Spots / Acne

Brimstone - I think the current prevailing wisdom attributes acne more to hormonal changes associated with puberty than to what you are eating. Although, I do know when I eat healthy and drink a lot of water, I can see a definite positive difference in my skin.

It's a pain in the neck and hard to deal with I know, but just keep in the back of your mind that most people do grow out of acne by their later teen years. If you keep your skin clean (which means hands off your face as much as possible), when your homones settle down, your spots will disappear. Truly, I had pretty bad acne as a teen - but to look at my face now, you would never guess. When I was about 18 or 19, it just all suddenly cleared up. It is extremely important though that you don't pick at your pimples. This can lead to permanent scarring. Hang in there...

Thanks a lot. it's good to know that someone else was in my situation, as now they're fine. I was also wondering whether spots can be inherited? My parents, as teens, had very bad acne, leading to my acne. My best friend's parents ,however, had very few spots as children, and now he's the same.

Yes, there is a definite genetic component to being susceptible to acne. If your parents or brothers and/or sisters had it - there's a good chance you will - although not always. Neither one of my parents had it - but out of six kids in my family - four of us had it. None of us ended up with scarring though - so that's good. Hang in there .

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE,ITS APPEAR THAT ACNE LESSENS YOUR CHANCES OF HEART DIDEASE, so researchers have concluded.

I didn't know that - interesting.

My problem is that I have a lot of pimples over my shoulders, chest and on my back.

I bought one of Neutrogena Acne body wash but that didn't help. It's so embarassing.

If I wear a shirt thats only a little bit low my pimples are in plain sight. What to do?

I get them on my back too.
Do you have a very open minded caring mother?Mine 'deals' with mine then gives my back a good scrub with soap and water.Maybe you could ask yours to help out.

I agree with what Aidan has said. Acne is largely hormonal and often hereditary. My brother had bad acne as a teen, I had it as a young(ish) adult. Accutane does help, but it's a bad drug. My doc wouldn't even consider prescribing it.

Food didn't seem to have any affect on my acne (or my brother's). Viewing acne as an infection did help a little. I found that washing with soap and water 2-3 times daily helped. At least one of those washings was with a soft wash cloth. I never used that wash cloth more than once before washing it. At least wash cloths are cheap - buy 7 of them, then you have a week's worth.

Some acne is caused/complicated by allergic reactions to environmental factors. Do you have allergies to food or pollen/mold?

I also didn't know about the acne-heart disease thing. I'll look into it.

oh, as for the acne on the back and shoulders. Material girl offered sage advice - a mild scrub with soap and warm water. Also, in warm weather, try to keep skin uncovered as much as possible. Keep skin protected from the sun (seems to cause my shoulder acne).

My father had it severely and eventually was put on medication for it but now due to the medication he has horrible hearing problems the disses has a name I just cant think of it
(I also have acne)

ok listen up.....
my mum through our teenage years gave us blimmin boiled silver beet
(yuk) and she said we wont ever get pimples, every night cept fridays
(cause it was fish and chip night)my brothers and I ate this terrible stuff
and she was right ..none of us got pimples or acne..while all my friends got it we did not!...I so thank my mother she did this, but the day I left home I have never eaten Silver beet (aka Choking weed) again LOL

....so you can always try that..its the iron in it I think!

Is there anything that says heat is related to acne? When it gets hotter, I get more spots. Maybe it's due to the fact I sweat a lot more in the heat than I do in the cold? Any thoughts?

Foods
It has been a subject of great debate if diet plays a role in acne. Now it's becoming clear that diet or food items may not directly cause acne, but the chemicals released during the metabolism of certain food items directly influence factors causing acne, and thus worsen the condition of pre-existing acne or trigger off on set of acne.
In 90% of acne patients, acne is caused by consuming foods that can cause acne whereas in the rest of 10% patients, it is partly caused by hormones.
. Western diets, which contain high-fat content and dairy products, causes acne to spread, whereas in the countries or regions thriving on the traditional low fat, high-starch diet based on vegetables and fruits show little or no acne in people.

Acne is also affected by food which is hard to digest or that results in a sluggish digestive process. A sluggish digestive system gives rise to all sorts of skin disorders. It is necessary for people affected by acne to take care of their diet and consume as much plant-based, fiber-rich food as they can because it will not burden their digestive system and make metabolism easy. Acne-affected people should drink lots of water, have daily servings of colorful fruits and vegetables (which replenish different nutrients in body), have a tablespoon of cold-pressed seed oil daily, eat oily fish three times a week (to compensate essential fatty acids), eat plenty of whole grain, root vegetables, lentils and beans, and avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible.

Well you can also try medications like Accutane
for treating your acne with consultation of your doctor

When washing my face before applying spot cream, should I wash it with hot water or cold water? I've heard different answers, so can someone please clarify!!!