23 yo medical student finally got control of my acne

Beauty Tips For Body Care
I wrote this post in response to some advice I saw in another thread which I thought wasn't necessarily helpful.Final year med student here. First off, no one should actually be using soap for anything - it irritates and dries out skin. Gels are much better (this is particularly true for acne prone skin and things like eczema). Further, "dirt" has nothing to do with acne - acne is a product of several important factors including diet, the bacterial microflora that inhabit your face, genetics and of course oil production (which is in itself a product of your genetics and age). There are lots of different kinds of acne medications, some which are antimicrobial (things like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics) and others which target cell turn over and oil production (tretinoin, isotretinoin). As someone who has struggled with acne into my early 20s, I have finally been able to get a grip on it after seeing the Professor of Dermatology at the hospital I study. A. Use a benzoyl peroxide based wash twice a day. Do not use soap. B. Cut out simple sugars and other foods which can cause insulin spikes (soft breads, potatoes, noodles, lollies, sugars etc). Additionally, things like protein shakes with simple amino acids will also tend to worsen acne. This is all a result of a molecular pathway which causes more skin cells to grow and therefore clog up pores allowing the bacteria that are already on your face to overproliferate and cause inflammation. C. Topical tretinoin such as Steiva-A, Differin. This affects oil production and cell turn over. Further, these can be used to treat wrinklers. D. If the above do not control your acne, see a dermatologist and you may be able to get oral tretinoin (Roaccutane). In my case, I only need to use low dose accutane during the winter months (less sun, which actually also directly affects acne through modulating the immune response in your skin). You can take Vitamin A instead of roaccutane, as roaccutane is simply a more potent derivative of Vitamin A. Never take both at the same time. Only use oral tretinoin if you get a real prescription for it. E. As a result of having terrible genes for gums I also take doxycycline (an antibiotic). This has an added side effect of helping me with acne, though I do not believe this has much effect (for me, may be more important for others). F. SUNSCREEN! Most acne medications will tend to make you photosensitive so please for the love of everything you hold dear use sunscreen. G. If you can get a hold of Papulex Oil Free Cream, use that shit on any fading scars. It reduces redness really well (was also skeptical of this as it is an over the counter thing, but works wonders). Ultimately it was DIET that was the deciding factor. I used to be very skeptical of the importance of diet to acne, but having actually been explained the molecular mechanisms behind it (particularly the Tor pathway) it all made perfect sense. "Dirt" and such has nothing to do with anything. What clogs your pores isn't dirt, it's your own damn skin cells from eating simple carbohydrates.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by ilzwalrus