Features - Adult Acne by Susan Clarke

Of all the conditions most likely to generate low self-esteem and prolonged depression, adult acne is the worst. Sufferers cannot hide the eruptions which occur mostly in full view on the face, and strangers meeting them for the first time cannot help but flinch at the painful sight of those red and angry welts that most people thought they had seen the last of by the end of their teens.

Sadly, adult acne is not only a fact of life - it is on the increase. There are now 12 different types of acne affecting some 3% of the population and contrary to popular belief, it is not caused by junk diets or poor hygiene but by a hormonal imbalance, the skin's reaction to this upset, and a bacterium called Propionibacterium acne (P. acne) which has become increasingly resistant to the antibiotics that are the conventional treatment route.

If are you given antibiotics and you take them for a prolonged period of time, there is a risk that you will, inadvertently, exacerbate the very condition you are taking them to treat because antibiotics can damage the lining of the gut. In one study, tests showed 50% of those with a severe acne problem also had higher levels of toxins in their bloodstream.

What this suggests is what the holistic skin specialists have been arguing for some time - that treating acne has to start from the inside. To replenish the microflora wiped out by the prolonged use of antibiotics, for example, take a probiotic supplement and eat bananas, which act as natural probiotics.

Teenage boys suffer spots and acne because of a surge in the male hormone, testosterone. In adults of both sexes, the same condition has been linked to the abnormally high levels of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. Enzymes are the catalysts that trigger the body's chemical reactions. What this one does, unhelpfully, is convert testosterone to a more potent form called dihydrotestosterone, and it is this substance that is now believed to play the key role in causing the condition.

As well as a hormonal imbalance, researchers have identified an inability among sufferers to digest saturated fats. This means that eliminating dairy products and all animal fats, especially red meats, should help manage the symptoms. Both tofu and soy are phytoestrogens - substances that can help naturally rebalance the hormones in both sexes, so eating these foods at least three times a week will also help. Sufferers need to avoid yeast and white sugar.

A calcium-rich diet has been found to help reduce the severity of an acne infection and while the obvious source is milk, if the lining of the gut is damaged, sufferers are likely to be intolerant to and unable to digest lactose (the sugar in milk), making green leafy vegetables, broccoli, tofu, and shellfish better natural sources.

Vitamin A is important for maintaining all the surfaces of the body, inside and out - good dietary sources include all yellow fruits and vegetables, unpolluted fish oils, and, of course, carrots. Zinc, which helps boost the immune system and enhances the absorption of vitamin A, is lost in food processing or simply missing from non-organic food that has been harvested from nutrient-poor and heavily treated soil. Excessive sweating also depletes the body's zinc resources causing the loss of up to 3mg a day. Foods that are rich in this mineral include shellfish, pecan nuts, turkey and wheatgerm - so include plenty of these in your diet.

Drinking pure water (not from the tap), is crucial. Aim for 2 litres a day to flush out toxins, and increase your intake of dietary fibre to further help colon health by sprinkling a tablespoon of psyllium seeds on your cereal or salad each day.

The skin specialist, Helen Sher, who has helped thousands of acne and rosacea sufferers, believes water on the outside of the skin is important too. She has devised an entire skincare programme, which includes splashing body-temperature water onto the face to rehydrate the affected areas twice a day. The Sher System includes make-up for sufferers, but there are no harsh exfoliators.

If you want to get to the root cause of your condition, try and get an appointment at The Alternative Centre in London, where the practitioners are more like detectives. They use Mora-Therapy, which is similar to vega-testing but more in depth, to determine vitamin and mineral imbalances, find which foods may be triggering the problem, and which remedies you need. The homeopathic medicine you leave with is tailor-made while you wait, and the Centre - which may also recommend light therapy and Dead Sea Salt treatments for acne - has had fantastic results with all skin problems.

Sandra Gibbons, the founder and managing director of the Centre who suffered from psoriasis herself, is a former member of the Government's all party parliamentary committee on skin. She says: "You don't expect to be suffering from acne after your teens and because it makes the skin oily and greasy, and can leave scars and pock marks, people who don't suffer think those who do must be dirty. Of all the conditions we treat, this is the one that causes the most distress."

Written by Susan Clark, award-winning UK health journalist, author & broadcaster, you'll get the truth about natural remedies & practitioners.

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Page Created: 11 July 2005