I hate the stress explanation.  My doctor spent a month telling me that I was just suffering from stress with various things, actually with 2 things in particular.  I hate it, because he basically called me a hypochondriac when I  have been to see him with different ailments about 2 times in my life, and the first 2 were actually when I was 5 and had chicken pox and my first major flu.  So I’m not big on doctors anyway.  But likewise, I hated it just as much when my dermatologist went into the stress argument with my acne.  Granted, I did have a lot of stress at that time and still do according to stress tests.  I really don’t feel it the way I’m apparently supposed to.  But realistically speaking, I’m not bottling it up and then letting my skin and stomach express it.  It gives them a basic excuse for why my acne isn’t clearing up within 12 weeks with retinol and other things and why it isn’t making any kind of dent at all.  Granted, once I actually started just using natural treatments, there were no problems at all, it started going away immediately after I actually found the right one.  But honestly, I think with these things, stress is always the common excuse they use to explain why they are failing.

Can eating apples cure your acne?  Well an apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away right?  Anyway, it’s been asked before, and I figured why not take a look into it.  Apples are fruits obviously.  So they are full of vitamins, minerals, nutrients in general, and most importantly for your skin, antioxidants.  So this isn’t a bad start.  It can kill off bacteria, help you to control your skin’s natural sebum production, and otherwise in some ways it can treat your acne problems.  It is also high in pectin, which is sometimes used to detoxify the body, and it’s sometimes used to heal the skin in some ways, suggesting it can also help out with your acne.  Actually for pectin to make that impact, well you’d either have to have a supplement with high amounts, or you’d have to have about 40 or more apples per day.  So that’s kinda a big deal to say the least.  This being said, maybe it’s time to reconsider the idea about using apples to take care of your acne or otherwise to really benefit your skin in a significant way.  It won’t hurt, but it’s also not that big a deal.

I’ve heard it before. I’ve never personally used chapstick, because I don’t like the idea of spreading those germs around, and there have been plenty of people who have apparently gotten herpes from that.  But that’s not my concern really or really the myth of concern rather that I’ve heard.  The one I’ve heard is like the idea about acne treatments I’ve heard.  I think the idea about acne treatments is somewhat legitimate, but only on certain ones.  Their idea is that actually when you use an acne treatment, you are causing dependency and therefore making it worse and making it last longer.  The reason why I say this is actually legitimate in some cases is because quite frankly, the fact is that benzoyl peroxide does cause dependency and causes greater breakouts should you ever stop using it.  Likewise, they say that your lips can become dependent on chapstick and therefore dry out more than it would, causing you to use more and more.  I find it interesting, not necessarily legitimate, but interesting to say the least.  It’s not that most people ever really get acne on their lips.  But frankly, cold sores and just little excessively dry spots in general can be extremely painful and otherwise.  So I have to wonder is there any truth to that at all.

They have now stated that acne is a symptom of hormonal imbalances in women.  You think?  Acne flares up during times when women go through puberty, menopause, pregnancies, all times in which the hormones really flare up and go out of balance with the rest of the body.  So what would make you think that?  This being said, they are saying that these hormones may actually be the entire cause for acne in girls or grown women for that matter.  Granted, if you have a serious hormone imbalance, your acne is obviously going to be more serious in general.  But you are also going to suffer other problems such as heavy menstrual bleeding, irregularity, and otherwise.  This is why certain prescription birth control aids such as Yaz for example have been known to reduce acne while also reducing bad period symptoms.  They balance out the hormones to some degree.  Now for some women, it makes them a little crazy, and if that’s the case with you, you should never take a birth control pill.  But frankly, they have harsher hormone treatments that most should never use.  There are certain restrictions with birth control as to who should and shouldn’t take them.  However, the restrictions really aren’t that bad, and most women can use that kind of hormone control to at least reduce your acne if not to see other benefits as well.

I understand that it sounds strange.  It often sounds strange to me.  But the way in which you sleep can make a huge impact on things in general.  Obviously it can make a difference on if you have lower back pain in the morning or something, which is why they have specialized mattresses.  But it also affects your acne.  I never sleep on a mattress anymore.  But whenever I do, like on vacations, I find that I always break out in acne.  I’ve ended up just camping a lot on vacations with my sleeping bag and we’re good or I sleep on the floor on a pad or on a couch even.  But for some reason, I just have issues sleeping on a mattress.  This being said, my skin really doesn’t have the time or ability to fortify itself and repair itself during this time, which explains why its defenses are weakened.  So when this happens, ultimately speaking, your skin is unable to fight off acne as well as other common skin problems and the body in general cannot really protect itself as well.  So sleep is a huge thing, even though we don’t generally think of it that way in terms of acne fighting.  We usually think about the other benefits of sleep.  But it’s definitely something to consider either way.

Flaxseed is one of those foods that maybe should be on the top list of superfoods.  It is extremely good for the body and skin, and it promotes with its omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber, good heart health, liver health, kidney health, bone healthy, digestive health, and a good immune system in general.  It has been known to effectively control weight in some situations, and frankly omega 3’s moisturize the skin without causing oily skin.  That’s a tall order yes, but obviously with this and other foods, it can be done.  This is also important to the brain and vision, including the retina of the fetus.  It is among the richest sources of what are called lignans, even more than soybeans, which is obviously really good, and its antioxidants will protect the skin and body from harmful free radicals.  They also strengthen the immune system, and they are known to actually alleviate skin disorders in general such as psoriasis and eczema.  So all in all, flaxseed is not a bad choice if you are looking to address various skin problems in general.  It is anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, skin protecting, and the benefits really go far beyond that, which is always extremely helpful in many cases.

They are always coming up with new uses for old treatments. For example, Retin-A has always been used for acne. It sheds away dead skin cells, promotes the growth of new cells, and over time it produces a glow to the skin and otherwise. Now the side effects you suffer in the meantime are not pleasant even though thickening your skin among other things is definitely a good thing. That being said, Retin-A has been recently introduced to actually get rid of two other problems: cellulite and fine lines. Yes, I stress fine lines. It does not actually reduce deep wrinkles. But the theory behind it is that when it thickens skin and strengthens it, it obviously applies to these areas. It has been shown in some studies to help you in certain minor ways. The side effects should not be ignored, and it won’t work for everybody. But frankly speaking, it’s not a particularly bad idea. And frankly speaking, I wouldn’t mind using it for the right purposes. If it’s useful, why not right. But this being said, I would actually suggest using something else if you have more serious cases of cellulite or wrinkles for that matter. Its uses are seriously limited to some degree, and quite frankly, you could easily find something else that would be more effective in certain other ways, though cellulite is debatable.

Witch hazel has become one of my favorite natural treatments in general.  It is useful in treating acne, and I have personally used it internally in pill form as well as externally for a follow up to my favorite cleansers.  This being said, others have of course accepted and used it for varying purposes, mostly in relation to acne and the skin in general.  Some natural health experts have called it somewhat of a miracle cure, and quite frankly, it has been used largely by Native Americans to cleanse, purify, and beautify the skin in general.  It is obviously useful for tightening the pores as much as they will tighten, therefore dealing with much acne while also preventing future acne.  Sometimes, your blemishes can disappear quite literally overnight.  But also, it can be used to treat infections such as diaper rash while also reducing puffy eyes and under eye dark circles, which is of course extremely helpful to many.  Preparation H actually uses witch hazel for this, among other reasons.  Likewise, it has been used to soothe the irritation that often comes from poison ivy rashes.  So it’s quite a diverse treatment and extremely helpful in more ways than just one.

I have never been a big fan of collagen treatments.  They are highly temporary, and frankly unless you are actively producing more, it just fades away over short periods of time in so many ways.  So it’s not exactly the best wrinkle treatment to choose for the simple fact of it’s not long lasting.  But acne scars are a different story.  If they are indented, obviously you have a problem.  But sometimes when I’ve used one or two because I got a deal, it hasn’t been that bad for my scars.  I have more raised scars, and quite frankly, even though it’s temporary in it replacing the amounts I have, quite frankly some of the effects are not that temporary.  It replaces the damaged cells to a certain degree, and I’ve had some darker scars that have faded during that time.  The good thing is that as your body breaks it down, it doesn’t suddenly go back to dark, and it doesn’t suddenly raise up again like it did before.  So for certain acne scars, I don’t think it’s a particularly bad thing.  You have to pick and choose how you use things, and really you have to control your expectations because nothing will work the same way for everyone.  But from what I’ve seen, this works for me for that particular use.

Pineapple beauty treatments have been used in some salons and some homes alike to treat skin problems and get rid of various problems such as acne, dullness, dry skin, etc.  Granted, you can always eat pineapple, but it doesn’t work quite the same way as when you just apply it in the right m ask.  Essentially speaking, pineapple is high in a nutrient called bromelain.  Bromelain is an enzyme meant to help you to get rid of dead skin cells, dirt, and oils, which can then beautify and rejuvenate the skin in general.  However, you should make sure that you are moisturizing after as in some cases the one problem with bromelain is that it can dry skin.  However, after a pineapple treatment, your skin will be more ready to take it and properly utilize it in general.  It is also high in powerful antioxidants, which naturally kill off bacteria and free radicals that may be plaguing and hurting your skin as a whole.  This can be used to treat bruising and swelling as well, and in general terms, pineapple is well capable of showing you greater skin benefits that you need, especially combined with the right additional ingredients in general.