:Clear Skin Blog

How many times have you seen the advice: “The idea that eating sweets or junk food causes acne is a myth. There is no medical evidence that these foods affect your skin.” This idea that your diet is irrelevant to clear skin is all over the internet, and yet it’s a blatant lie. The truth is, there is plenty of evidence out there about how what you eat can indeed affect the condition of your skin and your susceptibility to acne. And let’s face it, it’s just plain dumb to expect that what you put into your body is not going to make any difference on the outside.

This doesn’t mean you should be paranoid. A chocolate snack or a greasy pizza every now and then is fine, so long as you eat these foods in moderation and have an otherwise healthy diet. However, regularly eating greasy foods or foods high in sugar, or even excessive dairy products, can certainly have a negative effect on your skin.

Much of this comes down to the relationship between metabolism and skin oil. Junk foods, such as those high in sugar, are rapidly metabolized and suck up a lot of the coenzyme-A from your body. This leaves less coenzyme-A for the purpose o metabolizing skin oil, which can explain why some people experience unusually oily skin after they indulge in certain problem foods. You’re putting a drain on the body’s metabolism resources.

In cases like this, the best advice is to listen to your own body. If you find that you break out after eating certain foods, don’t simply ignore it because some website told you it was a myth. Observe your body and adjust your diet accordingly. Just don’t get overly paranoid, as it does no good if you simply replace your diet problems with stress problems. And yes, vitamin B5 can also help, as B5 is directly transformed into coenzyme-A within the body, increasing your metabolism fuel so that problem foods have less of an effect overall.

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Body acne is always a pain. It can often prove to be more stubborn than facial acne, and the fact that it commonly lies in spots that are either difficult to reach and/or frequently covered by clothes makes it hard to treat with typical methods. Here are a few tips that may help you win the fight against acne below your neck.

Shower regularly, and get yourself a back scrubber. This might seem like common sense, but the fact is that a lot of people don’t shower on a consistent or daily basis - and some that do don’t bother to wash their entire bodies. So get yourself a moisturizing body wash and make sure to actually use it regularly. And don’t settle for barely reaching those difficult areas such as your back. If you’re not scrubbing well, washing alone isn’t going to do you much good, especially on the tougher areas of your skin such as your back. Get a bath sponge with a nice long handle so you can clean your entire body with ease.

Use an internal acne treatment. One of the best things about supplements such as vitamin B5 acne treatment is that they treat acne over your whole body at once. Topical treatments only help where they are directly applied, which is a huge limitation if you have body acne. Start using an internal treatment and stick with it, as body acne can take a bit longer to eliminate than facial acne. Existing blemishes can stubbornly hold out in the thick skin of your back, even if an internal treatment is effectively preventing new ones.

Consider an exfoliating topical treatment. Because your skin can be tougher and thicker in the areas where body acne occurs, it’s a good idea to promote exfoliation and strip away those outer layers of dead skin cells before they build up. This can help eliminate those stubborn existing acne spots that seem to stay for months. There are topical sprays with salicylic acid that are fairly easy to apply, and can help with speeding the exfoliation process.

Get a little sun. Too much sun is bad, but as I’ve mentioned recently, a little sun ach day is actually good for your health. Allowing your skin limited sun exposure (without sunscreen, about 15 minutes per day is usually good) can help promote exfoliation and enhance circulation, and ultimately help you heal from acne scars faster than you would otherwise. Not everyone has this opportunity on a regular basis, but if you can make the time, go ahead and let your skin soak up a few rays.

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Cystic acne is always a pain. As cysts commonly form into large, inflamed bumps, they can’t be hidden simply by tanning. And anyways, you really shouldn’t be baking your skin just reduce the outward appearance of acne. However, provided you keep it in moderation, a little sun may in fact help you manage those cysts.

While you shouldn’t overlook the dangers of overexposure to UV rays, it’s important to remember that most of us in fact don’t get enough of them. Illnesses related to a lack of vitamin D (which your body produces through sun exposure) utterly dwarf the cases of skin cancer, and are often far more dangerous to your health. A little sun each day is a good thing, and no, you don’t always need the SPF 15 - not unless you’ll be spending more than 20 minutes in direct sunlight.

So how can sun help with cysts? Not by hiding them, but by actually helping them to heal. Among other things, sunlight is highly effective at stimulating circulation at the skin level. This means that minor wounds can in fact heal faster with a little sun. Sunlight also helps enhance exfoliation, preventing the blockage of pores. Exfoliation isn’t going to help you a lot with deep cysts, but the circulation will.

It’s important not to actually burn your skin, as when you’re dealing with an inflamed cyst, the last thing you want is more inflammation from sun burns. Keep your sun exposure to a healthy level, and you’ll find your cysts may not stick around quite as long. Spot treatments like benzoyl peroxide and anti-inflammatories like Neosporin can also help ease the process. As long as you don’t agitate the cyst, your body will usually break down the underlying pustule after a short while, enabling your skin to heal without the risk of acne scars.

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For some people vitamin B5 treatment works rapidly and dramatically, but for others, the results can take time and leave users wondering if they are doing something wrong. So here’s a few tips for ensuring that you are taking the right steps to maximize your chances of clear skin.

Start with a sufficient dosage. With Clear5 we recommend 4-6 tablets per day. If your acne is not mild, then be smart and start with 6. If you are taking non-time-released B5, you should probably start with around 10 grams per day (possibly less if it’s a liquid). Starting at a lower, ineffective dosage, may simply result in wasted time and money if you find you need to raise your intake to get those initial results. The general rule is: if you haven’t seen improvement within 3 weeks, you may need to increase your dosage a bit.

Spread out your dosage properly and consistently. If you’re taking 4 tablets, take 2 in the morning and two at night. If you’re taking 6, take 2 in the morning, afternoon, and night. Try to take your vitamins at the same time every day, and don’t take days off.

Don’t take loads of other vitamins. This is something we discovered when we added and then later removed a number of ingredients from our old formula. Other vitamins, even other B-vitamins, can often lower your chances of success, either through competing for absorbance or causing interfering effects at the skin level. Our customers noticed much better results when we decreased our ingredients down to the essentials. A once-daily multivitamin or B-complex is generally fine, but you shouldn’t be taking handfuls of various pills every day.

Don’t over wash or cleanse. You don’t need to wash your face more than twice per day. You don’t need to use harsh chemicals that dry out your skin. So don’t.

Do drink plenty of water. Your body needs water to effectively utilize vitamins, and also to flush out unwanted toxins and hydrate your cells. Drinking plenty of water is key to any B5 regimen.

Be patient. Not everyone will see results in the first week. Most of our customers do see results in the first month, but we’ve also heard from plenty who waited two or three months before experiencing dramatic improvement. It’s usually a good idea to commit to any new acne treatment for at least 60 days (this goes for non-vitamin-B5 treatments as well).

Relax. Vitamin B5 should actually help with this, as it isn’t called the “anti-stress vitamin” for nothing. In any case, it always helps to stay in the right frame of mind. Stay positive and optimistic. No matter what happens, you’re going to live through it!

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