:Clear Skin Blog

There’ve been a number of studies done linking high-glycemic foods with acne. Unfortunately, these foods make up a large part of our diet in the west, with the highly-processed breads we eat at the top of the list. In contrast, many eastern countries is replace our bread-based diet with a rice-based one. Switching up a few of your bread-based meals with rice may be the ticket if you’re looking to move to a more skin-healthy diet.

High-glycemic foods refer to foods which result in a high level of blood sugar. Metabolizing all that sugar can potentially put a drain on your body’s supply of coenzyme-A and result in excess skin oil, which leads to acne. High-glycemic foods also lead to increase in your body’s levels of insulin and the growth-factor IGF-1 - resulting “hormonal cascade” and the over-production of sebum. Basically, some of our most common foods may be among the worst things you can eat as an acne sufferer.

Around the world, regions with rice-based diets have been found to have much lower instances of acne in their populations. Even in some European countries where processed breads are less common, acne follows the same trend. Although there are plenty of processed rice-based foods, rice is most commonly eaten with minimum processing - usually refined, but with few additives. Unrefined brown rice is even healthier in many respects, as the nutrient-rice outer layer or bran (which is removed in the process of refining white rice) is left intact. The glycemic index ranks brown rice as higher in sugar than white rice, but the fiber in brown rice slows the absorbance of carbohydrates, which actually helps control your blood-sugar levels.

Rice is easy to make and goes with many dishes - plus it’s cheap! So whether it’s white rice or brown rice, lowering your intake of highly-processed grains and making the switch to rice instead is a healthy start to a clear skin diet.

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I’ve mentioned before the dangers of overwashing. It’s common for acne sufferers to become obsessed with washing their face, doing so every chance they get - often four or more times per day. This actually has the opposite effect of promoting healthy skin, as you’re constantly stripping your skin of its protective layer of oil and leaving your pores dried and exposed (often dilated, as most wash with warm-to-hot water). Remember that your skin needs some oil to naturally moisturize and protect itself, and let’s face it, most of the time acne has little to do with any surface dirt that might have found its way to your face. It’s because of this that products such as on-the-go medicated pads are really not something you should even be bothering with. However, while washing too frequently is a bad thing, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wash well when you do wash your face.

So what do I mean by washing well? I mean taking your time and washing gently but thoroughly - not simply rushing through and rinsing off your face as soon as you’ve worked up a lather. One of my science professors once did an experiment where two students were made to wash their hands after getting them dirty, one washed for 15 seconds and the other for a full minute. Afterwards, the professor took pictures of their hands using a high-power microscope. The difference that those extra seconds made was remarkable. While both students’ hands looked about the same to the naked eye, the student who had only washed for 15 seconds had a whole lot of dirt left over when viewed up close. The lesson was simple: when washing, it doesn’t do you much good to rush.

Soap tends to work best after a rich lather has been achieved, so massage that lather over your face with care for long enough that the soap is able to free up the dirt and bacteria clinging to your skin. You don’t have to be rough and scrape away at your skin - giving the chemicals time to work is often more important than merely applying pressure. Washing like this 1-2 times per day will likely do more good and leave your skin cleaner than constantly doing quick washes that strip away natural oils without even cleaning your skin that well.

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Haven’t heard of Green Cream? This topical treatment is more than the name implies. Green Cream is a potent retinol cream that is typically used as an anti-aging treatment to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Retinol, as we’ve mentioned before, is a form or vitamin A that is heavily used in strong skin care treatments, including prescription-strength acne treatments. Green Cream’s retinol formula primarily functions by enhancing the rate at which your skin exfoliates, speeding the skin’s natural exfoliation cycle from about a month to as little as 5-6 days.

Besides its role as an anti-aging treatment, Green Cream is also used by many simply to improve your skin texture and complexion, as regular exfoliation promotes smoother, healthier skin and helps ensure a more even skin tone. And since it shares its main active ingredient with many acne products, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some are now using it to treat acne.

So does Green Cream actually work against acne? Plenty seem to think it helps at least a little. After all, there’s currently a 28-page forum topic going on about it at acne.org. Interestingly, the topic starter who seemed at first excited about the treatment, concluded that it didn’t actually help with her acne (however, it was still helpful for its other skin-improving qualities). Retinol itself has been shown to be an effective acne treatment in certain cases, so there’s certainly a reasonable basis for using Green Cream against acne. However, the limitation seems to mainly be the same limitations of other exfoliating creams – mainly that their solutions only provide very temporary relief.

If your main acne concerns are surface-level breakouts such as small white or black heads, Green Cream may be the treatment for you. The common consensus is also that Green Cream really does improve the look and feel of your skin, evening your skin tone and giving you a healthy glow – which is always welcome. Green Cream does not combine well with benzoyl peroxide, so it’s probably best to choose your other topical acne treatments carefully if you’re compiling a regimen. Used over longer periods of time, you may notice fewer of those small but pesky blemishes, just keep your expectations reasonable and don’t expect overnight results – or a cure to cysts.

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You’ve probably heard about the benefits of antioxidant-rich green tea. White tea is another herbal tea common in China which is made from the growth buds and young leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. Because it contains buds as well as leaves (while most teas only contain leaves), white tea maintains a pale color, hence its name. White tea is also considered to be even higher in antioxidants than green tea, and some acne sufferers have found it to have a noticeable effect in promoting clear skin.

There are different grades of white tea, some with a stronger flavor than others. However, most of the white tea you are likely to come across in the west will have a light and possibly fruity flavor. I find it a nice change from green tea myself. On the downside, it’s often more expensive than green tea since it is less common.

Skin care is one of the traditional uses of white tea, and some have claimed to see benefits in their skin condition from only a single glass of white tea per day. I remain a little skeptical about this myself. In most instances green tea users requires 5-8 glasses of green tea per day to see any real effects on their skin (which does raise the question of whether these benefits derived simply from drinking more water), and even if white tea is stronger, you’re more likely to see results with a higher intake. As with green tea, fresh-brewed white tea (un-sweetened) is best, as sugar and preservatives can counteract many of the benefits the tea would otherwise have.

White tea is generally higher in caffeine than other teas due to the presence of buds as well as leaves. This means that long-term high-dose usage of white tea may not be the greatest thing for your health. Find a dosage from 3-5 glasses per day and try that for approximately 2 months. If white tea is going to have a beneficial effect on your skin, you should see it within that time. Taken at a reasonable dosage, white tea does remain one of the healthiest things you can drink, so adding a glass every day is certainly a good idea. I’m just not confident it could have a strong enough effect to combat acne at this dosage.

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A mild but stubborn form of acne, blackheads are very common on certain parts of the face, especially the nose. For those who need clear skin fast, pore strips are a convenient way of dealing with blackheads, provided that they work and don’t end up irritating your skin. Unfortunately, blackheads have a bad habit of returning shortly afterwards. Is there anything you can do to stop or postpone this annoying cycle?

Pore strips are small strips that use an adhesive which binds to the hardened oil, dirt and bacteria in your pores. Like tape, they can be stuck to your skin and peeled off to remove surface acne such as blackheads. They are most commonly used on the nose, although they can work equally well on other oily areas of the face, such as your forehead. While I’m not going to recommend a specific brand, it’s best to use a well-made product that works for your skin type, as poor-quality pore strips may actually leave a film of adhesive gel on your skin - adding more unwanted gunk rather than removing it.

When using pore strips, one mistake to avoid is using them too often. These are not meant for everyday use. You should aim for once or twice per week, as overly frequent use of pore strips can easily irritate your skin and invite more acne. Those with very sensitive skin may be better off finding a different solution altogether.

After applying and removing a pore strip, you should follow it with the right routine. Rinsing with cold water is a smart move, as the cool temperature will cause your pores to contract protectively. Chances are the pore strip will have left your pores dilated, and warm water can dilate them further, leaving your skin vulnerable. Following with tea tree oil will help kill any bacteria still holding out in your pores, but this can be drying, so avoid this step if your skin is more sensitive. Finally, if you need a moisturizer, choose a gentle one that is non-oil-based, and apply it sparingly. These steps can help cut down the number of repeat blackheads, but if you have highly active oil glands, you’ll still be seeing a few more next week. Normalizing your oil levels requires internal methods such as vitamin B5 acne treatment.

Even when you’re doing all the right things, you may still end up with a few blackheads. The layer of skin over your nose is fairly thin and stretched tight, so it’s easy for these pores to become clogged. Don’t stress out in front of the mirror, examining your face like a scientist with a microscope. A semi-regular treatment like pore strips may be required to eliminate these spots every now and then, but if you’re following a smart clear skin routine, the fact is these blackheads should be small enough that hardly anyone besides yourself is likely to notice.

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