replaced it with water cleared up a lot! Also exercising regularly to the point where you sweat pretty good combined with all of the water you are drinking is a killer way to get a clearer complexion! So check out this article from: ezinearticles.com it’s pretty cool…

“You probably don't know this yet but product wastes and toxic build up in your system is one of the main reasons why you have acne or why your skin breaks out.
You see, your body has 4 channels of elimination...your bowels, kidneys, lungs, and your skin. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary channels that your body expels product wastes and toxics through.
The only time that your body expels product wastes through your lungs and skin is when your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with product wastes and toxics.
This can happen when you're not drinking enough water.
You see, water is the main carrier of nutrients throughout your body and is quite possibly the single most important contributor to healing and preventing acne flare-ups.
Drinking enough water will dissolve waste products in your system so it can be easily remove and flush out. Without enough water, there won't be much to dissolve these product wastes and toxics...causing it to build up in your system and causing your body to expel these product wastes and toxics through your lungs and skin.
And this can and will result in acne breakout.
How much water should you be drinking each day to dissolve product waste and flush out toxins from your body?
Although some would say you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and some would say 3 liters a day or half of your bodyweight in ounces a day.
I say, you should drink only enough to see that your urine is mostly clear, which is probably much more than what you're drinking now.
But I wouldn't recommend you going overboard because drinking too much water will also flush out electrolyte minerals out of your system (which is not good).
So how do you know how much water you should be drinking each day?
Test!
Start by drinking 7 glasses of water a day for the next 2 to 3 days. If you see that your urine is clear then 7 glasses of water a day is what you should be drinking.
But remember, you don't want to go overboard so you may want to try drinking 6 glasses of water a day. If you see that your urine is kind of yellow drinking 6 glasses of water a day then you should stick to 7 glasses of water a day. If not then you should stick with 6 glasses of water a day.
But if you find that 7 glasses of water a day is not enough. Then you should try drinking more glasses of water a day and see the results.
What you're trying to do here is make sure you're drinking enough water each day. Not too much or too little.
Another important thing you should know...
You can't just drink any type of water. There are certain types of water that's full of toxins (such as tap water). The 2 types of water I recommend you drink is distilled water and purified water. Distilled water has no minerals, which means if you drink it, it will leach out any unwanted non-organic minerals from your system.
But since distilled water has no minerals (it's just dead water), you will need to drink some purified water to oxygenate your system. However, you do need to drink them separately and drink it on an empty stomach for it to be effective.
While water alone will not eliminate your acne it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.”

START DRINKING!
-Jpc

Accutane Review: Update Week 1

Thought I’d give a little update on the Tane so far. Today I took my 6th pill and of course no drastic changes yet, but besides several new pimples coming up around my chin my skin is looking a little better. Maybe it’s just the placebo effect, but to me it seems that a lot of the redness and oiliness on my face is decreasing slowly but surely day by day. As for dryness goes I do see a significant difference of dryness in my scalp now, like my hair would be pretty oily in the morning just before taking a shower, but now it’s not at all! As for the face and lips like I said my face is slowly drying up and my pores are getting smaller with each day. My lips do get dry if I don’t put a little chap stick on them in the morning, but all in all nothing serious yet and no major peeling or cracking yet, which is probably because of 2 reasons: 1) I’m on a low dose of 20mg, or 2) It’s only been 5-6 days. I’ve also worked out hard 3 times since starting and I haven’t experienced any joint or back pain. Last but not least is the initial breakout which many people can experience. As for this I have had a couple of new pimples come up just about every other day, but they dry up and go away fast within a day. Now whether this is the start of the initial breakout or not I think it is too early to say, but if it is the initial breakout then I’ll be glad because it’s not anything bad at all!

OH my! I hope that this DOES NOT happen to me! This is just absoulutly nuts!

Thoughts of Accutane

Well I’ve been thinking for some time about Accutane, but I always wrote it off because of all the bad things I’ve heard about it. One of the biggest reasons why I didn’t want to take it was because I heard it weakens your joints, and that’s not good for someone who does hard weightlifting like me. Although after I researched it enough I was able to find some people in the same boat as me (Like to work out) that took or were taking Accutane and they didn’t notice anything wrong with their joints while they were weightlifting. So after holding it off for so long and realizing that I could’ve even been well on my way to clear skin from the time a started this blog (2 months ago) till now, I’ve decided to give Accutane a try and pray that it works.

I have had a couple of friends who had taken Accutane, and let me tell you it was a brutal process for them. I remember they had to put moisturizer on their faces every 10 minutes because their skin was so dry. Their faces were always super and unbelievably flakey to, it was disgusting, but I’ve thought about it and I’m ready! I had a physical and my blood work done and everything is fine my Doc says! So I have an appointment with my Derm tomorrow, and I’m anxious to see what he’ll say and what strength of The Tane (Accutane) he’ll give me!

Well I know I said this day would never come, but I am just finally fed up with my acne; it hurts physically, it hurts mentally, it sucks waking up in the morning to a face full of acne, and I’m ready for it to be gone once and for all!

So I’ll be sure to keep you updated on everything, and if there is any advice or recommendations for good moisturizers from your experience with Accutane I’d be happy to hear them!

-Jpc

Does Sleep Affect Acne?

I realized the other day that I am always tired, like super tired! Every morning alone is a battle just to get out of bed, and when I get in the shower I sway around because I’m still half asleep. I know why though, because I go to bed usually around 11-12 sometimes later and I’m always tossing in turning during the night, and then I have to wake up early every morning as well. I never thought much of how it could be affecting me until after reading an article about sleep that I realized my sleep routine have been like this for years. The article talks about something called sleep defecit which is when you keep depriving your body of sleep continuously after a while you will begin to lose your strength and concentration, and all the other things that help you get through a day will become weak or dull too. It can effect your health, well being, and things like your skin!


So I thought that this could definitely be a viable reason for acne, and I’m going to try it! I’m going to try my hardest to be in bed by 10pm every night and sleep for a full 8-9 hours and see if any significant changes happen to my skin.

I really suggest that you read this article and ask yourself if you’re getting enough sleep?

“Most teens need about 8½ to more than 9 hours of sleep each night. The right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without tripping over their feet. Unfortunately, though, many teens don't get enough sleep.

Why Aren't Teens Getting Enough Sleep?

Until recently, teens were often given a bad rap for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class. But recent studies show that adolescent sleep patterns actually differ from those of adults or kids.

These studies show that during the teen years, the body's circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change in the circadian rhythm seems to be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

These changes in the body's circadian rhythm coincide with a time when we're busier than ever. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense than when they were kids, and it's harder to get by without studying hard. And teens also have other time demands — everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to fitting in a part-time job to save money for college.

Early start times in some schools may also play a role in this sleep deficit. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they may only squeeze in 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. A couple hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.”

The rest of the article can be found here: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/wellbeing/how_much_sleep.html#

Happy sleeping!

-jpc

Red Dead Redemption Update 2

On the previous Red Dead blog I said that I’d see how my skin got after I played for a little just to see if it would get worse or anything. I played for about 2-1/2 hours yesterday, and it was nothing tough, or aggravating, or stressful, just mellow roaming around and trying to get the basics of the game down. I was amazed though when I finally turned it off and looked in the mirror; my face was literally almost dripping with oil! I splashed some water on my face because I was about to go to bed anyways, but not even that got all the oil off because it was so thick!

Today I have some bad pimples flaring up on my right cheek and a huge swollen one that hurts like crazy on my chin, but whether it was from playing the game or just natural, I can’t be sure. I don’t think that it just caused these pimples though, they could’ve been there and all the oil caused them to flare up, or maybe all the oil did clog my pores causing these mammoth pimples. If you have not read the Video Games and Acne blog here is the link to it; check it out especially if you play games on the regular: http://blog.pimpleplanet.com/2010/04/video-games-and-acne.html

I’ll keep you updated in the next couple of days to come. By the way the game is awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone!

-Jpc

Why Do Some People Get Acne and Others Don't

I was thinking the other day about other possible causes of acne to write about, and as I was writing puberty/ hormones on my list of things that I had already wrote about it made me think. “How come everyone that goes through puberty not experience acne?” I know that a lot of people say it’s genetics, but no one in my family really had any acne and if they did it wasn’t bad, so I crossed that out on my checklist. Anyways I found this article that has viable reason for what may cause acne in teens, and I noticed one of the possible causes could be certain medications. I have not looked into this possible cause for acne but I do take asthma medication regularly, so this might be a cause for my acne. I will look into this for the next couple of days and see what I find, but in the meantime read this article:

“The following is a list of possible links to acne:
* Hereditary: Acne tends to run in families where other members also have developed acne. Family history of acne is associated with earlier occurrence of acne.
* Use of anabolic steroids: Steroids affect the process of pubertal growth and sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands are connected to hair follicles which secrete an oily substance called sebum. When this process is altered (by steroids) these glands and pores get clogged up, resulting in acne.
* Medication: Any medication containing...lithium (treatment for migraine and cluster headaches, bipolar disorder, depression)...barbiturates (sedative/hypnotic drugs)...androgens (steroid drugs) contribute to acne.
* Hormones: Acne may be hastened by androgens, male hormones that are present in both women and men. These androgen hormones have long been faulted for acne. They stimulate the sebaceous glands, producing more oil, which leads to clogged pores and provides a breeding ground for the acne bacteria.
* Bacteria in the pores: Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is the anaerobic bacterium that causes acne. When the sebaceous glands start to over produce oil, the p.acne invades the hair follicles and starts to multiply by feeding themselves of the oil using enzymes. Acne bacteria then produces fatty acids that inflame the skin. Red and white blood cells start to defend the body of this inflammation often causing an inflammatory response, that results in pimples, whiteheads, zits, swelling and pus.
* Chemicals: Exposure to dioxins not only causes acne-like pimples, but are among the most dangerous poisons known.
* Accumulation of dead skin cells: Acne begins when the oil (sebum) mixes with dead skin cells. This combination plugs up the skin's pores and becomes infected with bacteria that oozes into nearby tissues, resulting in swelling, nodules, pimples or whiteheads.
* Stress: Stress doesn't cause acne, but stress often makes it worse.”

The rest of article can be found here:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Acne,-Why-Do-Some-People-Get-it-and-Some-People-Dont?&id=1187467


-jpc

RED DEAD REDEMPTION

I have been waiting for this moment for so long and now that it’s finally here and I finally have the game its safe to say that it is going to be hard to find the time to do anything else. If you play videogames at all then I would definitely recommend this game to you! I know it’s completely off subject from acne, but I guess I could make something out of it and keep track of my skin to see if it changes from the long nights of playing this game. Like in the previous blog “Videogames and Acne”( which you can find here: http://blog.pimpleplanet.com/2010/04/video-games-and-acne.html) I explained that my face always gets oily and greasy when I play games for too long and too late at night, and I usually breakout soon after. So I guess I can test this theory out over the next couple of nights, and especially on the weekends when I stay up super late! I have the game now, but I have not even had a chance to open it and play it yet because I wanted to get everything done and out of the way before I did so that I could savor the enjoyment! The game already was rated a 9.7 out of 10 on IGN.com and its popularity keeps on growing! I changed my Gamertag to: PIMPLEPLANETcom add me if you want to get down! In the meantime check out these videos, and I’ll be sure to tell you if any significant changes happen to my skin in the future:












-Jpc

Milk and Dairy, Do They Affect Acne?

I’ve have been hearing a lot lately that milk and other dairy products are a main culprit when it comes to acne. Though I myself used to drink milk regularly every morning, and then I stopped for2 months to test out this theory, and I didn’t notice any significant changes at all. I can see how they get this theory though and I’m sure that is does have a big effect on some peoples’ acne. They say that milk cause acne because it has hormones in it, and well we all know that hormones are the main cause for acne when one is a teenager. So before you do anything else read this article, it is really interesting and should only take a minute of your time and you’ll learn a little bit more about milk and dairy and their effects on acne!


Here it is…

“We've heard it over and over again: your diet does not cause acne. However, there are a handful of doctors who believe that what we eat may indeed affect our skin. And they're not pointing fingers at chocolate and potato chips, but instead at milk. That's right -- the wholesome drink that we've always considered healthy is at the center of an acne controversy.

Researchers claim to have found a correlation between milk intake and the incidence of acne. It seems milk drinkers develop more severe acne than non-milk drinkers. One study, published in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, looked at the diets of teenage boys. The young men who drank the most milk also tended to have the worst acne.

This supports the results of previous studies, during which teenage girls were asked to keep food diaries and monitor breakout activity. Again, girls whose diets were rich in dairy products had more severe acne than the rest.

Of all dairy products, milk was the worst offender. Chocolate milk, cottage cheese, and sherbet also had a negative effect on the skin. But other dairy products didn't seem to cause breakouts.

Interestingly, skim milk induced breakouts more often than whole milk, so it seems fat content in milk isn't the culprit. And those who took vitamin D supplements didn't have more breakouts, so vitamin D isn't thought to be the cause either.

Fatty foods also didn't trigger breakouts. And the foods that many people associate with causing acne -- chocolate, pizza, soda, and French fries -- didn't seem to increase breakout activity at all.

Why would certain dairy products contribute to acne? Some think it's the hormones found in milk. Milk contains androgen hormones, which have long been associated with the formation of acne breakouts.

Testosterone is an androgen hormone, and it is strongly linked to acne development. Its most often thought of as a male hormone, but women produce testosterone too, although in lesser amounts.

Testosterone, through a complicated chain reaction, creates di-hydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT stimulates the sebaceous glands, creating an oilier skin that is more prone to pore blockages and, ultimately, pimples. Milk naturally is filled with hormones, including DHT. It's possible that milk contains enough hormones to have an effect on the body, including the skin. People who are genetically predisposed to acne breakouts may have a stronger reaction to the hormones in milk, according to some researchers.

Many dairy farmers also give their cows additional hormones to stimulate milk production and enable the cow to produce more milk. As a result, most milk is very high in IGF-1. IGF-1 is a growth factor that peaks in the human body during adolescence, when acne is usually at it's worst. It is believed that IGF-1, along with testosterone and DHT, trigger acne breakouts.

In two previous studies, high milk consumption was linked to high IGF-1 levels. Again, skim milk was associated with higher IGF-1 levels than whole milk.

The processing of skim milk may explain why it is linked to acne severity more often than whole milk. Whey proteins are added to give skim milk a creamier consistency. Some speculate that these proteins impact acne development.

Of course, not everyone who drinks a lot of milk breaks out in pimples, and many disagree with these findings. The Dairy Council counters that the results are skewed, citing the fact that in one study, adult women were asked about their dairy intake during the years after they left high school.

And many medical professionals are wary of the conclusions being drawn, because they don't take into account other factors that may influence acne severity. They're also quick to point out that the studies don't link milk to acne development -- they only establish a correlation between milk consumption and acne severity.

The biggest problem for researchers is proving their controversial theory. There is no way to do a double-blind, randomized controlled trial (considered the gold standard in research), because there is nothing that can be used as an adequate placebo for milk.

But some doctors are taking a new view of how diet affects the skin, and this no-dairy philosophy has its believers. Some dermatologists say they have had some success in having their patients cut milk and dairy from their diets.

There is still no hard evidence proving milk consumption causes, or worsens, acne. Much more research is needed before this theory can be proven. However, decreasing milk intake may be helpful, especially for those whose acne isn't responding well to more conventional treatments.

In the meantime, you can stick to the advice that doctors have given for years: avoid any foods that seem to worsen your breakouts whether that be pizza, chocolate, oranges, or dairy products.”
Here is the link to the site! - http://acne.about.com/od/acnetriggers/a/milkandacne.htm

So my suggestion is experiment a little and see if milk is one of the causes for your acne, you never know!

Take it easy!

-Jpc

Sunlight, is it Good or Bad?

So with this subject like any other acne related thing; has two sides to it. There are people who swear that sunlight is an essential part in healing acne, and that it is good for the skin. While others are totally anti-sun, and say that it can make your acne worse and cause acne. I personally believe like many others that there is a happy medium between the two, and that sunlight which is essential for all life on earth is good for the skin, but too much of it can be a bad thing. After all I used to spend 5-6 hours a day in the Arizona sun skateboarding, and it was when I broke my arm and had to stop for a few months that my acne slowly began to start. I never wore any sunscreen, I didn’t eat healthy, and I would often drink Coke or juice instead of water. After a long day of sweating like crazy and being pounded by nonstop sunlight I would go home and instead of taking a shower or washing my face I would just do my homework and go to bed, and around this time my skin was absolutely flawless like the surface of a peach almost. It was when I broke my left arm twice pretty much back-to-back (After the first time I broke it and got the cast off the doctor gave me the “okay” to skate again, I then sadly broke it again a week later haha!) that I was out from skateboarding for a good 4-4-1/2 months with all the rehab included. During this time was when I started hanging out with different people from school and started going to parties and drinking and such. It was all good fun and I was almost glad that I had broken my arm because I got to experience new things, but this was also the time when my skin started to go down the drain…


Whether it was because I wasn’t getting any sunlight and exercising anymore, all the drinking, staying up late and other things that come with partying, or maybe it was both of these things combined, or maybe it was neither. I believe that it had a lot to do with both of the things, but I can’t be sure! My theory was that all of the toxins and things from living like a crazed party animal were just staying in my system because I didn’t exercise or sweat anymore to get them out. So from this my skin was beginning to lose its strength and on top of I had no source of Vitamin D (Sunlight) because I wasn’t skating anymore or going out much during the day. Back then though I had no idea what was going on or causing it so I just bought the harshest treatments I could find and continued on while the condition worsened; again though this is just my theory for what started it, I have no physical proof that these things are what cause my acne.

Either way you look at it sunlight, which is Vitamin D is good for the body and skin let alone all life on earth! If you do have acne though I do hear that being in the sun too long can cause your acne to scar pretty bad. There are sunscreens out there, but I personally don’t like them because they make my face as greasy and shiny looking like a mirror, and I’m not so sure that they work all too well. Now days it’s hard for me to find the time to get proper amount of sunlight but when I do it sure does feel really good on my face. I also notice that whenever I’m on vacation at the beach all day that my skin will look pretty good by the time I get back home.

The bottom line from what I’ve read is that the UV rays from the sun can aid in killing the acne causing bacteria on the skin. On the other hand though it causes your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, and it narrows your hair follicle which can clog your pore and vuela a pimple is born! Though as you already know there are two sides to every story, and while some things might work for others it may not help at all for different people. So let me know what you think, your feedback is always appreciated!

                          Have a good one!

                                -Jpc

How A Pimple Forms

Hey all! I was reading around and I came across this article that explains really well the process of a pimple forming! Now it makes me a little confused because I hear that no one knows exactly what causes acne, and then on the other side I hear people saying they know exactly what causes acne. So either way this article will help you out if you don’t know too much about pimples and how they form. I got the article from: http://www.acnetalks.com/pimple/Acne-Basics/Define-Acne/How-Acne-Happens.htm


Check it out!

Did you always think that acne appears in just one day or one night? Many people think that. This is not true. An acne or pimple, emerges from a blemish, which requires 2-3 weeks to take a defined form of acne. You cannot see this process because it happens deep under your skin. There are several factors that function differently in different people to form acne. That is acne is a highly individualized problem and you should therefore explore acne forming roots in you.



Your acne is caused when holes present in your skin in the form of pores and hair follicles get clogged by dead skin cells and excessive sebum content. Pores are little holes present on your skin. These pores are actually hair follicles containing very fine hair. Each hair follicle is connected to a sebaceous gland.

The sebaceous gland produces an oily substance called sebum. Sebum helps in keeping the skin soft. This sebum reaches the surface of the skin through the hair follicle. The hair follicle is lined with cells called Keratinocytes.

Now, during puberty, testosterone, a hormone present both in males and females, increases. This increase in testosterone encourages the sebaceous gland to produce more sebum. This sebum, hair, and keratinocytes fill and plug the hair follicle. Plugging of the follicle is the earliest sign of acne. Because the follicle is plugged, sebum cannot reach the surface of the skin. This means that the follicle is filled with oil (sebum) and cells (keratinocytes). A mixture of both these causes Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes, which is present on the skin, to grow in the plugged follicle.

This bacteria in the plugged follicle, induces the white blood cells to attack it. When the white blood cells attack, they cause the skin to inflame. This inflammation is characterized by heat, swelling, redness and pain.



In due course of time, the wall of the hair follicle breaks down, spilling everything, that is, sebum, dead cells, and bacteria, on the nearby skin. This leads to lesions or pimples, which we commonly refer to as Acne. Acne can be either mild, moderate or severe.

Now that you know how acne develops, it is necessary to check out the factors that contribute to your acne. Following factors contribute to acne:



1. Hormones: At puberty, the body begins producing hormones called androgens (male hormones, but present in both males and females). These stimulate the sebaceous glands, which in turn, produce extra sebum. Androgen is also responsible for acne flare-ups during the menstrual cycle and at times, pregnancy.



2. Excess sebum: Excess sebum is responsible for plugging the hair follicle. It mixes with P. acnes and causes acne.

3. Dead cells: Generally, dead cells are thrown out gradually by the skin. But, when these dead cells mix with the excess sebum, they contribute to the plugging of the hair follicle, thereby pausing the skin's natural process of throwing out dead cells.

4. Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes: Though P. acnes is present on all skin types at all times, it starts multiplying rapidly once a follicle is plugged.



5. Inflammatory Response: In order to control unwanted bacteria, the body sends out white blood cells to fight against it. The skin reacts to these white blood cells by inflaming. This inflammation causes the pimples to become swollen, red and painful.



Remember that the functioning of these five factors is different for different people. That is, acne is a highly individualized problem. So, do not compare yourself with your friend.

Weightlifting and Acne

So I’ve been researching some and so far I can’t really find any solid evidence that there is a link between the two. I’ve been reading that weightlifting will deplete vitamin B in body causing acne. I also read that weightlifting raises the amount of hormones and testosterone being produced in the body causing more oil to be produced and causing acne especially if you already have acne prone skin.  This is what I think it could be because when I’m weightlifting my skin feels gross like it’s almost slimy in a way from the dead skin, oil, and sweat all on my face. I also researched if supplements like protein powder, creatine, etc. could cause acne, and again there was no direct link that could connect them to acne. There are people who say that the ingredients in some of these supplements could make you breakout, while others say that they don’t notice any changes to their skin when they take these supps.

I think that it all relates back to the blog about food and acne, and that everyone has their limit of what kinds of foods and how much of them they can eat before breaking out (here is the link to that blog if you’ve not read it: http://blog.pimpleplanet.com/2010/05/healthy-diet-and-acne.html). I for one notice that when I was taking a creatine mixture for the first time I was breaking out like crazy, and not only were they just pimples; they were big, inflamed, and embedded pimples that hurt like crazy! I then looked at the ingredients of the powder and it was full of huge amounts of sugar, caffeine, and tons of other things that I’m sure are horrible for your skin if you have acne! So I moved to just plain creatine monohydrate, which is just straight creatine powder and nothing else, and the breakouts subsided a little, but I was still getting some big under-the-skin pimples often.

I found this article from:

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Bodybuilders-Guide-To-Preventing-Acne&id=809403
 It made me feel a little better and let me know that I'm not alone...
"Many bodybuilders suffer from acne. Whether it's due to age, high testosterone levels, the hours of sweating at the gym, or cycling, it's a reality of the sport. The body reacts to androgens and acne is the result. (HCG and Clomid are big offenders.)

Since the purpose of bodybuilding is to make the body look bigger, leaner, and BETTER, a case of bad acne can detract tremendously from a physique. Here are a few techniques that can be used to help stop the pimples from raining on your parade.

- Take frequent showers

- Tan one to two times per week

- Change your shirt frequently - even during long workouts or before engaging in cardio

- Hot shower and Clearasil Soap Scrub immediately after training

- Wash bed sheets once per week

- Locate a DHT (Dihydrotestoreone) blocker or more scientifically called a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor; a natural and well affordable one would be Saw Palmetto, which would also protect your prostate as well...and the more pharmaceutical ones such as Dutasteride- more potent with attendant side effects

- Accutane - a popular mainstream product to look into

- Drink 8 to 16 cups of water per day

- Use lava soap on broken out skin

- Avoid picking at any pimples - the oil on your finger leads to more breakouts.

- Sometimes acne is actually ingrown hairs. An unpleasant but necessary step might be popping them and removing the hair with tweezers.

While it is never a fun or "sexy" discussion, acne affects everyone from teenage newbies to the iron game, all the way up to top professional bodybuilders. Since our skin is effectively the "wrapping paper" for the muscles which make up a great physique, it's imperative that we work as hard on making the skin look good, as we do on the muscles beneath."

So even though I’m positive that weightlifting and the protein powder that I take are one of the causes of my acne I still do it because I love weightlifting that much! It’s like a trade-off that I’m happy to make, and I won’t give it up for anything.

Have you had any of the same problems or experiences? If so let me know because we could just be able to pin-point exactly what it is!

Have a good one!

-Jpc

Exercise and Acne

I work out every other day and switch between lifting weights on one day and doing high intensity training/cardio the other day, and so on. One thing I tend to notice though is that on the days that I lift weights my skin tends to breakout a little either that night or the next morning. On days that I do cardio or high intensity training (Doing multiple exercises without rest or any time between which makes you sweat like a beast!) My face feels good really good, clean, and radiant and I don’t breakout like on a day that I would lift weights. Why this is I don’t know, but on the days that I do HIT/cardio it really does feel like all of the sweat and heat coming from my face cleanses my pores really well. On days that I lift weights I don’t sweat as much by I still sweat a good amount, but my face will feel gross afterwards and it feels like my pores are clogged and I can feel that I’m going to breakout. I’m going to look further into this and see if there is anything in relation to acne and weightlifting, but until then read this article that I got from: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-13-2006-88755.asp


Daily exercise can be extremely beneficial to your overall skin health and can also help clear it of acne too.
Regular exercise increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the skin cells. When you sweat, your body expels toxins through the skin with ease from the opened pores. Sweating effectively cleans the pores from dirt, dead skin cells and excess sebum.

When you exercise, your kidneys and liver work more effectively in removing toxins from the body. Stress is also reduced from exercise and both of these are known causes of acne.

It is a good idea after exercising to take a shower. This washes away the sweat and any other waste material ejected from the body. It also prevents the growth of bacteria which is attracted to sweat.

After exercise be sure to drink plenty of water. Water is essential for ridding the body of toxins and to replace all the water lost from sweating. Acne has been shown to occur in people who aren't drinking enough water.

Almost all exercises are great and the more you sweat the better. Walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and team sports are all suitable. If you can, try to exercise outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.

Swimming is excellent due to being in water which helps to fully cleanse the pores. It is important to rinse yourself after swimming to clean off the chlorine on your body which can leave your skin really dry.

One of the best exercises for acne is using a mini-trampoline. Jumping on a mini-tramp is beneficial for your lymphatic system. Your lymph is controlled by movement and operates best when exercising.
The lymph provides the cells with the nutrients it needs and is also responsible for removing and eliminating cell waste and toxins. If the lymph is insufficiently activated, the cells swim in their own waste which can block pores and when bacteria starts to grow in blocked pores it causes acne.
It has been reported that rebounding can increase the flow of your lymph by up to 30 times. It has also been stated that rebounding is possibly the best exercise ever invented because it has so many benefits.

Not only does exercise benefit the skin, it also has emotional and mental benefits. It is good for stress relief as stated earlier but also good for keeping the mind focused and active. Apart from exercise, proper sleep and relaxation are also good for reducing stress.

Murad Pure Skin Clarifying Dietary Supplement Review

I had tried these about a year ago, and wanted to write a quick review. My mom had bought me two bottles of them off Sephora.com because they had really good reviews. Each bottle has 120 vitamins/pills (whatever you want to call them) in it, and you can take 2 in the morning, or 1 in the morning and one at night. They claim to clear up 55% of blemishes in six weeks, which for some reason made it sound more believable than it really was, because you know what they say: “If it sounds too good to be true; then chances are that it is (too good to be true)!”So this sounded believable because 55% isn’t a super astonishing number especially when it comes into the realm of acne products. I pulled this off the Murad website to explain a little of what the product is.


“Vitamin A stabilizes cell turnover to help prevent clogged pores Yellow Dock and Burdock support the body's ability to remove blemish-producing toxins Zinc helps support resistance to skin irritation US PATENT: 5,962,517*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

So after taking them for 3 months or 12 weeks everyday not a whole lot changed and I thought how could they be rated so good, and not work at all for me? I went online at that moment and googled the supplement reviews, and I realized just about every person who wrote a review on the product was female, and in the 20-30 age group! Out of about 60 reviews that I went through I found only one guy’s review, and he was in the 50-55 age group! So I learned that you can’t just go off the good reviews of a product and think it will work until you actually look closely at things like: is the person reviewing a boy or girl, how old is he or she, and possibly what type of acne or skin does he or she have. These things are all important to look for especially if you’re a guy, because not many guys go and review products they’ve tried. If you’re buying a product with good reviews chances are that only girls have reviewed it, and girls have nowhere near the same type of skin as a guy does so the product probably won’t work the same! Now I’m not saying that it won’t work, but next time when shopping for a product just look to see if any people in or close to the same boat as you have tried it.

-jpc

Proactive Product Review

Over the years, like many I have tried too many products to count, and seen minimal results even with the top treatments. One of the more recent products I tried before starting my caveman regimen was Proactive. I had always known about Proactive way before I even had acne because of all the mass advertising they did on TV and the internet. It was like you couldn’t watch TV without seeing a damn Proactive commercial! Though I never believed anything marketed like that on TV really worked, and for the price that it was back then I didn’t even want to try it. Though as time went on and as my list of things to try and get rid of my acne grew very small I only had about 2 real options to try… Accutane or Proactive. I totally don’t want to do Accutane at all because of all the negative side effects even if I was guaranteed to get clear if I used it. So I went for it and ordered Proactive eager to clear my skin.


I ordered it online when they were having a deal for only $20.00. I got the main 3-step system, and I got to choose 2 free gifts, so I chose the Refining Mask, and the Daily Oil Control. As soon as I bought it I was already skeptical because after you buy it, they tell you that you will be billed every month after that automatically. I chose to have it shipped 3 day air because I was eager to get it fast. Though the next day they emailed me and said that they were all out of stock, which is stupid because it’s the only thing they make! Anyways after about 2 weeks I finally got it, and opened it up. Everything is reasonably sized the only thing that was disappointing was the refining mask which was already in a small container, but it’s only half-full. The main 3-step system which is good-sized consists of the Renewing Cleanser 4 ounce, the Revitalizing Toner 4 ounce, and the Oil-Free Moisturizer 1.7 ounce.

After washing my face with the Renewing Cleanser, which is just a liquid wash with its main ingredient being 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, my face became extremely dry! It was crazy how fast it became so dry before I could even put anything on. The next step which at this point I should’ve skipped is the Revitalizing Toner. After I put this on my face tightened so bad that I couldn’t smile without it hurting. So at this point my face was now cherry red, super dry, irritated and I still had one more step which is the Oil Free Moisturizer. It is an SPF 15 moisturizer, but it is very light so I had to put on multiple layers on. My skin continued to dry up every few minutes so I put a ton of some other moisturizer I had to calm it down. After that I learned to only use only a little of the toner and only once a week, and wash my face with the cleanser once a day until my face built up some resistance.

My face never really had an initial breakout like I had read about happens when using Proactive for the first time. Nothing really changed with my skin at all except that it never felt healthy, and didn’t look it either. It was pale and blotchy with redness and irritation in some areas. It was dry in places and oily in others like my nose would be super oily but my chin would be dry. I stuck with it for about 6 weeks before dumping it, because absolutely nothing was changing at all. I wasn’t very surprised though it wasn’t the first time, but I’m glad it didn’t because I’m reading a lot about how people who use Proactive, once they stop their acne comes back like crazy!

So there’s no doubt that Proactive works for some people, I know it works for some of my friends, but it just didn’t do a thing for me. Now I understand that some people say, well you have to wait a long time for it to clear you up, but this wasn’t just taking a long time to clear me up it was taking a long time to just make a pimple go away so I stopped because it wasn’t working at all!

-Jpc