Clear for Life

Katherine emailed me asking about Visine and acne. Visine is a brand of eye drops that are used to reduce redness and inflammation in the eyes.

Visine works by constricting the small blood vessels in the eye. So it reduces the blood flow to the eye and so gets rid of the redness.

Apparently some people have said that Visine also works for acne. That it reduces redness of a pimple. If the acntive ingredients in Visine penetrate your skin deep enough and do constrict the blood vessels around the pimple, this could happen.

Whether this works or not I’m not convinced this is very smart.

Pimples get rid for a reason: inflammation. Inflammation is part of the healing process and happens because the immune system fights the acne causing bacteria and other invaders in the blocked pore. Restricting blood flow to the pimple could clamp down your body’s healing efforts.

This could lead to slower healing of the pimple and possibly more scarring.

I’m just speculating there, but this kind of thing happens when you stick your fingers in and mess with the healing efforts of your body.

Better just let the body do the healing, and focus on supporting the body the best way you can.

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Clear for Life - The lifestyle for health, happiness and clear skin

The Indian herbs Coccinia indica (ivy gourd) might help with acne. Researchers at the Institute of Population Health and Clinical Research in Bangalore, India, found that ivy gourd reduced blood sugar levels by almost 20%.

Swinging blood sugar levels are the root of many evils - including acne. By helping to control blood sugar levels ivy gourd might also help with acne. Might, I have to stress.

There is also some evidence that ginseng and aloe vera might lower blood sugar levels and therefore help with acne.

Some science speak and more info about the topic, please see:

Systematic Review of Herbs and Dietary Supplements for Glycemic Control in Diabetes

Still, before you get your hopes up and rush to the health store, I have to say the evidence for these herbs is not conclusive. Mostly short-term studies with small sample size.

Like all quick-fixes there’s no guarantee with these herbs. They may or may not help.

Still as these herbs seem to mimic insulin I would classify these as smart use of quick-fixes.

None of these herbs will permanently cure your acne, but combine with clear skin lifestyle, as I teach in Clear for Life, they might help you to get clear faster.

Recently one of my readers asked my opinion about an acne product. Here’s what she wrote to me:

The following company:
http://www.skinlight.co.uk/product_1_Acne+Kit.html claim
the following: The results from using this kit are excellent and immediate.
*The system will not only cure and prevent acne it will re-surface the skin
bringing it back to its original condition. *
* *
*Do you think this product really works? or is it a waste of money?*

I looked at it and…

Save your money.

There’s nothing new under the sun with that ‘Acne Kit’. Merely a collection of chemical based topicals to irritate your skin.

Let’s look at those claims.

The results from using this kit are excellent and immediate.

Maybe, but I highly doubt it. Sure it’s possible to reduce acne with topical treatments.

The system will not only cure and prevent acne…

I guess that depends on what you mean by ‘curing acne’. If you mean a temporary reduction or disappearance of pimples, with likely side-effect of irritating the skin, sure that’s possible.

But if you mean complete and lifelong freedom from acne, then I have to say…

Quack, quack, quack…
What’s that?
Oh, it’s our friend the duck.

…it will re-surface the skin bringing it back to its original condition.

Total and utter horse crap.

That statement implies that the creams and lotions would somehow repair and heal the skin. The only thing that can ‘bring the skin back it its original condition’ is your body. And it cannot do that as long as the skin is full of chemicals or that it has to eliminate toxins via the skin (because all the other channels of elimination are ‘fully booked’).

As you probably know the cause of acne is internal. In a more practical level, it’s the way you live your life.

The only thing that can permanently break you free from acne is a healthy lifestyle and periodical detoxification. I describe the nuts and bolts of all this in Clear for Life as well as simple and highly practical instructions to applying it to your life.

As long as you are willing to put in some effort and persistence you can get clear. The solution to clear skin is so simple and painfully obvious that nobody has to suffer from acne.

I got this email from one of my readers. I think this might be relevant for you too.

She wrote:

“I subscribed to a free newsletter about acne and now get emails from someone named Bob Grant about his CBS System. Just wondering if you heard of this system (he’s promising that he’ll clear you in just 7 days).”

First I want to say that when you subscribe to Acne 101 the system offers you additional newsletters. I don’t like it at all, but there’s nothing I can do to it. I use a third-party service to deliver these emails. All of them have something like this.

Those other emails are not from me, and I have nothing to do with them. Better just click the ‘unsubscribe’ link at the end of them.

I looked at the CBS (Clear, Beautiful, Smooth Skin) System and here are my two cents.

Save your money.

I don’t mean to bash a competitor here, just to offer you friendly advice.

Here’s why I think you should hold on to your wallet and skip this CBS System.

First, I have to admit that I haven’t bought it. I only read the sales letter. But once you understand how to write sales letters and know a bit about getting clear and natural health, it’s easy to ‘decode’ the whole program from the sales letter alone.

I think it’s little more than a glorified ‘Acne Free in 3 Days’.

The CBS System starts you off with a ‘3-Day Cleanse’ (you already learned this from Acne 101 lesson 6) and then continues with some type of herbal cleanse in what they call ‘A Personalized System For Your Skin’. The rest of the program concerns itself with keeping you acne free and eliminating acne scars.

The CBS System is based on the idea that toxins cause acne. While it’s true that toxins play a role clear skin and health is much more than simply toxins.

I have no doubt that by following the CBS System some people get clear. It’s a step to the right direction. I’m just warning you that don’t buy into the delusion that you can permanently cure acne in 7 days.

It doesn’t work that way.

It took years, or decades, to develop acne. It’s going to take more than 7 days to cure it. Even if you fast 7 days with pure water and follow it up with 100% raw food diet your acne most likely comes back after the fast.

The healing process simply takes longer.

Yes, by combining a detox and medicating yourself with herbs it may be possible to get clear. But please don’t delude yourself into thinking this is real healing.

Please keep in mind there are no secrets to clear skin. Just like weightloss it comes down to the same old and boring story: healthy lifestyle. In both markets there’s no shortage of people who want you to believe they have finally, after years of backbreaking research and testing, and interviewing hundreds of experts discovered the elusive and long-hidden secret that gives you what you want easily and quickly.

They all play to the same human ‘flaw’ that we all want a quick and easy solution to our problems. Simply walk away when you see these kinds of offers.

Finally remember that clear skin and health is more about how you live your day-to-day life than what you do once in a while.

Because Clear for Life teaches you the nuts and bolts of day-to-day life that gets and keep you clear, I believe into it so strongly. And, sometimes shamelessly, promote it to you. I know it’s going to rock your world and skin.

Apparently scrubbing raw potatoes on your skin helps to clear pimples and acne scars.

Cut a slice of a raw potato and rub the moist part on your skin for about 30 seconds. Leave the potato juice on your skin to dry and wash afterwards.

Some people report it dries the skin a bit. Maybe the vitamins, antioxidants and minerals in potato juice make it antibacterial also. Some people also report potatoes help to face acne scars.

Now I’m not saying this will completely wipe out your acne problems, but I searched through different acne and health forums and it seems this helps many people.

You still need to live a healthy life, such as described in Clear for Life. But this can be a great additional treatment because health takes some time to kick in.

But as an alternative to chemical-based treatments this could be an option.

Costs next to nothing and you can find potatoes everywhere.

I often bash acne treatments that are ‘quick-fixes’. Meaning this pill, powder, cream, flush or whatever cures your acne and solves your health problems. Just like the duck in this cartoon does:

Image courtesy of Mike Adams at http://www.naturalnews.com

Still, there’s a way you can use these quick-fixes intelligently. And this posts explains how.

I just saw one woman at an acne.org forum saying hormonal balancing is the key to acne. Her doctor prescribed her bioidentical (is that an oxymoron or what) hormones to ‘balance’ her hormones.

This is part of my reply to her, which explains one of the problems with these quick-fixes. I’ll get to how to use them the smart way after this.

And by the way, the same principles in my reply applies to any and all so-called imbalances (such as blood sugar, inflammation) that lead to acne, and pretty much to every cause of acne.

So this helps even if your acne is not hormonal.

– clip –

I feel I have to stick my dirty fingers here.

I feel happy for you that this is helping you. And I really don’t mean to rain on your parade. Just want to give you heads up.

Taking artificial hormones won’t ‘balance’ your hormones. You are just plugging a leaky hole and temporarily fixing the problem.

Your hormones are never ‘unbalanced’. They are the way they are for a reason. The body regulates hormones and it’s always based on your ‘internal environment’. In other words state of health.

Just because a doctor tells you your hormones are unbalanced doesn’t mean anything. He’s just comparing them to some number the medical community cooked up and agreed on. Those number don’t reflect your unique situation and condition.

Given your internal environment the body regulates hormones in a way that’s best for the entire body. Your hormones are always in perfect balance. Granted that balance will not always give you the results you want.

By taking artificial hormones you upset the balance the body thinks is the best. So you UNbalance them. That may give you the result you want, but in the long term it’s probably bad for your health.

Anytime you stick your fingers in and mess with your body you make things worse (regarding your overall health).

The body regulates hormones based on the internal environment. You can affect that with the foods you eat and the way you live your life.

That’s the only way to ‘balance’ your hormones in a way that also gives you the results you want.

– clip –

So far Clear for Life is the only acne book in the market that shows you how to do that. Acne No More is also good for getting you clear. But it’s not so good for long term because it’s mostly based on fasting and that doesn’t keep you clear for long time. All the supplements you need to buy also makes it quite expensive.

Ok, that’s all fine and dandy.

But I bet my crystal ball tells me your goal is to get clear as soon as possible. Unfortunately it may take some time before your body has gained enough vitality to cure your acne.

That doesn’t gel with your goal very well, does it.

The trick is to combine these two approached.

Start rebuilding your health (fixing the internal environment) right now. That’s the only thing that’s going to keep you clear in the long term. At the same time try some quick-fixes that can get you clear quickly.

That way you can have your cake and eat it too.

You get clear quickly, well at least have a chance to, and get to keep your clear skin for life.

The reason I often bash quick-fixes is because they kill your motivation to make the real changes. If you already are clear then why would you change your diet and lifestyle?

Plus quick-fixes give you a bag full of excuses. Instead of kicking yourself on the arse and making the change you think ‘maybe this new pill or product can fix the problems’.

Your motivation to change drains away and you stay stuck.

But as long as you don’t let this happen and actually make the changes quick-fixes are ok.

Keep that in mind because quick-fixes have as much chance of giving you the permanent freedom you are looking for as a disfigured chimpanzee in a beauty contest.

It just doesn’t happen.

Strictly speaking, this is not the best for your overall health. Because most quick-fixes throw the body off balance. Some more and some less. So it’s probably going to take you longer to regain perfect health (and skin).

Still, you have a good chance to cure acne, or at least significantly reduce it, quickly.

And somehow I feel that’s worth it for you.

Some quick-fixes are better than others. Meaning they don’t throw your body off balance so much.

Here are some ’safe’ quick-fixes (in my opinion):

• Topicals without any products (such as steaming).
• Homemade topical treatments, topicals with only natural ingredients are good also, but homemade are better.
• Supplements; this is a bit tricky because some supplements can create nutritional imbalances. I’d stay away from vitamins and other single nutrition supplements. Probiotics, enzymes, HCL and such are pretty safe.
• Homeopathy
• Laser and light treatments; this is a bit so-and-so. Although these don’t use chemicals (and as such are safe) they do cause free radical damage in the skin and that way can be harmful.

Here’s the blacklist of quick-fixes:

• Topicals with chemicals.
• Herbs; this includes Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and similar medicines. Herbs are nothing but mild form of drugs. They are inert substances and have no healing effect whatsoever. They only irritate the body and force the body into throwing the offending substances out.
• Cleanses and flushes of any kind.
• Drugs; antibiotics, Accutane and the entire gang.

Those are not exhaustive lists. Just something I had on top of my mind now.

I think Mr. X Acne Says is one of the best quick-fix solutions. Mr. X Acne Says is based on the idea that inflammation causes acne. I agree fully with that.

Mr. X Acne Says then offers a combined dietary and supplement based solution to reduce inflammation. The dietary changes are simple and easy to implement to anyone who is at least a bit health conscious. If you eat at McDonald’s every day it can be bit of a challenge.

The supplements cost you a bit, around $50 a month. But when you combine it with diet and lifestyle changes, you need the supplements only for 2 to 3 months.

I’m in touch with ‘Mr. X’ (this sounds like some blind dating program) regularly. He’s a good and reliable fellow. If the program doesn’t work for you he will give you a refund. And if, for any reason, you have problems just contact me and I’ll email him.

Of course I can’t promise Mr. X Acne solution gets you clear, but combined with lifestyle changes in Clear for Life it’s the best solution for getting clear quickly and permanently I can think of.

Proactiv is on it again.

This time they recruited professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler as their celebrity face.

This is what Ryan had to say about Proactiv:

“When you put it on your face, you can feel it actually getting the dirt out. It feels like you have a brand new face.”

Funny enough Ryan, but you are right. You do get a new face when those chemicals (and the free radical damage they cause) destroy your skin.

I’m just wondering what he means by saying ‘you can feel it actually getting the dirt out’?

Does he refer to the burning sensation the chemicals cause? Or perhaps it’s the redness and irritation Proactiv causes to so many people. Perhaps those chemicals have like little shovels they use to ‘dig out the dirt’ and that causes redness.

Don’t mean to sound too negative. Proactiv probably helps millions of people to mask away their acne. As I wrote in my original Proactiv review.

Not to mention that Proactiv is horribly overpriced. You could probably get as good stuff for 10th of the price. The ingredients in Proactiv cost next to nothing. Marketing expenses probably account for 90% of the price.

Another point.

Quick-fixes like Proactiv keep people from finding the real solutions to their acne. When you can mask away those pimples why would you look for anything else? Especially if the real solutions would require you to change your diet and, god forbid, exercise. What a horrible thing!

So people merrily poison their faces with these chemicals for years. Until their body gets into such a bad shape that those creams and pills stop working. That could be 10 years worth of unhealthy living and abusing your body.

Take a moment and think back.

How much easier it would have been to cure your acne with real solutions when you got it the first place? You would probably have 10 or more years less damage to reverse.

All those years you could have lived a healthy and happy life. With much more gusto and confidence to enjoy life. Being healthy also makes you more optimistic and productive. When you get more done you get further in life.

So all those quick-fixes bear quite a heavy cost - when you count everything.

Anyway, remember to be grateful for your acne.

Once you’ve fixed your life and look back you’ll notice it’s probably one of the best things that happened to you. It may not seem like that now, but it will be.

It certainly was that for me. Without acne I would have never fixed my health. I would still be sitting in some (%#)%*#) office writing useless reports to people who are too stupid to figure things out themselves (I used to be a consultant : )).

Now I live in a tropical paradise, learning to be a scuba diving instructor and loving every bit of the work I do (to spread this message to people).

So not too bad for few pimples.