3.      Foods Can Significantly Trigger Acne

While food and supplements do not cause acne, certain ones can definitely trigger and exacerbate acne. While many of the listed food triggers are common culprits for many acne sufferers, certain foods might be more triggering for your teen than others. When starting out, it is best to try to eliminate all of the potential triggers and then once they are clear, they can start reintroducing them one by one to see if they are, in fact, a trigger for you. Remember, knowledge is power and knowing what triggers your teen’s acne is invaluable.

The main reason foods will trigger acne is due to dietary iodine. Many of us are familiar with iodized table salt. But dietary iodine is commonly used to preserve processed food, packaged foods, frozen foods, canned foods, fast foods, take-out foods, processed meats, salty snacks, condiments, energy/soft drinks. While it might seem to be overwhelming to eliminate all processed foods, do your best to avoid high sodium foods (such as Top Ramen, canned soups, soy sauce and other heavily salted foods).

Dietary Iodine is also naturally occurring in many foods, as listed below. In order to get clear and stay clear, do your best to eliminate those foods and substitute with some of the suggestions below

 

Eliminate	Substitutions
Iodized Salt Seasoning Salt	Sea Salt, Uniodized Salt Mrs. Dash Table Blend, Flavor God
Milk     Yogurt/Greek Yogurt       Cheese/Cottage Cheese   Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt	Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Rice Milk (without Carageenan)   Dairy/soy free options for yogurt (such as almond/coconut milk yogurt)   Cheese substitute: Heidi Ho Cheese   Dairy/soy free options for ice cream (such as almond/coconut/cashew milk ice cream)
Whey/Soy Protein Shakes         Protein Bars made with Whey/Soy or Peanuts	Plant based or Vegan Protein Powders or Shakes (make sure they DO NOT contain the “super greens” or Biotin listed below     Plant based or vegan protein bars
Soy, Tofu, Soy Milk, Tempe, Edamame
“Super Greens” such as Spirulina, Chlorella, Blue Green Algae, Kelp, Seaweed, Maca Powder	Kale, Spinach, Alfalfa Sprouts
Biotin (most multivitamins/supplements on the market now contain Biotin so be sure to double check all vitamins and supplements)	Vitamins without Biotin

 

The other major food trigger for acne is foods that are high in androgen activity or androgen potency, which can affect our hormonal balance. (Androgens are the culprit for hormonal breakouts and stress breakouts…we will cover more about hormonal breakouts in the birth control section.)

 

Eliminate	Substitutions
Peanuts, Peanut Butter	Almonds, Almond Butter or other nut butter (with sea salt or unsalted)
Peanut Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil	Olive Oil, Coconut Oil (these are ok to cook with, but DO NOT use them on your skin!)
Wheat Germ (Wheat/Gluten IF allergic/sensitive)	Gluten Free Diet IF allergic/sensitive
Shellfish, Oysters   Heart, Liver, Gizzards, Pate, Foie Gras, organ meats
White Sugar, White Flour	Low Glycemic Index Diet

4.      Laundry Methods Can Trigger Acne

Laundry detergents, fabric softeners and other laundry additives can trigger acne due to fragrances and dyes or pore clogging ingredients. But sure to use only fragrance/dye free laundry detergents such as brands that say Free & Clear, Free of Perfumes and Dyes or Free & Gentle. Examples of these are Cheer Free, All Free & Clear, Tide Free, Arm & Hammer Free but there are many on the market. Also, avoid using Chlorine Bleach. Safe Bleach for Acne Prone Skin: Clorox2 for Colors Free & Clear

Avoid all fabric softeners. The liquid or dryer sheet fabric softeners leave a waxy residue (which is extremely pore-clogging) on your pillowcases, towels, and washcloths that have direct contact with the skin. Natural wool balls contain lanolin which is also pore clogging. Your best bet to help eliminate static cling is anti-static balls which can be purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond.

 

5.      No Picking Agreement

When there is an alien growing on your face, it can be hard to keep your hands off. However, picking and popping pimples most times will back fire on you creating a larger breakout, take months to heal and potentially create scarring. It can be hard to break this habit, but in order to clear skin completely, it is essential that picking on the skin is avoided.

Here is the “No Picking Agreement” I have my acne clients sign to stay accountable.

First, understand what happens when you pick your skin

• When you pick your skin, it pushes bacteria deeper into the follicle, bursting the follicle wall and infecting the surrounding pores.
• Generally, an oozing scab is created that is much harder to conceal with makeup than a closed bump from a blemish.
• A picked pimple can take months to heal completely, whereas an unpicked pimple can and will heal quickly with icing and following your home care routine and regular facial treatments.

 Second, identify the type of picker that you are:

• Unconscious Picker - You casually touch and/or pick your face while using the computer, reading a book, or watching television. This is a very dangerous type of picking because you often won't realize you're doing it.
• Bathroom Mirror Picker - You go in to grab the floss and end up spending fifteen minutes in front of the mirror, picking and popping.
• Idle Picker - You pick while you're waiting for the bus, you pick while you're on the phone, and you pick while you're waiting in traffic.
  

Now that you know what type or types of face picker you are, you can decide what tips and methods will help you most.

• Instead of picking, ice those pimples for 2 minutes twice a day. This will help tremendously for the pimples to clear quickly.
• Keep your hands busy. Do crossword puzzles or play video games while you're waiting for the bus. Give yourself a hand massage while you watch television. Start a knitting project to keep yourself busy at night.
• Place signs that say "NO PICKING" up on your bathroom mirror, in your compact mirror, on the TV remote, your car visor mirror or rear view mirror…or wherever you are likely to see them when you start to pick.
• Wear Gloves. It may sound silly, but it will be impossible to pick your face while wearing gloves. You can wear them overnight, too, if you tend to sleep with your face on your hands. Just be sure to wash the gloves regularly.
• Get your nails done. It is more difficult to pick your skin if you have acrylic/silk/gel nails.

• Avoid putting your hands on your face. To avoid this, stop using your hands, such as when sitting at the table. DO not put your hands on your face and use it for hand resting.

• Put your hands in your pocket when you are just walking between places. While sitting down on a chair while in front of the table, lay your hands or hold your hands on the table or put your hands on your lap or put your hands right under your thighs and sit regularly on your hands. This may seem silly but it helps with the need to touch your face. You can do this during a job interview, or places like a simple restaurant.

• Get other people involved. A close friend, parent, or roommate can be a very valuable asset. Ask them to gently remind you of your “no-picking agreement” if they notice you touching your face.
• Don't give up. Like any bad habit, you may not be able to quit picking overnight. Try not to become discouraged.

 Now, make the commitment to stop picking your skin:

• Am I willing to fight the urge when I want to pick my skin?           YES     NO
• Am I willing to practice self-control for the sake of clearer skin?   YES    NO
• Am I willing to use the tips to keep myself from picking my skin?  YES   NO
• Am I willing to be honest about my picking, and if it becomes an uncontrollable habit, I will consult with my doctor?                          YES    NO

 Please sign this pledge to yourself and begin the journey to clear, beautiful skin!

Signature:__________________________________________________  Date:________________________

Witness:____________________________________________________

6.      Sweat and Acne Breakouts

If your teen is active in sports, it is imperative that they wash their skin right after sweating. Time is of the essence here because the sweat is a perfect breeding ground for acne bacteria to multiply and for the pores to clog almost instantly.

If they are not able to wash their skin right away after sweating, the best thing to do is to use fragrance free baby wipes to cleanse the skin until they can get to a sink to wash their face.

7.      Never skip a night

If your teen skips a day, or a night or post sweating, they will breakout. Being religious with your skin care routine if you are acne prone is absolutely essential. While getting into this habit can be a little challenging for some teens, I have found that the majority of the teens I work with have found a way to stay consistent and compliant.

8.      Getting regular facial treatments

While it is possible to clear acne without facial treatments, professional skin treatments will accelerate the clearing of acne. At Emme Diane, our Clear Skin Program includes facial treatments every 2 weeks along with the proper homecare to get clients clear in approximately 90 days. Each acne treatment has a specific focus for what the skin needs at the time of treatment. Sometimes the skin will need more hydration, other times it will need more anti-bacterial and/or anti-inflammatory action. There are 4 reasons for getting treatments bi-monthly:

1. For exfoliating the skin so that home-care product can penetrate the pore more easily.
2. For hydrating the skin so that the skin is receptive to your home-care regimen. The products also tend to dry out the skin somewhat as you are getting used to them.
3. For extracting existing acne impactions.
4. For killing acne bacteria inside the pore.

To learn more about the Clear Skin Program, go to www.emmediane.com.