Hokum! Bunkum! No Scientific Proof! And Yet…

Modern doctors like to say that detox is total, utter, complete nonsense. That’s the exact same thing doctors in the 1800s said about the germ theory of disease, too, even though Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered germs in the 1600s. Observant doctors and scientists like the Italian Agostino Bassi, Hungarian Ignaz Semmelweis, English John Snow, French Louis Pasteur and German Robert Koch were attacked, despite the evidence they produced. Millions of men needlessly died from infections in World War 1 because of this. Only in the 1930s did Fleming’s discovery of penicillin stem the tide of established Western medical opinion.

It’s true that there is no scientific proof that detox diets work, but it is also true that there is no scientific proof that detox diets don’t work. On the other hand, there is increasing proof in recent years that certain foods seem to cause acne in people, e.g. dairy products. Medical scientists call this food allergy. But this very fact is one of the reasons why detox diets work.

Okay! Let’s Assume It Works. So How Does A Detox Diet Get Rid Of Your Acne?

At the simplest level, I believe that a detox diet helps by cutting down on your intake of foods which contain allergens. In laymen’s terms – an allergen is anything which causes a toxic reaction in your body, no matter how mild. For example, one of my allergens is definitely milk (there is mounting evidence that people who suffer from acne drink a lot of milk) – I’m lactose intolerant. A milder allergen for me is cabbage – it causes flatulence. Eating too much shellfish, crabs and prawns can cause rashes. You probably also suffer similar problems from certain foods.

Many people enjoy eating meat – which is digested into many important amino acids, vitamins and minerals needed by our bodies. But components like uric acid turn into toxins. Our kidneys can handle small amounts of toxins. It just needs to do extra work to flush them out of our bodies. But when too much of these toxins enter our bodies, our kidneys become overworked. Some of these toxins get into our bloodstream to wreak havoc in our bodies. In the case of uric acid, if too much builds up in our joints, we can suffer from gout. Other toxins cause problems like acne, whiteheads and blackheads.

So the basis for detox diets is to give our bodies a rest. In many common detox diets, we have a one or two day water fast, followed by fruit juice, followed by fruits, before moving on to whatever special foods which make them work. You can see that during your water fast and fruit diet, you are not eating anything which can become an allergen/toxin. Your kidneys get a chance to catch up with its overload. The fatty cells in your body release their absorbed toxins instead of taking in more. That one or two weeks where you specially control your diet helps to get rid of the toxins which are causing acne in you.

NB: When fasting for longer periods of time, whether a water fast or juice fasting, you might suffer from what people call a healing crisis. You might feel dizzy, feel cold, suffer from bad breath and body odor. Your acne might get worse for a short period of time. People with a lot of experience with fasting say that these symptoms disappear if you persist with your fast.

Should You Go On A Detox Diet?

Why not? You don’t need to start with a full-blown detox diet. Try a simple one at first – only eat fruits and drink plain or mineral water during the weekends. This doesn’t cost you anything extra. Just do this for three months and see what happens. Such a simple, free technique for acne care treatment!

Sponsored Link
Learn how to permanently cure your acne, end the breakouts, regain your natural inner balance and achieve the lasting clear skin you deserve. Click here to order Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

• Permanently cure your acne within 2 months
• End the breakouts and see results in less than 7 days!
• Correct and maintain precise hormonal balance
• Eliminate blackheads, excessive oiliness and redness
• Remove most types of scars and acne marks
• Look better, feel better and regain your self esteem
• Improve the quality of your life dramatically!

Is There Any Scientific Proof That Detox Diets Get Rid Of Your Acne?

If the doctors are right that detox diets don’t work, why do people keep on doing them? Probably because detox works for some people, just like Accutane or antibiotics can’t get rid of acne for some people.

With both the medical and pharmaceutical industries firmly against detox diets, clearly we cannot expect to see published proof in scientific journals. And yet there is plenty of anecdotal evidence floating around. Just surf the web and you will find many stories for yourself. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, even you probably know someone who has found detox diets to help get rid of their acne. This is why detox diets always return to the list of best acne home remedies.

There were two consultants in my old office – both of them had very good complexion. One of them was a Vegan (or vegetarian), which is the basis for many detox treatments in the market today. The other only eats fruits for dinner. He left the meat, rice and other stuff for breakfast and lunch. Given that both of them worked 80-hour weeks, their clear skin very likely came from their diets, not their lifestyle.

Could their clear skin be caused by superior Indian genes? Fortunately for those of us NOT born Indian, I don’t think so. In that same office, we also had a half dozen contract Indian programmers… who fully enjoyed the American lifestyle of McDonalds, Kentucky and Pizza Hut (courtesy of their project manager). They had greasy skin, and clearly suffered from pimples.

So it seems that diets high in fruits and vegetables do help prevent acne and pimples.

Why Do You Need A Detox Diet?

Honestly, not everyone needs a detox diet, especially when they are young and have healthy immune systems to get rid of the bacteria which causes acne. Ditto if you have a good daily diet, and eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables like those two Indian consultants. At this point of time, I also find myself eating a lot of fruits everyday, and my skin is quite clear, so I don’t need a detox diet either.

But I know a 50-year old businessman who swears by his detox diet. Every weekend, he only eats fruits and drinks only plain water. The rest of the week, he eats normally and drinks coffee. Despite a high-stress lifestyle – he runs his family business and is currently building up a second business – he still has very clear and healthy skin.

So, maybe, just maybe, you too will find it beneficial to you. The only way to find out for sure is to try it out yourself.

So What Should You Do?

Enough people have found detox helpful for acne care treatment. Unless you’re allergic to fruits, it doesn’t hurt you to try! If nothing else has worked for you, try it for 3 months. If you go to a dermatologist, that’s how long his treatment is supposed to take, anyway. We aren’t talking about replacing every meal with fruits and water, just your weekend meals. That’s just 8 days out of 30, for 3 months, at no extra cost.

Sponsored Link
Learn how to permanently cure your acne, end the breakouts, regain your natural inner balance and achieve the lasting clear skin you deserve. Click here to order Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

• Permanently cure your acne within 2 months
• End the breakouts and see results in less than 7 days!
• Correct and maintain precise hormonal balance
• Eliminate blackheads, excessive oiliness and redness
• Remove most types of scars and acne marks
• Look better, feel better and regain your self esteem
• Improve the quality of your life dramatically!

What Is A Detox Diet?

Detox is based on the theory that all diseases are caused by toxins in the body. They aim to clear out the toxins from your body. No more toxins equals perfect health – including no more acne! Very often, detox diets come as part and parcel of a holistic health treatment, and include lifestyle changes for maximum effectiveness.

Unlike the diets used by many female weight-watchers, a detox diet does not necessarily mean you need to go hungry. There are many types of detox diets, some of them very simple, and some which are rather complex. Unlike weight-reduction diets, the main purpose of detox diets is not to reduce calories, but to eliminate the intake of foods which can produce toxins in the body. At the same time, there may be some supplementation (with certain vitamins, minerals or herbs) to encourage the body to flush out existing toxins more quickly.

Do Detox Diets Really Work? Is There Any Proof That Detox Diets Get Rid Of Your Acne?

I cannot comment on any of the more complex detox diets being marketed today. However, I have seen the positive effects of simple, fruit-based detox diets on people I know. One of them was a businessman in his 50-s. Despite his age and stressful lifestyle (he was running his family business and at the same time building up a new MLM business), his skin was in superb condition. Every weekend, he eats only fruits and drinks only unsweetened fruit juice or plain water.

This same detox diet causes me to feel enervated, although I know it is a purely psychological reaction. After all, I’m still getting the same amount of calories! Nevertheless, I have had good effects by replacing a part of my regular carbohydrate intake with fruits. For example, instead of eating all the rice, bread, mashed potatoes or french fries, I will eat only half and replace the remaining half with fruits. I rarely have trouble with pimples nowadays.

So What Is A Good Detox Diet And How Do You Benefit From It?

Well, the weekend fruits-only and plain water diet is safe, cheap and effective. It’s also flexible – I had a few lady colleagues who only eat fruits or drink fruit juice for breakfast. On the other hand, I replace half of my daily carbohydrate intake with fruits. There were two Indian consultants at my old office – one’s a Vegan, the other only eats fruits for dinner! Both had good complexion.

Obviously, such a simple detox diet may take a bit of time to work for some people. It helps to take a more holistic approach – make sure you get some exercise and get more sleep at night as well. If you want to get rid of your acne quickly, completely, you may need to look for a properly designed holistic system of acne care treatment.

Sponsored Link
Learn how to permanently cure your acne, end the breakouts, regain your natural inner balance and achieve the lasting clear skin you deserve. Click here to order Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

• Permanently cure your acne within 2 months
• End the breakouts and see results in less than 7 days!
• Correct and maintain precise hormonal balance
• Eliminate blackheads, excessive oiliness and redness
• Remove most types of scars and acne marks
• Look better, feel better and regain your self esteem
• Improve the quality of your life dramatically!

Nowadays, many doctors will (officially) tell you that any liquid will do, even coffee and beer. They will tell you that you can get enough water through your daily diet. But the way my body reacts to the different liquids I drink tells me otherwise. I find that there is major difference between getting enough water to live, and getting enough water for good health (and clear, acne-free skin).

This simple elementary school science experiment on saturation shows the difference between drinking plain water and Coca-Cola. Just take one glass of plain water, then add one teaspoon of sugar. Stir the water, and the sugar will dissolve. Add a second teaspoon of sugar, and it will still dissolve. Add a third, and you will begin to notice that the sugar doesn’t dissolve so easily. After a certain point, maybe five or six teaspoons of sugar, the water becomes saturated and no more sugar will dissolve.

As you can see, plain water is stronger than soft drinks or coffee at dissolving things. This effect is important for your digestion, in your blood and in your kidneys. Firstly, your body absorbs plain water more readily than coffee or Coca-cola. That means you get more effect from eight glasses of water compared to eight cans of Coke.

Second, the more water available to your body (to be made into blood), the more easily your blood can transport oxygen and fuel to your cells. Additionally, it is also easier for your blood to transport the carbon dioxide and waste products away from your cells.

Third, drinking more water makes it easier for your kidneys to filter away the waste products from your cells and from digestion. Obviously, the less waste products floating around in your body, the more healthy you will be. This will clearly reflect itself in healthy, glowing acne-free skin.

Don’t get the wrong impression – drinking eight glasses of water a day is not a cure-all. It will not cure you of acne. But it is a completely free method of natural acne skin care that can help you a great deal. Proper acne care treatment still requires a complete system – the correct diet for you, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and hygiene.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you want to prevent acne with more effective acne care treatment? Click here to buy Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

However, in recent years, newer research has thrown doubts on those old experiments. In 2004, a group of doctors (Parker Magina, Dimity Ponda, Wayne Smithb and Alan Watson) published a study in Oxford Journal on the link between acne and diet. They re-examined the old experiments, and discovered serious flaws. Some experiments used too few patients (only 20 or 30 patients) or were ended too quickly (the experiments ended after 2 weeks when most modern treatments last at least 2 months). Other experiments did not have a proper control group, or used flawed placebos.

Modern studies (by Dr Adebamowo and Dr Spiegelman done in 2004, 2005, 2006) have found a correlation between milk consumption and acne in teenagers. In laymen’s terms, this means that teenagers who drank more milk also had more acne, although they do not really know why.

So what should you do if you have very bad acne? Well, you could listen to your dermatologist and continue to eat lots of greasy food at MacDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, or you could test it out for yourself. Try eating a plain, healthy diet for 2 months:

• Only drink plain water or fresh fruit juice. Do not add sugar to your fruit juice. Don’t laugh – this should be common sense, but there are people who still do this.
• Avoid chocolate.
• Avoid dairy products. If you need extra calcium, try a supplement.
• Avoid fried foods. This includes both french fries and potato chips.
• Avoid fatty/greasy foods. This includes coleslaw and salads with oily dressings. Salads with light olive oil dressings are fine.
• Avoid spicy foods. In other words, your favorite Indian curry, spicy Thai takeout and Mexican Enchilada are out.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. No, coleslaw doesn’t count. Neither do rice, wheat, corn, maize or potatoes even though they come from plants.

Unless their doctor recommends a particular diet, eating meals following the good old food pyramid will benefit most people. Many of you will find that your skin condition improves and you won’t need more intense acne care treatment.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you prevent acne with more effective acne care treatment? Click here to buy Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

Mother Nature made the human body to be pretty robust. You can survive in quite a wide range of unfriendly environments, living an intense lifestyle, without any immediate problems. However, you can’t run away from the side-effects forever. Sooner rather than later, the problems start showing up – acne, constipation, slowed reflexes, slower healing from wounds, etc.

People living in rural communities rarely get problems like acne. Most of them eat healthy food. They usually drink enough water and eat sufficient fruits and vegetables. They also don’t over-eat meat and greasy foods. Basically, if you eat following the classical food guide pyramid (created by the USDA in 1992), you are less likely to suffer from severe acne. You’ll get most of the essential vitamins and minerals for good health, and you won’t need nutritional supplements.

To be honest, the USDA guide is overly simplistic and flawed. Although it works well enough, it is not the most effective healthy eating guide. That honor goes to the Healthy Eating Pyramid created by Harvard Medical School. Studies have shown that men who follow the more sophisticated eating guide by Harvard reduce their risk of suffering a major chronic disease by 20%. Women gain an improvement of 11%.

Why Is Water Important In Acne Care Treatment?

70% of our bodies is made of water. This water is critical to move nutrients from our digestive system to the cells which need them. This includes our skin cells. If our skin does not get enough nutrients, then it may not be strong enough to fight off the bacteria which causes acne. Water plays another important role – it moves the waste products from our cells to our kidneys for purification. This prevents the build-up of toxic waste in our cells (including our skin cells). When we don’t drink enough water, our skin will not get enough nutrients, and becomes soaked in toxic waste products, so we are more likely to get pimples.

Fruits And Vegetables For Natural Acne Skin Care

I like to eat meat myself, so I’m not going to try and persuade you to go vegetarian. But if you suffer from acne, you may want to try adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet. They do two important things for you:

• Provide vitamins and nutrients not found in meat. One famous example is Vitamin C which can only be found in fruits and vegetables – you need this for both general health and healthy skin.
• Provide fiber which helps your digestive system to work better. Good digestion helps you to absorb more nutrients from your food, which is always a good thing.

For a long time, I ate one serving of vegetables with my lunch. Together with lots of water, moderate rest and light exercise, this seemed to be sufficient for me. Then I started growing older…

Among other problems, I started getting more acne breakouts. When I added two slices of fruit to my dinner, my acne went into remission again.

Following the Food Guide Pyramid (or Healthy Eating Pyramid) and eating a more healthy diet will not guarantee acne-free skin. However, because most people who suffer from acne (like myself) eat very low quality diets, making the effort to eat more healthy meals will often show good results. Remember that the health of your internal organs is often reflected in your skin.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you prevent acne with more effective acne care treatment? Click here to buy Acne No More – The Secrets To Curing Your Acne Holistically.

Here are 4 natural acne skin care products which have been shown to work for some people:

• Olive oil. This is not well-known in the English-speaking nations, but has been used in the Mediterranean since the time of the ancient Greeks. The simplest way to use it is to massage extra virgin olive oil over your face and leave it on for 30 minutes to an hour as a masque. Does this work for everyone? No, it did not get rid of my acne. Neither did it make my acne worse, which is a problem some people reported.
• Licorice root extract. Another ancient natural acne treatment, also thousands of years old. It is better known for treating upset stomachs, but is quite capable in getting rid of your acne as well. I have not used this for acne care treatment myself, so I cannot vouch for it. But you can easily buy this from any Chinese medicine shop, which could be easier said than done.
• Green tea extract. This is another natural acne remedy from the far-East. Although better known for its effect on cancer and cholesterol, its extract is nonetheless effective against acne. I do not use the extract, but I find that drinking more green tea is very helpful in preventing pimples from popping up.
• Aloe vera extract. Scientific studies done in the 1930s showed aloe vera to be an effective healing agent. The only reason it is not widely used today is because antibiotics were invented at the same time and proved to be more easily mass produced by the pharmaceutical companies.

These 4 natural acne skin care products have shown themselves to be effective acne care treatment for some people. Will they work for you? I do not know, but I think they are worth trying at least once.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you need to get rid of that pimple fast? Click here to learn the best acne care treatment.

Here is the correct way to use benzoyl peroxide:

1. Wash your face with a non-soap based cleanser
2. Pat your face dry with a fresh, clean face towel
3. Apply benzoyl peroxide 2.5%
4. Allow BP to dry
5. Apply moisturizer – this is an important step which many people ignore

Benzoyl peroxide 2.5% is the lowest concentration I have ever found in shops. It has the fewest side-effects. However, I have had difficulty finding this concentration lately. Nowadays, I mainly see BP 5% at my local grocer. At higher concentrations, some people find that their acne becomes worse. This is largely because BP irritates your skin. The higher the concentration, the more skin irritation. The more skin irritation, the more your skin reacts to create whiteheads and blackheads, etc. From there, it is just one more step to pimples.

This does not mean you need to give up on benzoyl peroxide. An even lower concentration might work well for you. For example, some pharmacists are willing to whip up a house brand BP 1% for their customers. If not, you can try searching for a supplier on the internet.

Nothing beats benzoyl peroxide 2.5% as the first line of acne care treatment for most patients. Even skin specialists prescribe it. However, if it does not work for you, do let your doctor know – he will prescribe an alternative for you.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you need to get rid of that pimple fast? Click here to learn the best acne care treatment.

• Take this antibiotic once (or twice a day)
• Wash your face with this solution (basically, a non-soap based cleanser) twice a day
• Apply this cream (either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid) after you wash your face
• Apply this other cream (usually a moisturizer, sometimes an anti-inflammatory) after you apply the first cream

Except for the antibiotics (which sometimes had side-effects like nausea or gastric pains), you did not need the dermatologist at all. Nowadays, things are very different. Dermatologists are more aggressive in skin treatment for acne, with more options for both medication and treatments. You may find yourself prescribed two or three different oral medications to reduce scarring and prevent the formation of new pimples. The creams and lotions you get from dermatologists today are often more effective than the generic benzoyl peroxide you buy over the counter from your local pharmacy.

On top of medication, the modern dermatologist may also prescribe one of these skin treatment for acne to remove your acne scars:

• Collagen injection – collagen is injected to fill up soft scars. Multiple follow-up treatments every 3 to 6 months are required.
• Autologous fat transfer – fat from another part of your body is injected to fill up scars from nodulocystic acne. Follow-up treatments are needed every 6 to 18 months.
• Dermabrasion – only works for certain types of acne scars. The scar is abraded away using a high speed rotating brush.
• Microdermabrasion – a more advanced variation of dermabrasion. Fewer side-effects, but also less effective.
• Laser Treatment – normally only one treatment is needed, but your skin may become reddened for several months.
• Skin Surgery – the acne scar is surgically removed. Sometimes it is followed up by a small skin graft.
• Skin grafting – this may be necessary for very bad scars.

Basically, if you suffer from serious acne, or acne care treatment with over-the-counter medications does not help, you should consider seeing a dermatologist.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you need to get rid of that pimple fast? Click here to learn the best skin treatment for acne.

• Wash your face with a non-drying cleanser
• Apply a weak benzoyl peroxide gel or solution
• Apply moisturizer

Doing this twice a day will keep your acne under control. This method works for most people, but does take a bit of time.

For some people, their acne becomes worse instead. In these cases, you need to do some experimentation. Here are some common mistakes which people make in their skin treatment for acne:

• They do not use a fresh, clean towel to dry their face. Hygiene is very important in skin treatment for acne. You need to change your towel every time you wash your face. Don’t have enough towel? Then buy a stack of cheap face towels or handkerchiefs.
• They rub their skin dry with their towel. This irritates the skin and can cause more pimples to erupt. It can also spread the germs causing your acne, creating new pimples in the process. You need to be gentle – just pat your skin dry.
• They use too concentrated benzoyl peroxide gel. Some people are impatient – they use the 10% gel to get rid of acne fast. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for many people. The extra-strong gel irritates your skin to cause even more pimples. You need to be patient, use benzoyl peroxide 2.5%. If even this is too strong for you, try tea tree oil. Doctors in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia found that 79% of their patients who use concentrated benzoyl peroxide suffer side effects like itching, stinging, burning, and dryness.
• Reactions from their moisturizer. There are many brands of moisturizer in the market today – all of them claiming various special benefits. Unfortunately, some of these moisturizers react badly with your skin, even if they work wonders for your friends and family. You will need to test out different brands until you find one which works for you. For a cheap alternative, try extra virgin olive oil from the cooking aisle of your local supermarket. Buy the EVOO without any additives or fragrances – many people find that extra virgin olive oil makes a good moisturizer.

Does acne affect your life very badly? Do you need to get rid of that pimple fast? Click here to learn the best skin treatment for acne.