|
Blog: A Cure for Acne?(August 30, 2016)The September 2016 issue of Harper's Bazaar contains a short article of this name. It tells readers that hope is on the way: a topical treatment that reduces acne. All that is needed is a few more trials. According to this article, established remedies for acne include inflammation fighters, bactericides, and pore unblockers. What all this is based on is a belief that acne is an infection of blocked pores caused by bacteria — and that it can be remedied by addressing each aspect of that. The latest remedy blocks the formation of an enzyme that is essential to the production of sebum. No sebum, no blocked pore, no acne. Of course! They make it so complicated. I think acne is simpler than this. And I am an expert, having had it from age 16 to 50, at which point I changed my approach to skin care and the acne disappeared. I do not use antibiotics, or any other prescription drug. Instead, I am careful about my diet (lots of animal fats, thank you, and no sugar). And I am meticulous about my skin care. My skin does not respond well to commercial products, so I make my own of simple, completely natural ingredients. I cleanse my face twice a day with unrefined almond oil. I begin by rinsing my face with medium-hot water and a wash cloth, removing the water with the cloth, rubbing about two teaspoons of almond oil on my skin for maybe two minutes, then blotting the oil off with a tissue (unscented, 3-ply), and rinsing with warm water and a wash cloth. If I have been wearing eye makeup, I remove it first with the almond oil and blot with a tissue. After cleansing I spay neroli hydrosol on my face (does anything smell better?) and then dab a bit of the almond oil on damp skin, smoothing it evenly over my face. Sometimes, for a better effect, I spray more hydrosol on top of the damp almond oil. Why do I think this routine is successful? My skin does not have to cope with unnatural substances which have been deliberately applied to it. Nothing interferes with the normal, and completely natural, production of sebum (which normally protects our skin). The external application of unrefined vegetable oil also naturally removes excessive and/or perverted sebum (perverted by the use of commercial, synthetic products). The modern approach to skincare, as promoted by fashion magazines and "experts", is one of bludgeoning the body into doing what we think is correct and desirable. In spite of expensive laboratories, I am convinced that we will never know everything about how our bodies work. And certainly we will never know all the ways in which the industrial, synthetic substances that are added to our foods without our knowledge can affect our metabolism and our skin. So, I think humility and respect are in order. Let's be gentle and kind to our bodies and our skin. |
