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

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.

How To Pop a Pimple: The Right Way

Everyone who has acne, whether they like to do it or not have popped their pimples. It’s advised by dermatologists that you do not pick, pop, squeeze, scratch, etc. your pimples, but sometimes it is inevitable and you absolutely have to pop them! For example, say you wake up for the first day of school only to look in the mirror and find that you have a few giant whiteheads; one smack in the middle of your forehead, one on the tip of your nose, and one bulging from your chin. If you’re a girl you can try and cover them up with makeup, but if you’re a guy you’re ultimately left with two choices… You can pop them and put some ice over the pores after to reduce the swelling and hope that the blemishes won’t be super bad… Or you can do the right thing and not lay a finger on them; the only thing though is you’ll catch everyone’s eyes on your face in the halls and in class. So I know when I’m in these desperate situations, which is quite often I always opt for the easy way out, and unfortunately pop them. Though I have learned some good skills and techniques to reduce the damage and scarring of popping pimples to very little or none at all!

• Never continue to pop and pick at the same pimple or scab over and over as this will lead to permanent scarring, but rather make sure to get it all out with one swift pop, and dab some tissue there every 30 seconds to absorb the excess blood. Then you can use some ice to reduce the redness and swelling.

• Don’t go for pre-mature pimples, which are pimples that you have to squeeze and push pretty hard to get out. These pimples are still deep in the pore and rip the skin apart when popped which can take a long time to heal and lead to scarring. If a pimple is ready to be popped it should come out fairly easy with hardly any pressure applied to it at all. Usually ones ready to be popped will have a big white/yellowish head, and will sometimes pop themselves.

• Always wash your hands and your face with a gentle cleanser, or sterilize the area on the face before popping a pimple with a pad or wipe.

• Use tissue paper, and wrap a piece over each index finger. This ensures that no bacteria or oils left on your finger will get into the open pore.

• Never squeeze! Instead gently apply pressure and push down around the pimple, and then slightly inward.

• Go from side to side, and then from up and down. This ensures that everything will come out so that it can heal properly, and so the pimple won’t come back or get infected.

• Don’t spend more than 30-60 seconds when popping a pimple, because any longer batters the skin tissue and can cause scarring.

Keep these tips in mind whenever your popping a pimple; they can save you from bad scarring! Also I’m making a video about this I’m just waiting for the prime pimple to use, so look out for it!

-jpc

The Caveman Regimen: Update Week 3

Last time I updated it had only been one week on my version of the caveman regimen, which is basically when you don’t wash your face to heal your acne. If you happened to miss my version on the first update it is: I let warm shower water hit my face on the lowest pressure setting for about 30 seconds, and then pat dry with a towel when I get out. At night all I do is dab some apple cider vinegar on my face using a cotton pad. I cut out all treatment creams and cleansers, because I felt they were doing more harm than good.

Overall I would have to say that my skin is doing a little worse than when I started the regimen. This, although is normal and could last weeks to months, so I am not about to give up it anytime soon!

Some days I’ll wake up and my skin will look pretty good, while other days I’ll have up to 10 new pimples or whiteheads. On about day 8 or 9 of this my forehead broke out like crazy, and continued to breakout for the next couple of days with tiny whiteheads. It looks to be finally calming down though so that makes me happy. Other areas of my face like my chin will be clear for up to 2 days at the most, and actually look pretty good, but I’ll usually breakout with 2-3 big whiteheads after. This is also pretty much the same for the sides of my face as well, but all the pimples are usually gone within 2-3 days sometimes less. Also I have been shaving every Saturday in the shower using Cetaphil as a substitute for shaving cream, and that has been working really well. For the rest of the day, and for most of the next day my skin will look and feel really good after shaving. A cool thing I noticed is that my skin is no longer super dry after I get out of the shower, and it doesn’t get super oily anymore until later in the night! Also another thing I noticed about this regimen that I like is that I don’t stress as much about my acne and often forget about it. This is because I don’t have to worry about washing it with a certain cleanser each and every night, or putting on creams anymore. Also I don’t have to keep caking on the moisturizer which doesn’t help my face feel any better, and makes it even oilier.

Although the results might not be there yet, something deep down inside tells me that I’m doing the right thing! So whether or not its true time will tell, and we’ll just have to see if anything changes next week. So until then enjoy the site!

Updated before and after photos...

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

-jpc

Welcome to Pimple Planet

Hello, and welcome to Pimple Planet, the place designed with only one thing in mind... Pimples, Zits, and Acne.

Here you will find an array of interesting videos, helpful tips, and detailed information on dealing with the struggles of acne.

Having been dealing with acne for the past 4 years, and letting it take over my life I understand the hardships that many acne sufferers can endure, and go through on a daily basis. I created this site with an optimistic viewpoint in mind that acne sufferers no longer have to stress or feel down about themselves, but rather know that there is a helpful community of interesting and knowledgeable people that can share their experiences and what they've learned from dealing with acne. Also who can resist a video of a big juicy pimple being popped!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Pimple Planet Blog and our main Pimple Planet Site!

                                               -JPC