DISCLAIMER: What I am about to talk about is based on my personal opinion. I am aware that there are some people out there who have had great success against acne with their prescription drugs. However, I believe a majority of us out there fall into a category where it is just not working for us. Having suffered through a decade of acne, I have gone through many prescription drugs ranging from topical creams to oral antibiotics. Long story short, none of them had any real permanent effect on my skin problem. Rather, the only thing that disappeared was cash from my wallet. I remember going through Minocycline, Doxycycline, and Tetracycline throughout different times of my life and the only thing that happened was having dry, flaky skin and I literally looked like my face was peeling off. That in conjunction with some sort of topical cream (dermatologists love prescribing both topical cream and antibiotic at the same time) such as Tretinoin, Benzaclin, and Duac usually leaves my face feeling like shit throughout the day. Ignorant and young, I thought to myself these side effects are nothing compared to the reward of
healthy and
clear skin. Time after time, my skin will seem as if it is clearing up but shortly after my oral or topical medication run out, my biggest fear will strike as the acne returned. I thought perhaps my dosage wasn't enough or the chemical content within my topical cream isn't strong enough and that's why my acne keeps returning. Maybe the concentration on benzoyl peroxide is too much. Maybe it's too little. Maybe my dosage of doxycline wasn't strong enough. Filled with denial, I continued to believe the drugs
have to work and I am just not receiving the right amount. It wasn't long (6-7 years ... okay maybe it was a bit long) before I begin to question the drugs.
I begin to ask myself why isn't the drugs
curing my acne. I asked the exact same question to my dermatologist and this is what her answer was:
"These drugs are just
treatments"
Treatments? In other words, they don't permanently rid your body of acne. The prescription drugs are just temporary solutions for acne. As soon as the treatment stops, acne will come back into your life. I have a friend who had undergone an Accutane treatment (the strongest oral medication there is for acne)
twice and the acne always comes back shortly after treatment ended. Pharmaceutical companies know this and dermatologists know this as well. It is all a giant scheme to launder money off us. They provide us with temporary solutions and expect us to keep paying in order to fend off acne. A small supply of topical cream such as Duac (45grams) can cost up to more than 100 dollars. Did my dermatologist even warned me of the potential cost of Duac when she prescribed it to me? Nope. So what happens when you are out of money and cannot potentially support the cost to treat your acne?
Speaking of which, I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Proactiv as well. Talk about a great marketing scheme! That product is literally at the top of the acne world. If only it acts like one. Not only did the product failed to work, I remember I had one of the worst breakout moment during my regimen with Proactiv. Like the prescription drugs-though it isn't one-the product offered temporary solution only. Patients were expected to pay a monthly fee to get their supplies of Proactiv. As I mentioned earlier, what happens when you can no longer afford it?
Feeling a little down, I thought it was the end of the world. Are
there no solutions to acne besides these drugs? I decided to take it upon myself and begin researching. After flipping through many articles and books, I learned that there is another approach to battling against acne. This approach is not only effective and simple but it is also
powerful. On top of that, the price tag on this is many times lower than that of prescription drugs. What is this powerful approach that is so common yet no pharmaceutical representatives or dermatologists will ever want you to know? A holistic approach. Here is the definition of holistic from dictionary.com:
a. Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.
b. Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts: holistic medicine; holistic ecology.
A holistic approach can be broken up into simple parts.
- Nutrition
- Lifestyle
On top of that, you aim to avoid as much artificial chemical content from topical cream and oral medication as possible.
Intrigue by such a unique method, I began adopting this approach. I began to watch my nutritional intake by limiting myself on junk food and taking in more nutritional content that has been shown to reduce acne. Working out and exercising had become a solid part of my life and I performed them on a consistently. I tossed all my acne cream that I have gotten out and begin applying natural homemade products to my skin instead. Long story short, my acne was cleared and never returned to my face two years later except for occasional one or two small whiteheads that appear from time to time. Even so, those small zits were no problem compared to the ones I used to get since they disappear within a week. Here is the interesting part, shortly after I begin my holistic approach, acne was no longer on my mind. By changing my diet and habits, I have adopted a new
lifestyle. My skin was looking better, my healthy felt better, and I just felt like a brighter and more active person in general compared to the lackluster one when I was using prescription drugs and stressing over acne. In fact, I wasn't even aware of acne until one day my parents told me that my face looks a lot better and healthier now. Then it hit me. What I had been doing wasn't a treatment, it was a change of lifestyle to a better one. Best of all, I don't have to continuously put up a tremendous amount of money to keep acne at bay. Instead, I just have to go on living normally with my new lifestyle. So if you are frustrated about why the drugs your dermatologists prescribe isn't working then give the holistic approach a shot!
The purpose of this blog is to dive into the world of holistic approach. I will be writing up on the benefits of many nutrients that we aren't usually aware of and many homemade products that can be made cheaply and effectively to fend off acne. I will also label diets and habits that could potentially lead to more acne or reduce acne. Stay tune for more!
A short entry here for a great treatment. Though known to many, not a lot of people use aloe vera gel as topical treatment which can be a bummer! 100% natural aloe vera gel has done wonders to my skin. From treating burns to dry flaky skin, aloe vera gel has contributed a lot to my path to clearer skin. In scientific studies, it has been shown that aloe vera treatment on skin can speed up healing - especially in first to second degree burns. So we relate this to acne where from time to time we get damages to our skin and having aloe vera can possibly help improve the health of the skin. Many acne sufferers also have a problem with dry skin. I tend not to use the normal moisturizers due to its oiliness. Instead I opt for aloe vera gel. Not only does it make my skin feels refreshingly cool it also doesn't give me the oily feeling that usually accompanies the typical moisturizers. In some medicinal studies, aloe vera gel has also been shown to reduce inflammation in skin diseases.
