Acne is a skin disorder that mainly affects adolescents and young adults, usually it resolves naturally as it grows. Acne can also affect women due to hormonal disturbances.
The causes of acne are multiple: hormonal, poor lifestyle, inadequate diet, stress, certain medications, pollution can also generate acne this is called the phenomenon of Chloracné….
The ideal before treating acne is to know the cause and type of acne, benign forms will be easily treated, more severe forms will require a dermatologist appointment and a more extensive background treatment.
The acne process includes:
- In the first stage, excessive production of sebum (hyper seborrhea) (due to hormonal stimulation of the sebaceous glands by androgen hormones and adrenals and/or a strong activity of 5 alpha reductase.)
- After there are genetic predispositions because some subjects are more even to metabolize his androgens, and therefore likely to be prone to acne .
- This will promote the development of Propionibacterium Acnes (now called Cutibacterium acnes) creating an imbalance within the skin microbiota (loss of microbial diversity).
- Acnes lipases will then attack the triglycerides of the sebum and cut them into glycerol and free fatty acids that are per oxidable and thus will boost inflammation (inflammatory cycle)
- This increase in inflammation will increase the production of elastases, and also free radicals and to defend the skin will increase its keratinization which further promotes the development of Cutibacterium Acnes.
It is a real vicious circle.
The areas most affected are those richest in sebaceous glands, namely the face, back, upper chest. There are aggravating factors: sun, stress, an unbalanced diet and alcohol and tobacco consumption, BMI.
How to alleviate, treat acne in a natural way, without necessarily resorting to powerful antibiotics or other irritants?
1/ External factors that can aggravate:
It is better avoid exposure to the sun or put sunblocker, (it certainly leads to a temporary improvement of inflammatory lesions but aggravates the formation of retentional lesions, promoting hyperkeratosis of the hair follicle), tobacco and alcohol, endocrine disruptors…
2/ Treat ourselves from the inside by eating in a balanced way
Food is a very controversial subject. According to many scientific studies, diet will exacerbate acne when acne is already present but will not cause acne.
- However, a suitable diet helps to slow the development of acne (by limiting the production of sebum) and promote its healing
- Reduced maximum refined sugars and carbohydrates with high glycemic index (such as white sugar, sodas, white bread, white flour, sweets…) shows a decrease in acne lesions.
By consuming foods at a high glycemic index there is insulin production which leads to an elevation of the famous androgen hormones that stimulates the production of sebum, as well as hyper-keratinization and thus contributes to the development of acne.
Prefer low glycemic index carbohydrates (non-refined sugars, wholemeal flours, sourdough bread, semi-complete fruit, vegetable, legumes).
Did you know?
- The glycemic index of pasta al dente is lower
- Cooking, grinding and pureeing of food increase its glycemic index.
To decrease the glycemic index of a food combine it with free and good fats: examples pates with tooth with green vegetables and pesto or apple snack with a handful of almonds.
- Limit dairy products, especially skim milk (because galactose, milk sugar, is pro-inflammatory and tends to promote oxidative stress, and it stimulates the production of IGF-1, and contains it naturally. IGF-1 is an insulin-like growth factor that stimulates the production of androgen hormones). So prefer almond, oat, soy, hemp, sheep’s milk and if you really want milk choose it whole and limit consumption, or consume it in the form of yoghurt or cheese (the fermentation process destroys sugars).
PS: On the other hand the intake of calcium and vitamin D is very important so consume other sources of calcium such as:
- Canned sardines with bones that are a good source of calcium,
- white beans, green vegetables such as cabbage, green beans or broccoli, and some nuts such as almonds or Brazil nuts also contain calcium
- The main sources of vitamin D are oily fish, egg yolks, margarine, soy beverage, shiitake mushrooms, cod liver oil. Vitamin supplements may be indicated in some cases if you are deficient.
- We eliminate bad fats, because saturated or trans fats tend to saturate the liver, which no longer does its detoxification job well.
On the other hand, omega-3s are favoured, which decrease pro-inflammatory molecules.
The ideal is to eat 2 to 3 times a week oily fish (ideally small ones because less polluted by heavy metals, such as sardines, mackerel, herring … and less often tuna and salmon and pay attention to provenance).
Use 1 tablespoon a day of rapeseed oil, flax or walnuts, 1st cold pressure a day, and sprinkle salads, raw vegetables with hemp seeds, chia, flax…
What about peanuts? It should be noted that peanuts have a mimetic action with androgen hormones that stimulates even more the sebaceous glands. So over-consumption can make acne worse.
What about chocolate? It is mainly sugar and milk to tell the truth that have harmful effects on the skin, not cocoa, so prefer it as black as possible (70%) if you want to consume it sparingly.
Also beware of excess iodine: algae, pain, milk, salt, supplements, which can accentuate acne, as well as wheat protein.
Try to have a diet rich in micronutrients : A diet rich in micronutrients will promote cellular regeneration and thus improve the quality of the skin in general.
So choose a diet rich in vegetables and fruits (with a large raw share if your intestines tolerate them, because they will be richer in vitamins and micronutrients),
Squash seeds and seafood (oysters…) are good sources of Zinc. Zinc is very beneficial thanks to his anti-inflammatory activity.
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium a powerful antioxidant, so 2 to 4 nuts a day are enough to cover daily intakes.
3/ We move, calm down and sleep well!
Inactivity is an aggravating factor in acne, as well as stress and non-restorative sleep.
- Stress
The activation of the adrenal glands by stress, produce cortisol which indirectly increases the secretion of sebum. So we help your child to recognize stress and we teach him simple techniques to control him control his stress.
The sources of stress are varied especially among teenagers and can be due to a bad grade, a hurtful remark from a friend, the fear of failing, the stress of his future, a move… So we pay attention to any change in behavior.
- Physical activity
In addition acne is often due to too many toxins or liver saturation, so sport will help release toxins through sweat.
In addition, physical activity helps to improve stress, and improve well-being through the secretion of endorphins. A child, a teenager needs at least 1 hour of sports or intensive activity per day. Let him choose the sport he likes, take family walks…
- Sleep
Sleep is important because it helps to heal well, each child has different needs but a minimum of 8 to 9 hours is required even in teenagers!
So we eliminate the screens at least 2 hours before bedtime, and there are other routines and natural techniques to set up naturally if you are interested …
4/ Skin softness
I can’t say it enough, be SOFT!
Stop scrubs a gogo, hyper-stripping solutions. Because this is the number one mistake, we think our skin is dirty, oily, cluttered with sebum so we want to cleanse, scrub …
And the disaster, we over-stimulate our sebaceous glands even more, we disintegrate our hydrolipidic barrier which serves as protection and guaranteed bounce effect.
We adopt a gentle beauty routine:
- Clean with a soft soap overgras or gel without soap or soft micellar lotion, morning and evening, no stripper products! You can also rinse with a mist of thermal water, if the water irritates you.
- Hydration is not overlooked with a non-comedogene emulsion or light creme, or a gel of Aloe vera (which moisturizes the skin without fat and regulates the production of sebum), in the evening we may prefer vegetable oils (always organic).
There are neutral vegetable oils suitable for acne skin such as jojoba oil, hazelnut, macadamia, sesame for which have a sebo-regulatory effect and its non-comedogenic.
And processing vegetable oils that are to use mix with neutral oils, such as vegetable oil nigella has purifying properties, and calophyll oil when has it attenue scars, or antiseptic and de-encrusting juniper berry oil.
If you use sunscreen (indispensable if you expose yourself and in case of treatment) or make-up, you remove your make-up well at night, choose quality non-comedogenic products, and try to let your skin breathe as much as possible.
Silicone-based products are banned (the name ending with icon, -xane, thiconol… e.g. dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane). Find the list of comedogenic ingredients http://www.awaywithacne.com/products/comedogenic_ingredient_list/index.html
Pure and organic vegetable oils can be used for make-up removal.
- Jojoba oil, for example, is non-comedogenic with a composition close to the sebum, using a soft vegetable fiber wipe (bamboo type) or even lime water 1 tablespoon – 1 tablespoon vegetable oil adapts to your problem (jojoba, hazelnut) … basically it is the recipe of the oleo-limestone liniment of baby buttocks but we replace olive oil with an oil more adapted to your problem. And we rinse profusely with pure water afterwards.
- In tonic, you can use hydrolats such as fine lavender, geranium, peppermint, calendula, or millefeuille achillé hydrolate that have multiple antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and healing properties, for other soothing, astringente so applied morning and evening before the facial.
Be careful some hydrolats can dry the skin so to adapt on a case-by-case basis!
- For boys, hypoallergenic gels and shaving foams are chosen Le mieux est de se raser avant la douche matinale.
In case of mild to moderate acne (small whiteheads and blackheads), all shaving techniques can be adopted.
For inflammatory acne (red pimples in relief or even large deep red pimples and painful), the mechanical razor, by abrasing the lesions, gives significant irritation and can cause bleeding. So prefer an electric shave.
Multi-bladed razors, cutting shorter hair but also pimples, should be avoided. If you choose a mechanical razor, you will use a single-blade razor, passing it in the direction of the hair, to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs as much as possible.
It is also advisable:
– either to space a little shaves, why not alternating morning and evening or every 2 to 3 days … which should not be impossible since you are not required to be perfectly shaved every day.
– or, during seizures, go to an electric razor, even if the skin is less “clean-shaven”. In some very severe cases, wearing a short beard (it’s fashion!) can serve as a natural camouflage while waiting for the treatments to take effect…
Other tips:
– Colloidal silver, which has antiseptic, antifungal and antibacterial properties in 10 or 15 ppm concentrations, in a glass bottle, externally only applied locally to the morning and evening buttons.
– You can use green clay in a mask (mix has spring water with a wooden spoon until you get a paste) provided you don’t let the mask dry on your face (max 10 minutes), rinse with pure water and don’t repeat it more than once a week. A few drops of vegetable oil or hydrolat can be added.
And we adopt notions of hygiene:
- You wash your hands before you touch your face and DON’T DO NOT TOUCH it! If you really manipulate, disinfect with an antiseptic based on chlorhexidine or sodium hypochlorite, avoiding those that contain alcohol
- We take off our makeup every night or wash face every evening for male too.
- Brushes, make-up remover sponges are washed with water and soap regularly
- We have clean hair especially if we have a fringe that can irritate
One showers directly after sweating (if sporty) so that sweat does not irritate acne lesions.
5/Naturopathy tips
- Essential oils
Essential oils are always tested in the bend of the elbow 48 hours before, to ensure that no allergy is made. There are contraindications, in young children, pregnant women and certain pathologies (asthma, epilepsy…).
We ask for the opinion of someone competent if we do not know anything about it.
In the case of very mild acne:
it is advisable, for example, to apply a diluted drop (5% in adapted vegetable oil), or even pure, tea-tree or lavender (two essential oils indicated for this pathology, having a strong anti-infective power while being relatively well tolerated) on each pimple, point by point, morning and evening. No continuous treatments should be done, but 7-day breaks every month are recommended and stop in case of unusual allergy or redness.
In the case of more extensive acne:
It is more interesting to use a synergistic mixture of essential oils, in dilution, to be applied to the affected areas (face, torso, back…) .By mixing two or more essential oils, you can achieve increased efficiency without increasing the dosage. However, care should be taken not to potentiate adverse effects, avoiding the association of essential oils containing potentially toxic or irritating molecules.
So we ask for the advice of a specialist.
- Phytotherapy et supplements
- Fish oil and/or Zinc supplements can improve inflammatory acne, ask for advice before eating them.
- Sprinkle your dishes with Turmeric which is a recognized anti-inflammatory.
- Phytotherapie is an interesting tool to detoxify the various emulsions, be it the skin (bardane, wild thought, but also nettle, centella asiatica …), but also the liver (desmodium, artichoke…), gallbladder or hormonal (sage, hops).
The plant mixture should be adapted to each type of acne, seek the advice of a professional. They are to be combined with aromatherapy for an optimal result and a suitable lifestyle.
On the other hand, a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, the practice of sports, the limitation of endocrine disruptors (see my article if you want to know more) helps to purify the body in a natural way.
A hot bubbly in the liver for 20 minutes at bedtime remains a good natural solution more easily adaptable to adolescents to detoxify the liver.
I will end by saying that there are different types of acne, and that treatments are adapted according to shapes and subjects, because each one is unique and what works for some people will not have the same effect on others.
Acne treatment takes time, and unfortunately the results do not happen overnight. In case of very severe acne it is advisable to take appointment with a dermatologist, however the hygienic-dietary rules listed above are completely applicable and naturopathy can be used in addition to traditional medicine.
By Laurence MULLER, PhD pharmacist, naturopath counselor and health coach.
Laurence is French, in her 40 th, mom of 2, she lives in Asia since 12 years and worked in clinic, hospital, in France and Shanghai before to be trained as health coach and naturopath counselor.
I empower people to get a healthy life.
You can find me on https://laurencemuller.com/ (coming in May 2020)
Take an appointment on osteoandco at Tseung Kwan o clinic or online
Whatsapp : +852 55 00 10 35
Références.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318522/
- https://www.ifsh.fr/index.php/actualites/le-blog-ifsh/208-prise
- http://www.awaywithacne.com/download/index.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4884775/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/acne-what-you-need-to-know-2019010315717
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5435909/
- https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01377266/document
- https://www.filsantejeunes.com/acne-et-rasage-6880