Some Helpful Acne Tips, and an Update on My New Regimen

I figure it is a great time to update you!  Last week my skin was a WRECK.  I have no clue what it was, if it was the whole “getting worse before better”, hormones, or what!  But I also admit, one spot was from me picking… But in my defense, I had a non inflamed white head, that has been sitting there forever (months) and saw that it was closer to the surface… So yes, I cleared it, but got a icky ol scab from it.  **dout!**

I had not previously been using my Clarisonic, but I added that back to my routine.  I use the sensitive/gentle brush, and I use it at night with the Clear & Smooth Natural soap only.  It really seems to help give me a more even exfoliation.  The problem I noticed with my Carley’s Clear & Smooth Kick A** is that it doesn’t seem to give an even exfoliation.  I have never been a fan of walnut shells for exfoliation, and I really wish this formula used jojoba beads instead.

I have continued using my Alaskan Glacial mask once a week, or even twice if I seem oily, but I am also using the Carley’s Acne Mask once a week too.  I really did find that it helps the old stuff go away.  I am thinking this might be week 4?  It can take up to 2 months for a blemish to appear, so who knows!?  I have also started doing my Clarisea Soaks twice a week.

My skin does look a lot clearer right now.  And i an almost get away with just throwing on my 100% Pure Tinter Moisturizer alone.  I just need a couple spots concealed which is not a huge deal, since I am prone to dark circles under my eyes anyways.

(forgive my zombie like look, these were taken at 5:30am…)  Overall I would say I am having a pretty good success rate with Carley’s.  He did tell me it might take 6 weeks to really see results, so I no complaints here!

A few random, but important Acne Tips!

One quick tip for pregnant women if you are starting to break out, beware of what Pre-Natal Vitamins you are taking.  Most of them contain a lot of Iodine, and you want to beware of that!  here are a couple you can talk to your doctor about.

• Duet DHA – Rx only along with Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements
• Stuart Natal Pre-Natal Vitamins (which are over the counter).

I am not sure if this is true for all vitamins, I checked mine, and they do not contain any iodine. But check yours too!

Not just for pregnant women:

Going along with the whole Iodine thing…. Watch the peanut butter.  Or find a peanut butter that is salted with Sea Salt.  Ack, this has been hard for me.  And watch what you salt!  If you are a major salter, switch to sea salt!  Not only does it contain better nutrients, but it doesn’t contain Iodine.  I think this may be the reason people think fried foods cause acne.  think about it, when was the last time you had anything fried with out salt on it? 

I know you have heard about taking Zinc for acne?  Well yes, this is true, but the problem is that you need a specific form of Zinc, and it is not the Zinc that is contained in most supplements.  The one I have found is by Source Naturals and is called OptiZinc.  It is formulated with monomethionine, not zinc gluconate dihydrate, zinc picolinate.  All you need is one tablet once a day.  It contains 30mg, which is 200% RDA, plus it also contains some Copper.  When I was first told about this, I was told that it has been clinically shown to be as effective (if taken regularly) as taking an anti-biotic.  I like Solgar Supplements too, and it looks like they carry it was well.

OptiZinc is a unique, patented form of zinc consisting of zinc bound to the natural and more bioavailable “L” form of methionine (l-methionine), the amino acid best absorbed by the body. Studies show that OptiZinc is better absorbed and retained longer and is more effective than other forms of zinc tested.

OptiZinc promotes proper:

Take Fish Oil! I was actually told by my GYN, that this could be what was breaking me out… Well since I had started taking it because of my acne, i quickly stopped. Then found out, that it can actually help regulate hormones and is good for acne. Try taking about 1000-1800mg of Fish Oil. If you have issues with “fish burps” place your bottle in the freezer, you don’t want the caps breaking open in your belly, you want it to get all the way to your colon, where it will be absorbed.

L-Lysine. I have taken this Amino Acid off and on for years, but never for acne. I always took it for pesky fever blisters that I would get on the inside of my mouth. Usually from stress or eating too much citrus/tomatoes. Take 500mg twice a day. It helps to repair old acne. I am not aware of whether it helps to keep acne at bay, but whenever I have a nasty blemish, I take this, and it seems to make them go away twice as quickly. You can get this pretty cheap at most drugstores.

L-Lysine is an essential amino acid that is necessary for the building blocks of all proteins. L-Lysine has been suggested to inhibit virus Problem created due to harmful organisms and is recommended for herpes simplex, canker and cold sores, proper nitrogen balance, enzymes, collagen and tissue repair, after surgery and sports injuries.

I don’t support the products at this site, but this sheet telling us about what level of pore clogging/comodegenic ingredients is invaluable!

Oh, and the last thing…. Not sure how I feel about this one, but did you know that what you think are blackheads on your nose, are really just sebaceous filaments.  They will never go away. They are basically oil glands, and are meant to be there.  Now don’t ask me why the lord did this to us, but an actually blackhead is raised up off the skin.

I guess I believe it, since no matter how clear my skin has ever been, I have had them.  Although I do think they can get worse depending on what products used.

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