Did you know that certain vitamins and nutrients just might solve all of your acne problems? It’s true! The Huntington College of Health Sciences suggests that a few different supplements may improve your skin condition, and the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine encourages the use of certain acne help vitamin from different foods.

 How Do Vitamins Help Skin?

Vitamins and nutrients help balance your body in different ways by encouraging proper functioning of your organs and systems. For example, when the circulatory system is functioning properly, oxygen-rich blood can reach the skin, which can encourage proper healing and will help fight off acne-causing bacteria. If the digestive systems flows smoothly, toxins can flush out of the body more readily, which will prevent them from building up in the skin.

Which Vitamins Work Best For Skin?

If you are looking to clear your skin naturally, try a few of these acne help vitamin supplements:

• Vitamin A – Helps increase skin cell turnover and decreases inflammation. You can find vitamin A in brightly colored vegetables and fruits, such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, kale and spinach.
• Vitamin B6 – Helps balance hormones, which can particularly help menstrual-related acne breakouts. You can find vitamin B6 in different meats and seafood, including tuna, beef, turkey and cod.
• Zinc – Helps prevent bacteria from growing in the sebaceous glands and encourages healing, which is beneficial for the speedy healing of acne blemishes. You can find zinc in foods like pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, beef and lamb.
• Selenium – Helps fight infection by increasing antioxidants in the body. You can find selenium in oily fish, such as tuna, sardines and salmon.
• Dandelion Root – While not a vitamin, dandelion root helps detoxify the skin and helps flush out toxins from the body. Dandelion root can be found in tea or supplement form at most health food stores.
• Licorice Root – Is both antibacterial and antimicrobial, which can help fight off acne-causing bacteria in the skin. Licorice roots can be found in chews, teas and supplements.

Before You Begin

It is always a good idea to check with your doctor before taking any new supplements or changing the dosage of any vitamins or supplements you are currently taking. Certain medical conditions can be adversely effected by changing your vitamin regimen.

Active acne breakouts can cause you to feel less attractive on a daily basis, but you can regain your confidence once all of those red bumps and pustules go away. However, large or severe acne breakouts can lead to skin damage and scarring. Even after your acne goes away, the scars can leave you with a lasting disfigurement that may seem life long. Luckily, acne laser treatment may help improve or eliminate your acne scars, which can look like deep pits or ripples on your skin. If you have acne scars, or even active acne, consider talking to your dermatologist about whether your skin could benefit from a laser treatment. Studies show that even active acne breakouts can benefit from receiving laser treatments.

Before getting laser treatment for your acne or scarring, it is important to find out exactly what is involved in the treatment, how long it will take for your skin to look better and what side effects exist. There are typically two different types of lasers used for acne, the Candela Smoothbeam laser and the Lumenis One IPL. With the Candela Smoothbeam laser, you will usually need about four different sessions, each session costing between $300 and $500. Redness can occur up to four hours after the procedure, and there is usually no light sensitivity afterwards. This makes the Candela Smoothbeam laser great for every skin type. With the Lumenis One IPL, you may need up to five sessions and the cost is the same per session. Redness can last for an entire day, but this type of laser shows significant improvement with pore size and sun damage reduction. The Lumenis One IPL is not recommended for darker skin types.

The lasers used for acne scarring may require a longer down time and recovery because they essentially remove the surface layer of the skin. This resurfacing-type laser, such as the Fractional CO2 laser, usually only requires one session and your skin will continue to improve over the course of six months. After the session, you might need to call in sick to work for a few days, as redness and swelling will likely occur. Over the next few weeks, your skin will heal, peel and shed to reveal smooth, scar-free skin. The down side? The Fractional CO2 laser can cost up to $4000! However, when you can finally look in the mirror and see smooth, clear skin, the money might just be worth it.

When you have a face covered in pimples, it can be challenging to find treatments that can really help. Many infomercials that you may have seen on television spotlight celebrities obtaining clear skin simply by using their products. These products, like Pro Activ Solution, claim to clear skin long-term, but can pro active acne treatment really help your skin condition? Let’s look at how this type of system works.

The first step in keeping skin clear is cleansing it the right way. Dermatologists agree that sensitive and acne-prone skin should never be rubbed or scrubbed, and a gentle soap should be used to cleanse the skin without exacerbating the condition. The cleanser included in the pro active treatment kit is created using tiny micro beads that gently removes excess oil and dirt from the skin without causing you to accidentally damage the skin’s surface. To apply the proactiv cleanser, it is important to wet the skin with warm water, and lightly massage the cleansing cream on to your skin using small circles. Avoid pressing the cleanser into the skin aggressively. More pressure will not clean your skin better.

After you cleanse your skin, the pro active acne treatment regime calls for you to apply a toner to help further remove excess oil and dirt, while toning and tightening pores. Not everyone uses toner or an astringent when treating acne, and sometimes alcohol-based toners can cause skin to become overly dry. If you have sensitive skin, you might not benefit from using a toner as part of your skin care routine. If you do decide to use the proactiv toner, apply the toner using a cotton ball, gently spreading it over your freshly washed skin. If your skin starts to become very red or swollen, discontinue use as this could mean that your skin I having an allergic reaction to the toner.

The main component for most acne treatment plans includes a lotion or cream designed to kill off the bacteria that causes acne, while drying up any active pustules, comedones and acne cysts that you currently have. Many creams and lotions use salycylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or retinoids to treat acne, but if products contain any of these substances in quantities that are too large, it can cause your skin to become very irritated, red, blistered and may even exacerbate your acne problem. Look for an acne cream or lotion that contains 2.5 percent or less of benzoyl peroxide, which has a proven track record for fighting acne. The pro active acne treatment program includes a 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide lotion that also contains ingredients that can help keep your skin soft as well as treated. This can really help you not have that “tight skin” feeling while you clear your skin.

Using Proactiv Solution can help your skin if used the right way. Consider trying it if you have mild to moderate acne and do not appear to have an allergy to benzoyl peroxide.

When you look in the mirror, do you see a face full of bumps that leaves you feeling ugly and depressed? You are not alone. In fact, you are in such good company that many online acne forums exists that can offer you support and advice about how you can clear your skin. Not only is it helpful to hear from others that they understand how you are feeling, but it can be invaluable to find out from people who have been there how you can clear your skin in the quickest and most effective way.

Anyone who has experience long-term, chronic acne knows how frustrating it can feel to try every product on the market for acne with little to no results. A lot of times, acne products contain ingredients that are either too strong for sensitive skin types, or too weak for tougher skin, so it can be challenging to find out exactly which products are right for you. When you start taking part in acne forums, you can post questions and get advice from others who have tried different products that work for different skin types. You can also read product reviews and see before and after photos from other people trying to clear their skin.

When you join an acne forum, you will also benefit from feeling supported and understood. This can be especially important if you feel depressed and embarrassed by your acne. It is no secret that acne can negatively effect self-esteem, but when you can talk about your condition with others, and find some real help for your condition, you will find that your emotions surrounding your acne will greatly improve. Look for acne forums that offer areas where you can post questions and receive advice, a product review board that gives members a chance to rate different acne treatments and kits and a photo section so that you can see exactly how different treatments can effect skin. Look for an acne forum that is highly active so that you know you can get the most up to date information and can get the support and help you need, right when you need it.

Severe, cystic acne can be hard to eliminate, and can leave your skin with permanent scars if left untreated. This type of acne can appear over your face, neck, back and chest like wildfire, and often spreads under the skin to create giant pustules and nodules. Although mild to moderate acne breakouts can be successfully treated using over-the-counter acne creams and lotions, cystic acne does not always respond to these treatments. However, many people can find relief from cystic and nodular acne by taking prescription acne treatments, such as Accutane acne medication.

Accutane is a powerful acne medicine for severe acne that is actually a derivative of vitamin A. While seemingly natural, Accutane actually packs quite a punch in the body and can cause many unwanted side effects. For example, Vanderbilt University suggests that if you are a woman and take Accutane while pregnant or nursing, the medication could cause serious health risks or deformities in your baby. There also might be a connection between depression and long-term Accutane use, although the results from different studies are inconclusive. At any rate, if you are prone to depression already, you might not want to risk your condition worsening by taking this type of medication for your skin problem. This makes it very important for you to discuss the health risks of taking Accutane acne medication with your dermatologist, especially if you have a pre-existing health condition or are wanting to have children in the near future.

If you still want to try using Accutane for your nodular acne after carefully considering the side effects, you might wonder how it works so fast to heal such severe acne breakouts. Since Accutane is a derivative of vitamin A, it works in a similar way as retinoids by increasing skin cell turnover and helping your skin maintain a more normal oil production level. Accutane can take up to five months to completely clear your skin, but many people start to notice a significant difference after just a month or two. One of the best parts about using Accutane for severe acne is that the results last for a year after treatment stops.

Mild to moderate acne can be the pits, but when you have severe acne that covers your face or body it can be unbearable. Large acne pustules and cystic acne may sometimes not respond to traditional acne treatments, like applying benzoyl peroxide creams or using antiseptic toners regularly. Severe acne is often genetic and can leave you feeling helpless and worried about how you are going to heal your skin. You might even consider trying an antibiotic medication for acne, like Doxycycline. However, it is important to know how using Doxycycline for acne treatment will react with your body, and what types of unpleasant side effects could occur. This will help you make an educated decision about whether taking an antibiotic for acne is worth the risk or not.

So, how does Doxycycline work exactly? Doxycycline is in the same group of antibiotics as tetracycline, and helps reverse and prevent harmful bacterial overgrowth that contributes to severe acne. While it sounds great to take a pill once a day to keep your skin crystal clear, it may not be as simple as it might seem. Some bacteria in the body is beneficial to proper bodily functions and digestive health. A strong antibiotic like Doxycycline does not discriminate between healthy and unhealthy bacteria, so when you take it you might discover that it is killing off the good bacteria in your body while clearing away your acne. Although you can always take supplemental probiotics to help replenish the loss of healthy bacteria in your body, it is important to consider whether you want to take this risk or not.

Using Doxycycline for acne treatment can also cause your skin and eyes to become a lot more sensitive to sunlight. This could mean more sunburns and sun damage if you do not wear a strong sunscreen daily, and could negatively effect your vision if you do not wear the right protective eye wear while outdoors. If you are light or fair-skinned, your risk of skin cancer may increase from taking Doxycycline. Talk to your dermatologist to find out if she thinks using Doxycycline could cause your risk of skin cancer to increase, and ask your eye doctor if it might worsen an existing vision problem.

Taking an antibiotic for your severe acne may not feel like the ideal treatment, but when you have suffered with chronic, severe acne for a long time it can seem like a miracle that taking a pill can eliminate your skin problem for good.