Drs. Jonette Keri and Rajiv Nijhawan from the University of Miami in Florida have reviewed the evidence.
Here are the highlights. Continue reading Is there a diet-acne connection?
Category Archives: Acne/Rosacea
Acne and touching your face
For the average American kid — you know the one: has caring parents, lives in a nice place, with no wants or needs — acne is likely to be the first event that can not be easily controlled to their satisfaction.
It’s God’s way of saying, “Look, there are going to be things in your life that you just have to make the best of. Get used to it. You can practice on acne.”
Soap and acne
In an adolescent’s zeal to punish pimples, there is a tendency to select the most harsh, abrasive skin cleansers available. If sandpaper could be made to produce suds, some young people (and adults) would use it.
Craig Burkhart, MD, of the Department of Dermatology at Ohio University School of Medicine has a better approach.
Acne: Recommendations are easy; data, scarce
Herbalists recommend more than a dozen herbal remedies for acne and scarring, according to a recent article.
Unfortunately, only 1 of these herbals is supported by the results of a study in patients. Continue reading Acne: Recommendations are easy; data, scarce
Acne cosmetica and other myths
Acne cosmetica was first described over 30 years ago. It was proposed that substances in cosmetic products caused the formation of comedones (blackheads) and, in some cases, an eruption. Changes in cosmetic ingredients make acne cosmetica much less common today, although it is reported occasionally.
Dr. Zoe Draelos, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine, published a review that answers many issues about cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and acne. Here are 4 myths, dispelled.
Support for the effect of diet on acne
Acne vulgaris has anecdotally been attributed to diet.
This review by researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center, in Washington, DC, found convincing data supporting the role of dairy products and high-glycemic-index foods. Continue reading Support for the effect of diet on acne
Herbal treatments for acne vulgaris
Faculty members from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India have published a review on Medscape of treatment options for acne, with emphasis on herbal treatment options.
Here’s a summary of the herbal section. Continue reading Herbal treatments for acne vulgaris
Ineffective herbal remedies for treating acne
I recently came across a website advocating herbals to treat or prevent acne.
The website isn’t important, but the results of my PubMed searches might be useful. Continue reading Ineffective herbal remedies for treating acne
Consumer Alert: Miracle Mineral Supplement aka MMS
This product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm.
Swallowing doses of this bleach, such as those recommended in the labeling can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration. Continue reading Consumer Alert: Miracle Mineral Supplement aka MMS
Acne treatments
The surest way to know that there is no truly effective treatment for a condition is to count the number of treatment recommendations. The more recommendations, the less likely it is that any of them have a significant effect. I’m not sure if there is a tipping point. Whether 6 or 12 or 20 recommended treatments guarantee that you will have less than complete cure.
Here are some of the recommendations from just one article.
Secrets to improving acne treatment
A big challenge in treating acne is sticking with treatment over the long haul. Dr. Mary Lupo, a dermatologist and clinical professor at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, says there are four secrets to helping people stick with their acne treatment.
Use of dietary supplements by medical specialists
Here’s a look at the use of dietary supplements by physicians in 3 specialties in the US: cardiology, dermatology, and orthopedics. Continue reading Use of dietary supplements by medical specialists
Essential recommendations for acne care
I recently worked on an educational program with a group of dermatologists who specialize in treating acne.
During a series of discussions they listed essential considerations for an effective acne treatment strategy. Continue reading Essential recommendations for acne care
Recommendations to treat acne rosacea
Researchers from the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program in Salt Lake City have published recommendations.
Let’s focus on initial treatments for rosacea flares before using lasers and drugs. Continue reading Recommendations to treat acne rosacea
In praise of mothers who forced their children to take cod liver oil
In a Medscape editorial, Dr. George Griffing from Saint Louis University in Missouri outlines the benefits. Continue reading In praise of mothers who forced their children to take cod liver oil
Milk and acne risk in teenage boys
There was an association between higher intake of skim milk and more pimples in this study. Continue reading Milk and acne risk in teenage boys
Herbal treatments for acne
Faculty members from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India have a review of Ayurveda on Medscape. Continue reading Herbal treatments for acne
Photodynamic therapy treats acne
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) — also called photo radiation therapy, phototherapy, or photo chemotherapy — involves using a drug called a photosensitizing agent, which is activated by being exposed to a specific wave length of light. It’s often used to treat certain cancers. Now it’s being used to treat acne too.
Two studies (here and here) of similar design concluded that topical methyl aminolaevulinate (MAL)-PDT is effective for moderate to severe inflammatory facial acne.
It’s also very painful.
Is there a role for herbal medicines in treating infections?
Not based on what we know right now.
Here’s an overview.
Continue reading Is there a role for herbal medicines in treating infections?
The use of CAM by people with asthma
During the most recent meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians Dr. Paul Blanc from the University of California at San Francisco reported that half of all people with asthma use CAM.
Here are the highlights from Medscape.