But did you know that dairy products (especially cow’s milk) are probably one
the most notorious acne-aggravating products you can find?

They cause allergies, create heavy mucus, and they clog your digestive tracts as they become like glue once they enter your bowels.

Dairy products are loaded with hormones injected into the animals in order to increase their capacity to produce milk.

Dairy products are filled with antibiotics, which are destructive to your body and hormonal balance.

In fact, humans are the only species that drink the milk of other species. The problem is that we cannot digest the milk as calves do. Our digestion system is built differently.

We cannot process the protein in milk either. This often leads to multiple types of allergic reactions and digestive problems that manifest themselves as acne.

My own experience of milk was almost magical. As soon as I stopped consuming cow’s milk products, my acne condition dramatically improved.

What to avoid: milk, cheese and yogurt. Also avoid products that have lactose, milk proteins, whey protein and dry skim milk powder.

Great substitute: sesame seed butter. This is ground whole sesame seeds (not the regular Tahini), a wonderful source of protein and calcium containing more than 1100 mg of calcium per 100 g.

Good alternatives to dairy products include nut milks (sesame, almond, etc.) and nut creams (cashew, macadamia, etc.).

Soy products can also serve as an alternative but should be consumed sparingly because excessive consumption has been linked to thyroid problems.

As for chocolate, if you must then chooser dark chocolate (no dairy ingredients, preferably with high percentages of cocoa solids). I have found chocolates based on carob powders to be extremely tasty. Eat in moderation.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Can eating dairy products cause acne or is it just a myth? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Can eating dairy products cause acne or is it just a myth? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

Did you know that pimples contain oil, bacteria and grime or dead cells? But if you pop a pimple, you are basically interfering with your skin’s natural healing process.

So should you leave them be? Will they disappear on their own? And if so, when exactly?

Some pimples just won’t pop. You try and squeeze them but they seem stubborn. Others like cysts, sometimes just need a small squeeze and they start popping.

There is a certain life span to a pimple. It develops from blocked pores and bacteria. White blood cells are then sent to fight off the infection.

They die but form pustules. The infection at this final stage heals but may form a scar.

Large pimples can take up to 30-45 days to disappear but the smaller kind may take only a couple of days.

Now, you don’t want to leave any scar tissue so if you have some patience you can try drying them up. This can speed up the healing process.

You can apply 5% Benzoyl peroxide twice a day. And you can also try this Aspirin paste:

Take 5 “uncoated” aspirins and crush them into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon water and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar into the bowl, wait a minute or two for aspirins to dissolve into a PASTE, stir with your
finger and dab this paste on to individual spots.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Can pimples pop on their own? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Can pimples pop on their own? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

Androgens are hormones the body produces when we are in puberty; they are known to stimulate the production of more oil. That is also why acne in pregnancy is so common.

Excessive hormone production or excessive amounts of used hormones that are not eliminated properly cause the over-stimulation of your oil glands, which means that your skin will become more oily.

But that is not enough to cause acne. In order for acne to appear, the acne bacteria (passive in every person) have to be fed with blood toxins to develop into acne.

Researchers have found that the presence of certain Androgen hormones that are pro-inflammatory such as Dihydro Testosterone (DHT) and Insulin make the oil glands go into overdrive causing the excess sebum to block the pores. Insulin was also found to advocate inflammation in the cellular levels.

Fortunately, you can reduce these pro-inflammatory hormones like insulin by taking anti-inflammatory hormones found in supplements like Borage oil, Evening Primrose oil.

You should also avoid consumption of pro-inflammatory foods such as empty carbs and processed food in general. This means eating mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes in moderate amounts, nuts, seeds and some fish(preferably salmon not tuna).

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Is acne related to too much testosterone? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Is acne related to too much testosterone? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

They didn’t always leave a mark. But when they did, the discoloration was always worse than the actual pimple.

These marks or spots(as opposed to acne scars) are called Post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation. Depending on your skin tone they can be black, purple red or brown.

What causes these marks? It’s because of the skin’s healing process. As the body is fighting the pimple and the local inflammation, it releases an excess of melanin(the skin color’s protein) which can cause discoloration.

These marks or spots can fade over time but it can take up to months or even years till that area has completely healed. Unfortunately, in some cases, the marks can be permanent.

So in order to prevent Post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation, you must do whatever it takes to prevent acne from forming in the first place by changing you diet and by maintaining proper hygiene.

But if you already have spots then you must see your dermatologist. He will probably prescribe glycolic acid which helps speed up the healing process of your skin.

Another optional treatment is taking a supplement called MSM for about 2 months until these marks fade completely.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Can red marks go away naturally? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Can red marks go away naturally? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

Candida, a very stubborn fungal organism thrives and feeds itself in a variety of ways, with a significant help of modern industrial foods, western nutrition, modern urban lifestyle and low quality human maintenance.

We all have Candida in our gut but it is mostly dormant and in balance with the good bacteria.

When we eat the wrong type of foods, take antibiotics and are stressed most of the time then that is the perfect environment that creates a wilder version of Candida, the one that damages the delicate gut lining.

When the gut becomes damaged and porous, that is when toxins re-enter the blood stream through the gut holes caused by Candida and other pathogens, polluting our body and our skin causing symptoms such as pimples, eczema and even psoriasis.

That is why every person with skin issues such as acne should also pay attention to their gut health.

You can reverse gut damage and leaky gut by taking anti-candida supplements such as oregano oil or caprylic acid and you should also reverse intestinal barrier disruption by taking L-glutamine.

Don’t forget to also follow a very strict sugar and yeast free diet so the Candida doesn’t get any type of food.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post candida infection: is this the real culprit behind your acne? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post candida infection: is this the real culprit behind your acne? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

Hormonal balance (crucial to reduce the symptoms of acne) and your health in general are highly dependent on the proper fat ratio intake. You simply need to maintain a proper ratio between saturated fats and essential fatty acid fats.

Nutritionists recognize that a typical Western diet has an unbalanced fat ratio highly in favor of omega-6 (including cereals, whole-grain bread, avocados, baked goods, fried foods, peanut butter) and lacking omega-3 fats, so they emphasize the need to increase omega-3 fats in the diet to make the ratio more even.

Moreover, acne sufferers generally experience an aggravation in their condition when they over-consume food high in omega-6 fat such as the above.

Because a typical Western diet (even a healthy diet) is rich in omega-6 and omega-9 (olive oil, canola oil) but poor in omega-3, you will obviously need to balance your EFA intake by consuming more cold fish oil, walnuts and flax oil that are rich in Omega 3

The recommended ratio is 2 times omega-3 than omega-6 and omega-9 combined.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Omega 3 vs Acne. Can It Really Be a Game Changer For You? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Omega 3 vs Acne. Can It Really Be a Game Changer For You? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

But one of them can target oil production on your skin.

Vitamin B5 is a revolutionary approach to deal with acne which has come into mainstream use very recently. Vitamin B5, also known as Pantothenic acid, is an organic compound, and is an essential component of the Vitamin B complex.

Vitamin B5 is a completely natural substance, and not a drug.

Vitamin B5 is a naturally occurring substance found in various plants and animals (i.e., eggs, milk, vegetables, beef, chicken, and whole grains). It is also artificially added to foods. B5 deficiency is generally rare since the vitamin is present in many foods. 

It works by cutting down hyper-secretion from sebum glands by breaking down sebum at source.

When there is a deficiency of Vitamin B5, residual fat is secreted out of the body through the skin pores in the form of oil or sebum.

Vitamin B5 is perfectly soluble in water, and has not been reported to show any degree of toxicity except in mega-concentration dosages.

Mega doses, such as 10,000 mg per day of Vitamin B5 (10 gm) has been associated with certain temporary side effects such as stomach problems, thinning hair, weight loss and initial headache but lower dosages of Vitamin B5 are considered to be perfectly safe.

I took relatively small doses over a longer period of time. It was safer this way and I did not experience any side effects. It gave me a long lasting relief from acne.

Please DO NOT self-prescribe and consult your dermatologist before taking a B5 supplement especially if you suffer from other health conditions or taking medications.

Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program

The post Which B Vitamin Reduces Oil Production And Acne on Your Skin? first appeared on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.

The post Which B Vitamin Reduces Oil Production And Acne on Your Skin? appeared first on Mike Walden's Acne Blog.