Sebum production from the sebaceous glands is the major cause of acne. Diet, cleanliness, genetics, hormones… They all play a role, but sebaceous galnds are the foundation for acne production.
Not surprisingly, most sebaceous glands are located on the face, back, chest, and scalp, which are the major locations where pimples like to hang out.
Sebum is a nasty mixture of fat and dead fat particles, which is why eating a healthy diet low in fat and saturated fat especially is very important.
In an article I wrote, what causes acne, I explained that sebum production starts in the pre-teen years, spikes in the mid teen years, and begins to dive in the later teen, early twenties. Which happens to coincide with acne production for most.
There is not much that you can do, treatment wise at least, to safely control your sebaceous glands. It is important, however, if you are suffering from acne to have a basic understanding on sebaceous glands. Knowing that sebum is made up of fat particles is important because it could spur you to start eating healthier!
Zinc is a mineral that can help treat and prevent acne.
The good:
- Zinc is cheap, really cheap, really really cheap! It doesn’t get any cheaper than 3-10 dollars for dozens of treatments when it comes to acne and skin care in general! This alone makes zinc very attractive to many.
- Zinc will not do miracles, but it helps most users control their acne at the very least.
- Zinc helps out acne of all kind. It will keep normal, run of the mill, pimples in check, as well as cystic acne, nodular acne, rosacea… It helps a little for a lot things. It will reduce the number of pimples you get and also make them smaller in most cases.
- Zinc is really easy to take! Can you swallow a small pill? If so, you can take zinc.
The not so good:
- Zinc is not a miracle tablet, but it is an excellent “supplement” to your acne fighting regimen. Alone by itself zinc may not be able to keep acne away, but with another strong, proven treatment it should help you out.
- You have to take zinc with food, trust me! For your own stomachs sake, do not try to take zinc without eating beforehand. You get crazy stomach pains if you don’t eat a substancial meal with your zinc tablet.
Overall zinc is really cheap, pretty effective, and comes with few drawbacks, give it a try!
Eating a healthy, well balanced diet can go a long way to clear up one’s acne and can improve your health in general, but do whole grains cause acne?
Answer: Not really. Whole grains are full of fiber, which is great! But eating lots of fiber can interfere with minerals, especially zinc, which has been known to help acne sufferers.
Technically, whole grains could slightly change the way the body reacts to zinc, but it should not have a major impact and the benefits of eating a healthy diet full of whole grains far outway the 1% chance you may get one extra pimple from eating whole grains.
If you eat a healthy diet that is low in fat, saturated fat, and excess sugar and high in fiber and protein, you will be doing your body a huge favor. Your body likes being treated well and in turn, will treat you well by helping you live longer, look better, and feel better about yourself! Keep on eating whole grains and other low GI-index carbs!
Saline injections is a viable acne scar treatment.
The Good:
- Saline injections usually go for about 100 dollars per treatment, and treatments are usually spread out 3-5 times over a few months. This is not cheap, but compared to microdermabrasion treatments and laser treatments for acne scars, it is fairly cheap.
- Saline injections work pretty well most of the time. They do not do miracles, but if you are looking to diminish the appearance of your acne scars, this is a pretty good option.
The Bad:
- Saline injections may be cheaper than other alternatives for acne scar removal, but not by much. If you don’t have good insurance, I would advice you to not even consider saline injections. Paying 100 dollars 5-10 times over a 6 month period for something that is not absolutely necessary is not easy to do for most.
- Although some do see remarkable transformations, most see only slight changes. This is not bad, but for hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars, I would want a major change in the way I look.
- Saline injections are only suitable for those with mild acne scars, if you have serious scarring, you will probably need to look into different, more expensive treatments.
If reducing the appearance of acne scars is important to you, saline injections could be what you are looking for.
Metronidazole is a popular topical antibiotic that can be used to treat acne.
What I like about Metronidazole:
- It is fairly cheap, that means a lot these days.
- It is most commonly applied via a cream or gel at low doses, usually less than a percent, which means there is nothing that is complicated about treating your acne with Metronidazole.
- There are very little serious side effects that can occur from Metronidazole treatment. It can cause mild irritation, but that is nothing to worry about.
- Metronidazole works very well in treating rosacea.
Things to remember:
- If you are a pregnant mother, or if you are the mother to an infant child, stay away from Metronidazole.
- There is no treatment out their that works for everyone, especially when you are trying to treat rosacea. Come in with low expectations and high hopes.
- Consult your doctor or dermatologist before embarking on any treatment if at all possible, he or she can give you advice on what the best commercial product is, they could prescribe you a treatment based around your situation, or they could just give you old fashioned advice!