Acne Q & A Archive: Teenage acne, sebum and diet.

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Author	Topic: Teenage acne, sebum and diet.
Fitz 10-05-2002 02:14 PM	Wai, I am 20 years old and have suffered from acne since my early teens. I have tried the usual set of conventional treatments – antibiotics, Accutane, Differin, etc. – but none have been able to resolve the problem fully. Although I am sceptical about the effect diet can have on acne I have read your opinions about acne’s causes with an open mind. Since my acne was ostensibly triggered by hormonal changes at the onset of puberty it would seem that by undertaking your diet I wouldn’t necessarily stand to gain much. My face is very oily and it is hard to see how any treatment that doesn’t reduce my sebum production will benefit me. Firstly, just to clarify, will your diet make my face less oily (i.e. reduce sebum production)? Secondly, if the diet doesn’t reduce sebum production, but does prevent excessive water retention and in so doing stop the sebum canals from becoming blocked, why then would acne occur even with oily skin? Surely if the diet does stops the sebum canals from becoming blocked, no matter how much sebum is produced acne (whiteheads, pimples) will not develop? I have also heard a number of people claiming that acne is caused by mucus and by eliminating mucus-forming foods from your diet you can eliminate acne. Such people often cite the book “The Mucusless Diet Healing System” by Arnold Ehrets. I wonder if you have any knowledge of this book and any opinions about how such a diet fits in with your own theories? Finally some people claim that by eliminating gluten or lectins from your diet you can clear acne. Do you have any opinions on this. I hope that you will be able to reply.
Wai 10-05-2002 02:36 PM	quote: Since my acne was ostensibly triggered by hormonal changes at the onset of puberty it would seem that by undertaking your diet I wouldn’t necessarily stand to gain much That goes for every single person that eliminated his/her acne by following my diet. Acne is caused by the combination of 2 factors: - producing much sebum, which is hormonally determined - retaining water in the true skin, which can be hormonally determined, just by diet, or a combination of both. You acne will disappear if you can eliminate either the high sebum poroduction, OR the water retention in the true skin. (eliminating only one of these will do) My diet eliminates the water retention in the true skin. quote: will your diet make my face less oily (i.e. reduce sebum production) Oil prevents the skin against dehydration. In most acne patients with an oily skin, the high production of oil is a reaction to the dehydration of the outer skin due to water-attracting substances in the layer below (the true skin). So, yes, in most people with an oily skin, the diet decreases the production of oil. quote: if the diet doesn’t reduce sebum production, but does prevent excessive water retention and in so doing stop the sebum canals from becoming blocked, why then would acne occur even with oily skin? Surely if the diet does stops the sebum canals from becoming blocked, no matter how much sebum is produced acne (whiteheads, pimples) will not develop? I don't understand what you are saying / asking here... Let me try step by step... quote: why then would acne occur even with oily skin? The oil has nothing to do with the cause of acne... If your skin produces much sebum (and much oil), and if the sebum canals are blocked, you will have acne, indeed... quote: if the diet does stops the sebum canals from becoming blocked, no matter how much sebum is produced acne (whiteheads, pimples) will not develop? indeed... So, I'm afraid I don't understand your question / comment here. Can you please clarify?
Fitz 10-05-2002 06:50 PM	To clarify: in a previous message you told someone that if their acne was "100% hormonal" then the diet may not help. But if the diet stops the sebum canals becoming blocked then why wouldn't the diet work in any case? Acne occurs when pores (I presume pores are the same as sebum canals)become blocked. If your diet stops pores being blocked then how can acne occur? Please also address my other queries about mucus, gluten, etc.. Thanks for responding so promptly.
Wai 10-06-2002 02:31 PM	quote: in a previous message you told someone that if their acne was "100% hormonal" then the diet may not help. Yes, elevated hormone levels (or increased susceptibility of their receptors) may cause both a high production of sebum and water retention, and then the diet cannot undo this. quote: But if the diet stops the sebum canals becoming blocked The diet eliminates water retention caused by water-attracting substances ingested through diet, not water retention caused by hormones. If the hormones only cause a high sebum production (not water retention), then the diet will work. quote: I presume pores are the same as sebum canals They are not the same; You have way more pores than sebum canals. Not every pore is connected to a sebum canal. quote: Please also address my other queries about mucus, gluten, etc.. Gluten and lectins are hard to digest / partly protected against digestion, and therefore may inhibit digestion in general, which may cause more undecomposed protein to be absorbed into the lymph system. Also, the peptides contained in gluten (opioid peptides) are 'dirty' protein. I don't know anything about a connection between mucus and acne.