Acne and Retinol – Is Retinol Any Good For Acne Symptoms?

Retinol is one of the natural  forms of vitamin A. It is found in foods such as Chilli peppers, carrots, apricots and greens.

Yum!

Vitamin A is known to be good for a strong immune system, for vision, good mineralisation of the teeth and bones as well as skin quality.

Retinol was first found in butterfat and cod liver oil

Beta carotene and many other carotenes are often the preferred way of getting a healthy dose of vitamin A since it is hard to overdose with carotenoids that come mainly from vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin A therapy is quite effective at treating skin disorders such as acne and psoriasis where very high doses are used.

acne-young-male-photo-wiki

So, yes, retinol or better yet a balanced mix of carotenes, is good for acne but it is not a one trick pony. Healthy skin needs healthy food and a well-designed balance of nutrients. I have mentioned some above but using healthy oils such as flax oil and olive oil is part of the advice given to help us get and keep healthy acne free skin.

So if you want to boost your vitamin A level you can either raise your intake of vitamin A rich foods or take a vitamin A supplement.

Foods first…

High vitamin A foods include spinach, pumpkins, sweet potato, kale, melons, peppers and virtually all fresh vegetables and fruits. If you dislike the taste of greens then drink a delicious green smoothie instead.

Then Supplements

Best to go for a high quality multivitamin which may use a low Retinol dose and a high carotene dose along with the other antioxidants. All of these vitamins act as team members so one of them taken in high dose makes no sense. Please check that you are talking a genuine natural form of retinol and not a fake form made in a laboratory or you may be taking a risk with your health. So if a vitamin  A supplement just tells you that it is “vitamin A” you need to find out whether this is a genuine natural form or a fake.

This can be difficult since even honest companies are often not aware of the real differences between the artificial forms of vitamin A and the natural so even if the label claims that it is “natural” it still may not be really natural. This is annoying but this is how things are at present!
 

Manuka honey and acne

Honey has a good reputation and a long one as being a safe and effective natural medicine. It has been used to speed up the healing of wounds so we might wonder if it help heal the scars and marks of acne as well.

Manuka honey is even more effective than other types of honey. It is the honey produced by bees feeding on the Manuka bush. These bushes grow in the wild in Australia and New Zealand and have been used for their medicinal effects.

Manuka honey has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects that are even more effective than standard honey due to the unique “ingredients” of Manuka honey.

Honey has a long list of healthy ingredients including hydrogen peroxide and polyphenols but Manuka honey has a unique factor that became labelled “Unique Manuka Factor” or UMF. Each batch of Manuka honey has its UMF measured and the higher the UMF of a Manuka honey the higher is its ability to heal and the higher its price is too!

Manuka and other types of honey are used both as a food and as a topical applied treatment – spreading it on the wound as a treatment in combination with other ingredients or alone.

Its gentle “disinfectant” effect may be responsible for the effects it produces but I believe that some of the healing effect and maybe most of the effect is the ability of Manuka honey to encourage the correct healthy bacteria to grow in your digestive system.

Many Natural Medicine experts consider that acne is an “inside job” meaning that it is caused by digestive problems and an imbalance of the good bacteria naturally present in the gut. Since Manuka honey rebalance the types of bacteria it’s no surprise that Manuka works so well as a healing agent for acne.

There are different strengths and brands of Manuka as well as different ways of using it so you may need to try a few times and see which method works best for you but honey and in particular Manuka honey is a valuable way to improve your skin both in appearance and health.
 

Saw Palmetto – Is this Herb the Solution for Your Hormonal Acne?

Hormones and acne seem to go together. We first get acne in adolescence and for most of us it fades away after sending us into frantic flurries of embarrassment and many experiments of pills and potions.

Phew we beat it…or so we think.

Many people experience it again – especially around menopause and that triggers another round of pills, potions and lotions.

But how about we target the hormones at the root of some people’s acne?

Well that is what the herb “Saw Palmetto” does.

Saw Palmetto is well known to Naturopaths and herbalists but is mostly known for dealing with health problems that men face as they get older and their levels of DHT rise along with Prostate trouble and inflammation.

Over the last few years Dermatologists have been recommending their patients try Saw Palmetto for their acne and some people report great results. Stubborn acne that has resisted drugs and topical treatments can clear up with Saw Palmetto.

Due to the fact that is works by balancing your hormones it may be advisable to check with your health care advisor – especially if you have other health issues.

Sometimes people take zinc along with Saw Palmetto because they seems to work well together. How long it will take will vary a lot but I would expect some results within a week or two although I would persist for a full month.

Saw Palmetto may not be right for your acne but if you get flares along with your periods I would expect it to work with your acne symptoms.

Good luck!