Recently I came across a nutritional product for acne that ticks all the right boxes. In this youtube video I discuss why and look at the research that backs up the product claims.

View this product

This is a great article from Deanne Bromham, our Vitale Life naturopath. When I decided to focus on writing and research, Deanne stepped into the fold and now treats many patients with skin conditions…with great results. She is patient and encouraging and her treatment are very effective. Below is what Deanne thinks the key issues are with skin problems including acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and skin pigmentation:

Healing Skin from the Inside – Out

by Deanne Bromham ND

On the exterior skin conditions or damaged skin can be red, inflamed, cystic, rough, blotchy, painful, unbearably itchy, scaly and plaque like, lacking vibrancy, damaged, dry and wrinkling. Anyone who has a skin condition will quickly confide that it can destroy one’s self-confidence. After all, skin is the outer layer we present to the world.  Skin problems affect the body’s surface physically as well as emotionally but we don’t always realise just how deep they run.  This is why it is important to find a long-term solution that treats the cause of the problem and one that really works.

Skin problems are related to a dysfunction occurring deep within the body and this is the level they should be treated; a satisfactory solution means treating from the inside and outside.  Unfortunately, this is often overlooked and strong anti-inflammatory creams are prescribed or in the case of acne retail creams and liquids that dry and strip the skin, only offering temporary relief.

It’s a little like looking into a pool of water, what you see on the surface is a true indication of what’s going on underneath.  What is happening at the bottom and in the middle area of the water will ruminate to the surface, making it visually known what the general state of the deeper water is like.  A client’s skin is an important factor I assess no matter why they have come to see me; it tells me a lot about the person’s overall health.

There are a few major players that affect how our skin looks:

Skin in very much affected by hormones; the finetuning of the stress hormone; cortisol, the blood sugar hormone; insulin and the reproductive hormones – oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone cannot be underestimated in their affect on the skin.

Diet plays a massive part in all problem skin and this can be the simplest way of getting quick improvement.

There is a big connection between skin and digestive health or the health of our intestinal tract. If the bacteria within our intestinal system are out of balance this will affect our skin. It is well understood that the bacteria at the centre of the body, the intestinal tract, set the status of bacteria in the skin.  To correct the bacteria in the skin it is necessary to correct the bacterial status inside first and then the skin will reflect this.

The skin along with the lungs, bowel, liver, and kidney are all organs that assist the body in getting rid of waste products. They are well known as the 5 organs of elimination. When the development of a skin condition or even poor unhealthy looking skin has occurred it may be that one or more of the other organs of elimination are being overloaded and/or are under functioning. If the liver and bowel are unable to get rid of toxins the toxins will begin to find another route out of the body and this can be via the skin.  A pleasant side effect of a professional gut repair and detoxification program is the noticeable difference in the appearance of the skin. One of the most common things clients say while on a gut repair and detoxification program is that all their friends have notice how good their skin is looking. If you’re going to clean the pool of water you will need to scrape leaves and scum off the top but you will also need to get the filter working continuously to clean out what’s in the middle and at the bottom.

One of the most important things to understand about getting your skin clear and beautiful is that the body is designed to heal itself. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to accept that this is a skin problem they have to learn to live with.  The body in its natural rhythm is absolutely able to work so that we look and feel great.   Anything other than this is a sign that a particular area of the body is not functioning as well as it should be or it is out of balance. Naturopathic assistance works on our insides to make our bodies, inside and outside, look and feel great. The body responds very well to this, easily lapping it up as it falls back into harmony.

Deanne, an experienced and skilled naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist and iridologist says “As a clinician I assess each person’s skin on an individual basis while taking into consideration the rest of their health and the connection between the two. The use of iridology gives greater insight to their health weaknesses and constitution”. A treatment plan is given that shows what each individual’s skin requires. Results are usually seen as early as 2 weeks.

Make an appointment to see Deanne at Vitalelife in Paddington or Bulimba

As you may know at Vitale we are trying out the new La Mav range of products and one that I have been getting feedback from the staff about is the Pore Refining Toner. La Mav describe this product as being good for skin that is prone to imbalance and congestion. As I haven’t personally tried this I pored (no pun intended) the ingredients to see why it was working so well and came up with a few ingredients of particular interest:

1. Vitamin B5 - topically, vitamin B5 (d-panthenol) is required in synthesis of fatty acids and sphingolipids. These components are important for the skin lipid layers and cell membrane integrity. Essentially this will help to maintain a healthy acid mantle on the skin and therefore skin moisture. It also helps counteract the bacteria that may contribute to whiteheads and acne breakouts.
2. Natural Fruit Enzymes including apple and sugar cane which work to increase skin cells turnover and prevent pore clogging. The other benefits of fruit acids include helping to minimize break-outs particularly if they are related to congestion or makeup use, and milia bumps, reduce the appearance of fine lines, deeper wrinkles and darkened areas on the face.
3. Lemon Balm Extract which purifies, exfoliates and helps to balance skin’s pH which means less oil production and less clogging of pores

The base of this toner is aloe vera, glycerine and rose hydrosol which are all hydrating ingredients that don’t increase the likelihood of congestion. This is another product that goes on my list of “products I must try” as in summer or if I have been consuming rubbish food, congestion can be an issue for me.

I would love to hear any comments you may have about this product so please write us a review.

• Reducing congestion with Fruit Acids
• Clogged Skin – blackheads, whiteheads and congestion

Skin type can be confusing to pinpoint particularly when you don’t seem to fit into a particular definition. I often have people ask me what their skin type is because they get dry patches around their cheeks and eyes and an oily nose or chin or T-zone. Commonly called combination this skin type can seem inadequate particularly when there are dry, flakey patches of skin combined with breakouts or oily skin that is sometimes oily and sometimes just congested. And really does it matter what it is called when you have no idea how to manage it. Products for oily skin tend to further dry out already dry areas. Products for dry skin just end up causing increased oiliness and/or congestion. This leads me to question how one product range for a particular skin type can actually manage a combination skin.

Of course there are products for combination skin types and these are a good start for mildly oily and dry combination skin types however, if you are experiencing lots of oiliness with dry skin or even dry skin with breakouts, combination skin ranges usually don’t do much to help.

Mango Cleansing Gel

A recent e-mail from a client illustrates this point: I have very (VERY!) oily, congested, red skin that is often itchy and quite sensitive. I usually have anywhere from 5 to 40 pimples at one time (usually those horrible deep ones that hurt!). I also tend to get eczema, although this is usually on my hands and arms and very rarely on my face, but that may be what is making my face so itchy lately. I can actually feel how congested my skin is and the oil is very hard to control. Any products I use for oily skin often leave my skin feeling tight and itchy. Please help!!

My answer took into account a number of factors which include:

• repair of the acid mantle – this is cricital to stop moisture loss from the skin. At the same time as allowing moisture loss which creates dry areas of skin, poor acid mantle protection will actually stimulate excess oil production in other areas leading to both oily and dry skin at the same time.
• internal nutrition – are there any nutritional issues that are contributing to this condition
• reducing congestion – congestion will contribute to further breakouts
• prioritising treatment – in this case, balancing the acid mantle and correcting nutritional imbalances will have a positive effect on breakouts. This is the priority. Internal nutrition and managing other factors such as hormones, diet, stress etc will help to minimise breakouts as well.

So my reply was: The very first and most important thing I want to say is that the oiliness of your skin together with concurrent dry patches and eczema is likely a reflection of an internal imbalance of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and possibly also B vitamins. It is quite tricky to get EFAs out to the skin as the critical organs such as the heart and brain use them first. So I recommend the drink below as a really quick way of boosting your skin levels which will help relieve dryness and balance out oiliness in about 7-10 days. I have put the recipe below.

In addition I recommend the Remedica Clair Visage at night. This will help to balance the acid mantle of your skin which is currently not protecting your skin. It is a very light oil/hydrosol based serum which will help to nourish skin without contributing to congestion (Editors note: remember from previous blogs that you can use molecularly light oils on oily skin and it will actually help rather than hinder the condition). During the day I recommend the Treasured Earth Balancing Lotion. Daytime is when a lotion is needed rather than an oil as they help to prevent water loss when you are out and about. It is a light but nourishing product. Couple this with the Treasured Earth Mango Cleanser. It is an effective cleanser that doesnt strip the skin. One of the worst things you can do for your skin is to dry it out in hopes that it will stop oil production. Overwashing or using harsh cleansers dries out your skin and causes irritation and inflammation. Your skin will take that as a signal to produce more oil and therefore more acne lesions.

If you find the area around your eyes is particularly dry, use an eye cream. There are no sebaceous glads around the eyes and as such this area is more prone to losing moisture. Any eye cream you use can be richer than the day moisturiser. In effect we are managing your skin in zones, treating the dry areas differently from the oily areas. The Treasured Earth Rose Eye Cream is a nourishing eye cream without being too rich. 

Lemon Flax Drink

• 1 tablespoon of flax oil
• 1 tablespoon of soy lecithin (the German is better than the US version)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 250-300mls of water

Blend on high for 30 seconds. This makes one serve. You can double the quantity and have it before lunch or dinner as well.

Let me know how you go…you may not love the taste but it does such good things for your body.

To help you manage the underlying cause of the breakouts have a look at our Acne Information Page.

As with all things, sometimes we just don’t fit into a neat category. In these cases, don’t give up – look outside the box and try a different solution.

Related Articles:

• How to treat sensitive and acne-prone skin
• Clair Visage – a serum for acne-prone skin
• Myth Busting Facial Oils

While New Year is the traditional time for giving up habits and setting goals, I decided to start early and once again gave up my daily coffee. This has been an ongoing issue for me for many reasons. Firstly I have a dairy intolerance so after 10 years of drinking milky lattes, I finally gave up dairy and my hormonal breakouts magically cleared up (my recent icecream indulgence has seen new breakouts so I have backed off again). This saw me drinking soy lattes for all of one week until I declared that there was nothing so disgusting that soy milk – for me anyway. So to black coffee and my addiction switched from mid strength lattes to super strength long black coffee with sugar. I found myself needing my daily cup and getting irritable if I didn’t have it. Sometimes I didn’t even want coffee at all but drank it anyway. Finally one day recently when I found myself forcing down a coffee I didn’t want out of habit, I decided to give it a miss entirely – well for a while at least.

So I did for exactly 4 brain-fog filled days. On day 5 my brain felt so foggy, I had not one but two mega strength coffees and drove home from the coffee shop with hands shaking and vision blurring. Not only was my heart racing but much to my dismay my skin went all blotchy. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective this is due to the heating effect of coffee and if heat builds up in the body (from too many coffees) or isn’t eliminated effectively (poor digestion) it held in the body and can result in red, blotchy skin. Other foods that have this effect include alcohol, spicy foods and hot drinks. This is one of the reasons that those with rosacea tend to react to these foods so badly. This is not to say that coffee is bad, just that for most people having it in moderation is a good idea and for those with rosacea or those adversely affected by “heating” foods, going without it better.

And so for the sake of my skin, which is a refection of my inner health, I have come to the point now that I can have coffee occasionally rather than every day. When I do have it I REALLY enjoy it, when I don’t I don’t miss it too much! Black and herbal teas are a thirst quenching replacement.

What we eat can certainly have an effect on the appearance of our skin. In my case firstly dairy and then “heating” foods or drinks. However, knowing what affects your skin in these ways can be the hardest thing to work out. A full elimination diet is a comprehensive way of finding out which foods affect you and how but can take a long time and are often quite difficult to sustain. You can shortcut this process. If you suspect you may be reacting to a particular food, it is worth testing your theory by taking the food group out of your diet completely for at least 3 days. Then test yourself by having a serve of the food and noting how you feel. Any number of symptoms may arise including: digestive issues, mood swings, irritability, energy drops, headaches and many more. A good rule of thumb is that if you feel rotten after eating the food it is worth minimising its inclusion in your everyday diet.

Are there any experiences that you have had with diet and skin issues. Please share them and what you did about it with our readers as it may be the very thing that helps someone else.

Well not quite aspirin, rather white willowbark. This herbal extract has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory and was actually the original source for the now synthetically produced pain reliving drug aspirin. Apart from its pain-relieving effects, applied topically white willowbark has anti-acne, sebum control and exfoliation properties. The active component of white willowbark is salicylic acid, a form of beta hydroxyl acid (BHA) which works by causing skin cells to slough off, reducing the formation of blackheads, whiteheads and breakouts. The added bonus is that it also has a natural antiseptic effect thereby reducing the bacterial overgrowth often associated with acne.

In this video, the use of white willowbark is explained further by Celeste Lutrario the creator of Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solutions.

Give the milk a break and improve your breakouts

For a long time experts stated that there was no correlation between diet and acne however more and more research is popping up discounting this assumption. In this blog I look at the association between dairy, in particular milk and the incidence of acne.

The studies showing a correlation between milk consumption and acne cross a wide age group, from teenage boys and girls to adult women and while the dairy industry claim skewed data there is enough evidence to show a definite link.

Firstly though I want to be clear about what the research does and doesn’t show; milk consumption alone doesn’t cause acne but it seems that those that drink milk develop more severe acne than non-milk drinkers. Furthermore, the more milk consumed, the worse the acne tended to be.

While the link between the severity of acne and milk is strongest, other dairy products have shown similar effects including cottage cheese, chocolate milk and skim milk. From personal experience one of the worst offenders apart from milk is yoghurt. I had to cut out dairy completely for 3 months and until my breakouts cleared up completely, then I was able to reintroduce some dairy but only butter, occasionally hard cheese such as parmesan and very occasionally some icecream (just because I find it hard to resist). If I start back on dairy regularly, my system doesn’t like it and I start to break out.

One of the interesting things that emerged from the research is that skim milk induced more breakouts than whole fat milk indicating that fat is not the issue. Other research has shown that while high saturated and animal fat foods aren’t ideal from a health perspective, they do not necessary cause or worsen acne. High sugar foods on the other hand are another story completely and do show a strong correlation with breakouts.

So if not the fat, what is the culprit? While not conclusively proved, the hormones in milk may well be the driver. Milk contains androgen hormones, the most notably testosterone. The body converts some testosterone to di-hydrotestosterone (DHT) which has a simulating effect on the skin’s sebaceous glands promoting the production of sebum. The result is oilier skin, more pore congestion and therefore more pimples. The more milk consumed, the more hormones, which may explain the proportional effect of higher milk consumption and more severe acne. Genetics also play a role according to researchers with people who are genetically predisposed to acne breakouts having a stronger reaction to the hormones in milk.

It is common practice with the commercial production of milk for dairy farmers to give cows additional hormones as this stimulates a higher milk yield. One of the side effects of this is milk with a high IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1) concentration and again the more consumed, the higher the blood concentration of IGF-1 found. Like DHT, IGF-1 drives sebum production which can trigger acne breakouts.

The other issue that may be linked to dairy, keep in mind there is no specific research about this, is the protein in dairy. Skim milk is believed to be worse than full cream milk due to the whey protein which is added to give a creamier taste. There are many different proteins in milk and IGF-1 is only one that may cause issues. If your digestive system is not performing as optimally as it could, the proteins in milk may eventually lead to internal inflammation of the gut and poor detoxification of waste. There is a strong link between poor digestive detoxification and acne. I will address this topic in more depth in another blog very soon.

So while milk and dairy are not a direct cause of acne, cutting it out of your diet can help to reduce acne severity. Reducing dairy may help but giving your body a rest from it all together is going to get a better initial result. One way to test your response to dairy is to start with 3 weeks complete removal and monitor your skin’s response. Look for a decrease in overall breakouts and well as less redness (inflammation). If you find that it doesn’t seem to make a difference at all reintroduce dairy slowly, again still monitoring the response to see if there are any worsening effects. If it does make a difference, it is best to stay off or only have limited quantities (and can I just say, a latte a day is a lot, not a little bit of milk).

A note of caution, often when people give up cow’s milk, they move over to soy milk. While this may seem like a sensible substitute, soy contains phytoestrogens, which may also be problematic for acne sufferers. It is best just to see how you go without cow’s milk first before using a dairy substitute.

This is the first in a series of blogs I am going to do about acne, its underlying causes and triggers. Please let me know if there are any topics in particular you would like me to cover.

Live Live Bee Yummy Skin Food

I love it when I come across a product that is just fantastic and by fantastic I mean that it provides a solution or exceeds expectations in some way. That is just what happened when I came across Live Live Bee Yummy Skin Food. A raw food product rich in unpasturised honey and honey cappings, Bee Yummy is a real solution for those with acne prone, oily or congested skin. The healing properties of the raw ingredients are extensive…too many to write about (can’t be getting RSI!) so of course, I have done a video blog instead (can you get RSI of the mouth?).

Just before we launch into the video blog, I want to mention the growing raw food trend. Emerging from the US, raw food is really coming into the fore in Australia of late and while I think that many Australians would do well to eat more raw and “live” foods, like many trends it has so many positive aspects and some downsides. I am going blog my opinion (because thats all it is!) about raw foods very soon however, I have to say, back to the product, Bee Yummy has all the best of the raw food/skin care trend and none of the downsides.

View Video Blog: Bee Yummy Review. View related Live Live products

Yesterday I received this e-mail from a mother concerned about her daughter’s skin breakouts: My 12 year old daughter suffers from pimples splashed all over her forehead and just a few blackheads on her nose. Is there a reason that it’s her forehead mainly and what is best to treat her skin? Thanks.

Following on from my previous blog about facial diagnosis I thought it a timely question and so have put my reply below:

Skin breaks out because everyday toxins aren’t being eliminated properly by the

Teen Skin Care needs to be simple

other detoxification pathways of the body. The reason breakouts usually occur on the forehead is related to digestive congestion or poor detoxification. Often this comes back to a diet high in sugars and processed foods or fats. If the breakouts are more cyst like in appearance it can related to high dairy intake. There is also her age to take into consideration. Hormonal changes will be making themselves known I am sure and this may also be affecting her skin. Usually it is the liver that can’t cope with the combination of toxins from the diet and an increase in hormones that have to be broken down and so the skin is affected.

While this all sounds quite full on, if she increases her water intake and cuts down on any processed foods and sugars she may find that it will settle down.

Black Soap

Encourage her to wash her face daily to remove oil. Black Soap is ideal for teenagers as apart from being a great cleanser, it is also mildly antibacterial and very gentle on skin. If she does need a moisturiser a light gel such as the Mukti Aloe Gel is all she will need. It contains no oil and so won’t contribute to congestion.

If you think she needs to take stronger steps to clear her skin, and you will know best what she eats etc, then Karen Fischer’s The Healthy Skin Diet outlines an excellent and relatively easy to follow program that doesn’t restrict foods a growing teenager should have.

Dear readers, please let me know if you have any further questions or comments as I would love to hear them. And if you have used products that help your skin with breakouts, we would LOVE to hear about them.

Recently lots of really interesting things have been popping up and I just have to let you all know. So this blog has exciting news for acne sufferers! My friend Fran Kerr hosts an acne specific site called highonhealth.org and I regularly recommend those suffereing from acne or breakouts check out her site – it holds a wealth of information about how to manage acne using diet, lifestyle, nutritional, topical and even emotional treatments. The great news is that Fran has just opened up a new acne coaching program and I think this is the best acne program I have seen (and that is saying something!). So I have put the details below.

Fran says:

This is the FIRST time anything like this has been offered on the net and I’m positive it’s going to change the way we treat acne in the future.

http://the-clearest-skin-ever.com/signup/

I’ve been itching to work closely with a select few acne suffers for quite some time now. So, I’m really looking forward to working personally with YOU to help you get clear skin for life!

Inside this program, you’re going to learn how to finally get beautifully clear skin and why everything you’ve tried before hasn’t been working.

And as a little extra bonus, I’m going to make sure you’re feeling happier, healthier, more self confident, and enjoying life that little bit more

What’s inside this course?

This is what you’ll get access to on the inside:

• LIVE teleconferences with me AND other health experts (including a naturopath) where you can ask us ANY question you have about your skin…
• Up to one hour of exclusive acne cure coaching videos each week (that you won’t find anywhere else)…
• Dozens of skin safe food recipes (that I personally use) and that won’t break you out…
• Home spa skin care recipes that you can make at home…
• A private members only forum where I’ll be spending a lot time to answering all your questions… personally!
• Audio and video interviews with highly authoritative health experts…
• Audio interviews with PAST acne sufferers who have cleared their skin holistically… and how they did it
• And much MUCH more!

You can get access to it all by going here:

http://the-clearest-skin-ever.com/signup/

Now, there’s just one very important bit of detail that you need to know about…

I’m keeping the doors open for ONLY 2 weeks!

That means, if you are serious about getting clear skin too, you
MUST get on board with everyone else before I close doors again.

Once the doors are shut you will NOT be able to join again for a number of months. And I’m not even sure when I will be opening doors again.

So, if you really want to clear up your skin, make sure you join me today. It may just be one of your most exciting journeys yet!

http://the-clearest-skin-ever.com/signup/

PS: Please note, that because I want everyone to start at the same time, I’ll be closing doors in 2 weeks time from the time of sending this message. So make sure you join me before then, otherwise you’ll have to miss out!