Clear Clinic Skin Care Blog

14Oct

Good Nutrition: Healthy Habits for Life That Will Lead to Clear Skin

Posted in Acne and Diet, Acne Tips, Uncategorized and tagged Acne tips, Healthy Habits, Lifestyle | Leave a Comment

Healthy Eating for Clear Skin: Why Good Nutrition is so Important in Acne-Fighting
There is so much misleading information out there about diet, in particular what’s healthy and what’s not. The USDA guidelines are confusing and the iconic pyramid is actually outdated. The new USDA guidelines, which were implemented in 2005 with a new pyramid and then reborn in 2011 as MyPlate (a plate symbol rather than a pyramid), are also misleading. While nutritionists, food scientists and health experts had a say in how the MyPlate was created, food lobbyists from the food industry also stepped in. Harvard University created a Healthy Eating Plate based on research done at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

The Harvard University Healthy Eating Plate
If you look at the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate, you’ll see many of the same healthy eating guidelines that Dr. Schweiger recommends to combat acne in his book 100 Acne Tips & Solutions: The Clear Clinic Guide to Perfect Skin. Not only do these guidelines help lower your risk of developing a chronic disease, they also lower your risk of breaking out. The link between following a healthy diet and acne is supported by more and more research. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, brought on by several factors, internal inflammation being one of the biggest factors.

Follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation can lead to many health issues and be the trigger for chronic diseases. Acne is often considered a chronic condition. Some leading healthy experts say the best diet you can follow is an anti-inflammatory diet, which contains lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, fish and walnuts. The stuff to avoid is simple carbohydrates, processed and refined foods. If you want to set the tone for a lifetime of wellness, not to mention clear skin, follow the Harvard University Healthy Eating Plate as your main nutritional guideline.

15Sep

7 Skin Mistakes You Might be Making

Posted in Acne Tips and tagged acne mistakes, acne treatment, skincare | Leave a Comment

Does it feel like you’re doing everything you can to help clear your skin of acne, yet you’re still breaking out? Sometimes our so-called healthy habits can actually lead to acne breakouts. As frustrating as this sounds, you can nip your unhealthy routines in the bud and get on the road to clear skin right now. Here are some of the most common skin mistakes people with acne make:

Skin Mistake #1: You’re sharing your makeup brushes
If you’re the sharing type, you should know that it’s not doing anything positive for your skin. Makeup brushes can trap the kind of bacteria that leads to acne. In addition to instituting a no-sharing policy, you should also be cleansing your makeup brushes on a daily basis with a gentle shampoo. Best way to dry them is to lay them flat on a towel and let them air-dry. And speaking of makeup, the #2 skin mistake you might be making is…

Skin Mistake #2: You’re wearing the wrong makeup
Take a peek in your beauty closet. What does your foundation bottle say? Give a close read to the ingredients listed on the bottle. You want to watch out for any potentially pore-clogging ingredients, such as petroleum, mineral oil, lanolin, or dimethicone. Mineral makeup is typically a safe bet as are products that specifically say “non-comedogenic” on the label. Now that you’re wearing the right makeup, watch out for the next pitfall you could be making.

Skin Mistake #3: You’re not washing your makeup off properly
We know how hard it can be to muster enough energy to wash your face at night, but if you want clear, acne-free skin it must be done! When cleansing, make sure you’re using a gentle cleanser that’s not stripping your skin of important oils. If your skin becomes too dry, then it could create rebound oil, which leads to, you guessed it, acne! After cleansing, do the towel test. Take a damp washcloth (preferably a light color) and wipe your face. If no makeup is left behind, then you’re all clear.

Skin Mistake #4: Not using your cell phone ear buds
You may not always remember to use your ear buds while on your smart phone, but you should. Many people who get acne breakouts on their cheeks and chins can thank the bacteria found on their phones. In addition to using ear buds, you should make a habit of wiping your cell phone down every week with an alcohol-based wipe to kill bacteria.

Skin Mistake #5: Not wearing sunscreen
You might think that letting the sun on your skin will help clear up your complexion. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sun damage can not only create dark spots on areas that have blemishes, it can also rob your skin of essential oils that make it healthy. Choose a mineral-based sunscreen, as chemical sunscreens may irritate already inflamed skin.

Skin Mistake #6: Not going to the dermatologist
At the first sign of an acne breakout, your first phone call should be to the dermatologist. Trusting a skin specialist with your skin is the smartest thing you can do. A dermatologist will help you select the right at-home care regimen as well as treat your skin with in-office acne bacteria killing treatments, such as blue light therapy and laser treatments.

Skin Mistake #7: Not sticking to a skincare regimen
Once you get an acne skincare regimen (hopefully recommended by a dermatologist), it will take 6-8 weeks for you to really notice any results. A common mistake acne sufferers make is quitting their skincare plan too soon.

7Aug

The Best Birth Control Pills to Treat Acne

Posted in Acne Antibiotics, Teenage Acne and tagged Acne medicatiom, Birth Control Pill, prescription acne medications, teenage acne | Leave a Comment

BEST BIRTH CONTROL PILLS TO TREAT ACNE

There was a recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that found birth control pills to be as effective as antibiotics when fighting acne breakouts. This is great news for those who are deciding whether oral contraceptives are right for them anyway. As a young woman, dealing with constant acne breakouts can be a blow to the ego and self-esteem. This is when job interviews and first dates are par for the course. There is no lack of acne remedies on the market, but it’s very difficult to find a treatment that does what it says. One thing that has been proven to help clear up the skin in young women is birth control pills. Dermatologists have been prescribing oral birth control pills to treat acne for years.

How Birth Control Pills for the Treatment of Acne Works
Birth control pills are considered a hormonal treatment for acne. So how do hormones play into the overall formation of acne? Here’s how: Acne forms as a result of overproduction of sebum. When the sebum combines with dead skin cells, they can clog the pores and become the perfect environment for the acne bacteria to grow and form into a pimple. A group of hormones known as androgens, which contain testosterone, can stimulate the overproduction of sebum. When puberty strikes, these hormones are known to go into overdrive. When you take birth control pills that have both estrogen and progesterone in them, they help lower the amount of androgens in your body and thus resulting in less sebum production. You must be careful not to take birth control pills that have only progesterone, as they can make acne more severe.

Which Brands are the Best Birth Control for Acne?
While there are many different brands of oral birth control pills on the market, there are actually only three that have been FDA-approved for the treatment of acne, they are: Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep and YAZ. Each of these three pills contains a combination of low dose estrogen and a form of progesterone. According to studies, there is no major difference between these three birth control pills in relation to how they treat acne. Speak to your dermatologist about how you can determine which of these pills is the best birth control for acne for your personal skin and body. Keep in mind that birth control pills tackle only one of the factors that contribute to acne, which is excess sebum production. For a complete acne-fighting regimen, it’s important that you also use the right products and also incorporate in-office procedures such as blue light therapy and Isolaz.

1Jul

The Top Light Treatments for Acne

Posted in Laser Acne Treatments and tagged blue light therapy, in-office acne treatments, Isolaz acne light treatment, photodynamic therapy | Leave a Comment

Technological innovations have greatly improved our lives in many ways and acne sufferers are one of the groups seeing a huge benefit in their skin, thanks to these advances. In-office light treatments for acne are among the most-requested procedures at the dermatologist’s office. For best results, it’s recommended to use light treatments as a combination therapy, alongside topical acne medications and sometimes oral acne medications, such as antibiotics or birth control pills.

The top light treatments for acne include variations on blue light therapy, such as photodynamic therapy and Isolaz acne therapy. All of these treatments employ the use of blue light in different ways. When deciding between which in-office acne treatments to ask for at the dermatologist’s office, it’s important to know the differences between these three treatments and what their individual benefits are.

Blue Light Therapy
What it is: Blue light therapy harnesses the therapeutic properties of the blue wavelength in LED lights. This type of light can kill the p. acnes bacteria when it is shined onto the skin. Multiple treatments are generally needed to get the best results.
How it works: Blue light kills the bacterial, while red light therapy is shown to help reduce inflammation and build new collagen. A blue light therapy session is painless. You will sit for approximately 15 minutes with the light shining on your face and your eyes will be protected.
Who should get it: If you are looking for a way to step up your acne regimen, adding a blue light therapy add-on is a great idea. It’s also a great alternative for those who do not want to take a systemic approach to treating acne (ie with oral antibiotics).

Isolaz Acne Therapy
What it is: Isolaz delivers a one-two punch to acne. Isolaz uses two different mechanisms to kill active acne and prevent new pimples from forming.
How it works: Isolaz is an innovative piece of machinery that is able to deeply clean the pores with a vacuum-like technology that removes cellular debris and other acne-causing matter that gets trapped in the pores. After the deep pore-cleaning is completed, a therapeutic blue light is shined on the skin to kill any acne-causing bacteria. The pores are much more susceptible to the light after they have received their deep clean.
Who should get it: The clinical studies of the Isolaz are promising, they show a drying and flattening of active acne lesions within 24-48 hours after the treatment. Making this a great procedure for acne sufferers that need to clear their skin prior to a big event. Patients who undergo Isolaz also enjoy decreased overall oil production after just the first treatment as well as fewer breakouts in general. Isolaz is a wonderful option for those with stubborn acne who have not seen any skin improvement after other acne-clearing methods. Isolaz acne therapy has been shown to give those who are non-responsive to other acne treatments a 75% decrease in acne breakouts in just two months.

Photodynamic Therapy
What it is: As one of the most effective acne treatments for acne, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive therapy that utilizes light treatments in combination with the application of a photosensitizing agent, typically a medicine called Levulan® (5-aminolevulinic acid), to reduce acne breakouts and clear the complexion.
How it works: The way Photodynamic Acne Therapy works is that it shrinks the skin’s oil glands (sebaceous glands) that contribute to acne formation, which greatly reduces the amount of oil within the pores, thereby reducing comedones (blackheads and whiteheads). Second, Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) kills the bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that live on facial skin and cause acne breakouts. In addition, PDT improves the skin’s overall texture, and may speed the resolution of acne-induced discoloration (red or dark spots that remain after the pimples have resolved).
Who should get it: Photodynamic therapy is a great treatment option for those who do not want to begin taking antibiotics or Accutane. Photodynamic Acne Therapy was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration for the treatment of skin pre-cancers, but it has also been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for acne.

9Jun

New Study Shows Birth Control Pills are as Effective as Antibiotics in Treating Acne

Posted in Acne Antibiotics, Acne News by Melissa Schweiger Kleinman. | Leave a Comment

A new clinical study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that oral contraceptive pills are as effective in fighting acne as oral antibiotics. The study showed that while oral antibiotics deliver better complexion-clearing results in the first three months, both the pill and antibiotics are equally as effective after the six month mark. Both the pill and antibiotics reduced acne by over 50% at six months. This is great news for young women who are looking for a way to clear their skin as well as protect themselves from pregnancy.

Antibiotics, while a proven way to treat acne, are not ideal for those who do not want to subject their whole body to medication while trying to target their acne. People are also concerned about becoming antibiotic-resistant, making the pill an ideal alternative treatment for persistent acne. Antibiotics work by reducing inflammation, while oral contraceptives help reduce the hormone androgen, which leads to oil-production. While the anti-inflammatory properties lead to a quicker reduction in inflammatory acne lesions, the reduction of androgen takes a little bit longer to enjoy the results, hence the reason why antibiotics take effect quicker.

The best oral contraceptive pills to take for the treatment of acne, include YAZ, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Estrostep. All three of these pills have a low dose of estrogen and progesterone. There is no difference between their acne-clearing results. Talk to your dermatologist about which pill is best for you.

5Jun

Lea Michele Battled Acne as a Teen

Posted in Acne News by Melissa Schweiger Kleinman. | Leave a Comment

It seems everywhere you turn there’s yet another public figure discussing their battle with acne as a teenager. The latest star to come out of the closet about their skin issues is Glee star Lea Michele. In her new book entitled Brunette Ambition, Michele discusses how painful it was for her to have acne as a teenager. She recently appeared on the Dr. Oz show to promote her book, where she told Dr. Oz that she was near suicidal because of her acne and that she went on Accutane during her teen years to help her treat her problem complexion. She said that, even though her skin is cleared now, she needs to stay on top of it and make sure she’s eating well and taking care of her skin. For those suffering from severe acne that has not responded to other treatment, Accutane is in fact a great answer.

22May

The Right Way to Cleanse Acne-Prone Skin

Posted in Acne Tips by Melissa Schweiger Kleinman. | Leave a Comment

It’s easy to assume that the more you wash your face, the better it is for clearing up your acne. But this is actually false. In today’s issue of The New York Times, journalist Julia Scott writes about her “No-Soap, No-Shampoo, Bacteria-Rich Hygiene Experiment,” in which her acne-prone skin actually benefits from not cleansing it with harsh soaps in a period of 28 days. Scott was a guinea pig for a new product called AO+ Refreshing Cosmetic Mist, which contains billions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria typically found in dirt and unpurified water. The idea behind this product is to introduce helpful bacteria onto the skin, as opposed to doing away with potentially good bacteria.

According to the scientists at AOBiome, the biotech startup behind AO +, the major culprit that robs the skin of its good bacteria is sodium laurel sulfate. Sulfates in general are known to strip the skin and hair of essential nutrients. It’s much better for your skin–acne-prone skin in particular, to use a sulfate-free skin cleanser. In the end, Scott went back to showering and washing her hair, but she made some big changes in her skincare regimen. She made sure all of her products were fragrance-free and didn’t contain sulfates.

12May

Seriously? One Direction Star Harry Styles Uses This on His Acne

Posted in Uncategorized by Melissa Schweiger Kleinman. | Leave a Comment

We can only imagine what it’s like to breakout in pimples when you’re a 20-year-old heartthrob and your fans are watching. But for One Direction star Harry Styles, it really stinks–literally! The famed singer reports to have gotten a bird poop facial in London to help correct his acne before going on a world tour.

Photo Courtesy of the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail reports that Styles is paying about $300 a pop for a facial that uses nightingale droppings on the skin. Other celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Victoria Beckham have also reportedly received this facial, known as the “Geisha Facial.” The facial has gained popularity after celebrities discovered it in Japan. The nightingale droppings are collected on the Japanese island of Kyushu, and then mixed with water and rice bran before being applied onto the skin, where it’s left for about an hour to allow time for the mixture to seep into the pores. The droppings supposedly contain enzymes, which help to break down dead skin and rejuvenates the complexion.

There have been no clinical studies yet on the effectiveness of nightingale droppings on acne. For a safer bet, try Clindamycin, a proven topical antibiotic that fights acne.

7May

Are You Leading a Clear Skin Lifestyle?

Posted in Acne and Diet, Acne Tips and tagged organic food | Leave a Comment

How to Lead a Clear Skin Lifestyle

When we breakout, it’s easy to just throw our hands up in the air and not take any blame for our skin. Acne breakouts can be caused by a multitude of factors, but the bottom line is that acne is an inflammatory skin condition, and one of the major factors that triggers acne is an influx of the androgen hormone. Teenagers and pregnant women are two life stages that bring on the raging hormones, which is why during this time many of us breakout. But there are certain measures we can take to try and reduce the amount of hormones in our bodies. Here are some lifestyle changes you can make that will keep you healthy, happy and acne-free.

Switch to Organic Foods
We all know that eating organic foods has many health benefits. But conventional meat, dairy and chicken are also pumped up with hormones, which can lead to hormonal acne breakouts. Of course eating organic produce is better since you won’t be ingesting any nasty pesticides. Need a refresher on other reasons why eating organic is better than conventional? The website Only Organic has a wealth of information on why organic is better and why you should be weary of anything labeled “natural” or “healthy” without the USDA organic stamp of approval.

Add Some Fitness to Your Life
It’s hard to fit in a workout every day, but even adding a 20 minute walk into your daily schedule will work go far in helping keep you stress-free and happy. When we exercise, our blood flow is increased and this helps bring important nutrients to the cells, including our skin cells. Exercise also helps decrease stress levels. When we stress, hormones begin to rage inside the body and can lead to, you guessed it, acne breakouts. The sebaceous glands, which produce the oil that can lead to acne breakouts, are directly influenced by those stress hormones.

30Apr

How to Safely Treat Acne During Pregnancy

Posted in Acne Tips by Melissa Schweiger Kleinman. | Leave a Comment

How to Have Clear Skin Safely During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is supposed to be a time of joyful happiness and glowing skin, right? Well that’s not how it always happens in reality. During pregnancy, there is an influx of hormones in the body which can lead to acne breakouts. During a time when women already feel self-conscious about their changing bodies, dealing with acne is just another thing to make them feel self-conscious. Feeling good about yourself during pregnancy is very important, especially during postpartum, when women are vulnerable to the “baby blues.”

Treating acne during pregnancy can be tricky. There are many medications and products that are perfectly safe when you’re not pregnant, but might be harmful to the fetus during those nine months. It’s important to talk to your obstetrician and dermatologist about which skincare products you’re using and if they’re safe. Thankfully, there are some safe options to treat breakouts during pregnancy.

Here are the treatments and ingredients on the do not use list during pregnancy:

Salicylic acid
Benzoyl Peroxide
Accutane

What you can use safely to treat acne are the following:

Lactic acid
Glycolic acid
Tea tree oil
Green tea
Light-based treatments, such as red and blue light therapy.
Topical prescription acne medications, such as clindamycin, azelaic acid, erythromycin, and metronidazole
The Clear Clinic Laboratories Safe + Sensitive Clear Kit

For more complete information on treating acne before, during and after pregnancy, check out the article on American Academy of Dermatology’s website (AAD).

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