How Diet Impacts Acne

We don’t know everything about diet and acne yet, but we do know that tweaking your diet WILL help control this complex pimple-forming cascade.

1. Avoid High-Carb Foods

This includes: white flour, sugary “junk” foods, and sugar-filled drinks and juices. Highly refined high-carb foods have a high glycemic index (meaning a lot of quick sugar), which is linked to acne. If you cut down on high glycemic foods, your acne should improve.

Basically, eating refined carbs causes your hormones and pores to go crazy, which causes you to get zits. Stop the cascade by passing on the sugary foods and refined carbs, a.k.a. junk foods.

2. Limit Dairy Products

Switch from fatty dairy products (e.g. ice cream and cheese) to a moderate amount of whole milk dairy products. Even better is to eat these dairy products when they contain natural probiotics (e.g. yogurt) so you get the benefit of those too. 

Reasons that might explain milk’s role in acne include:

• Milk contains substances that your body converts to testosterone (that same hormone mentioned above and that affects your pores, causing oil production and acne).
• Milk stimulates your body to produce a natural chemical called insulin-like growth factor (IGF, mentioned above too). This IGF increases your body’s own natural testosterone hormones. It also increases how these hormones affect your pores, causing even more oil production and possibly more pimples and blackheads.

It’s important to know that skim milk products seem to be the worst for acne! We don’t know why. Know that all cow dairy milk products may play a role regardless of whether they’re made from whole milk, low fat milk or skim milk.

3. Eat Less Meat and Animal-Based Foods/Eat More Plant-Based Foods

Eating less meat and more plant foods help you to flip an important fatty acid ratio in your body. It’s the ratio of omega 6s to omega 3s. The traditional high animal food western diet has a high ratio of omega 6s to 3s. A plant-based diet has more 3s to 6s and that ratio helps to fight acne. 

Reasons this might impact your acne include:

•  Omega 6s fuels inflammation (like, really big pimples). You get loads of omega 6 fatty acids in meats and other animal-based foods. 
• Omega 3 fatty acids quiet inflammation. You get tons of those in things like walnuts, flax seeds, spinach, and salmon.

What is Poikiloderma of Civatte

Poikiloderma of Civatte (poikiloderma for short) is a mottled discoloration of the neck, typically sparing the area under the chin. There is usually a brawny redness to the skin that looks like a stain, and it sort of is. There are also little telangiectasias (“broken” capillaries) found on both sides of the neck.

The discoloration is triggered by chronic sun exposure, which is why it spares skin under the chin. Fair-skinned people are more prone to it, as with most sun damaging conditions, although it can occur on all skin types.

Discoloration is due to:

1. “Broken” capillaries 
2. Brown staining of the skin from iron that comes from red blood cells (hemosiderin)
3. Melanin deposited in the skin, due to sun damage

What about treatment?

1) Sun Protection: For many reasons, we recommend patients use SPF daily, even in shaded areas. Look for products with an SPF of at least 30, broad spectrum coverage, and water resistant. Reapply every 2 hours when exposed to direct sunlight.

2) Pigment-lightening products, such as retinols, Skin Medica's Lytera, and glycolic acid such as Skin Medica's AHA/BHA cleanser and cream. 

3) Antioxidant skin care products. These products employ vitamin C which also can lighten pigment by its own unique mechanism. We recommend Skin Medica's Vitamin C & E complex. 

4) Vascular Laser. At Florida Skin Center, we offer laser treatments that target brown and red discoloration. Discomfort and down time are minimal. Ask one of our providers if this treatment option is right for you.

 

Microneedling: Are You a Candidate?

Micro-needling treatment is used to improve the appearance of skin blemishes, marks and scars. Wrinkles, acne, cellulite and sun-damaged skin can also benefit from this treatment. The procedure usually takes about half an hour. Prior to treatment, a topical numbing cream is applied to ensure minimum discomfort.

Here at Florida Skin Center, we use a pen-style Micro-needling device, which is more effective and less painful than a roller. During the treatment, the needles penetrate into the dermis layer, which is found immediately below the epidermis. By penetrating this layer it encourages the skin to go into immediate healing mode. By doing this repeatedly, over a number of weeks or months, the skin disorder can be reduced and in many cases will clear up completely.

The second step of the micro-needling treatment involves use of TNS Recovery Complex. This product strengthens the skin's natural ability to regenerate and helps calm down redness and inflammation. TNS Recovery also helps the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and helps improve the overall texture and tone of the skin.

How quickly does the treatment work?

This all depends on the way you are treated and how severe the initial condition is. The skin naturally renews itself once every 40 days and by giving it further stimulation this process can be speeded up. Achieving the desired result may take a number of months, but on average, improvements can be seen within one to two weeks.

Who's A Candidate?

·         Works on all skin types

·         On average, a patient may need at least 4 treatments

·         Topical numbing will be applied 25 minutes prior to treatment

·         Avoid using products containing retinol, such as Retin-A, Renova, Tri-Retinol Complex, and Obagi 5 days prior to treatment.

Who's NOT a Candidate?

·          Pregnant or nursing
·         Active cold sore (herpes simplex virus)
·         Vitiligo
·         Lupus

What to avoid 7 days before and after Micro-needling:

·         Sun exposure
·         Waxing
·         Harsh exfoliants
·         Scrubbing the skin
·         Use of retinoids

Possible side effects

·         Redness, such as that of a sunburn, which can last for 2-3 days after the treatment

·         Sensitivity

·         Skin may feel dry and tight for 2-3 days

·         Some peeling or flaking could occur

Gel Nail Polish: What You Need to Know

Gel nail polish certainly has its perks. You don't have to worry about chipped polish for at least 2 weeks, and the shine lasts even longer. However, nail lamps are not regulated by the FDA, and as we know, the ultraviolet light emitted by these lamps can and does cause skin cancer.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends the following tips for keeping your nails healthy:

1. Be proactive with your manicurist: Ask if tools are sterilized, and look around to make sure your manicurist is disinfecting tools after every client. In addition, never let your manicurist push or cut your cuticle, as this could lead to infection.
2. Wear sunscreen: Before getting a gel manicure, apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to your hands to prevent skin cancer and premature skin aging. This will help protect your skin from the ultraviolet radiation used to seal gel nail polish. Another option is to wear dark, opaque gloves with the fingertips snipped off before your nail polish is applied.
3. Don’t pick gel nail polish: When the color begins to come off, don’t pick at the polish to try and remove it. Peeling off your polish will strip the top layer of your nails, causing them to become brittle.
4. Only soak your fingertips in acetone: When removing polish, only soak your fingertips in acetone instead of your whole hands or fingers. Another option is to use cotton balls to remove the polish. Soak the cotton balls in acetone and apply them to you nails by wrapping small pieces of aluminum foil around your fingertips. This will ensure that only your nails come into contact with the acetone. After about 15 minutes, the nail polish should come right off. 

To care for your nails in between gel manicures, the AAD recommends the following:

1. Take a nail polish holiday: Try not to wear nail polish for one to two weeks or longer. This will allow your nails time to repair.
2. Re-hydrate your nails: Between polishes, apply a moisturizing product, such as petroleum jelly, to your nails and cuticles several times daily. This will minimize brittleness and help prevent your nails from chipping.