Studies

Recent acne studies including zinc and acne studies, diet acne studies, and more.

New Acne Research Papers for 2011, 2010 and 2009:

Gluten disorder 4 times as prevalent as it was in the 1950s (based on study of frozen blood samples from then)

Cordain: Acne Vulgaris – A Disease of Western Civilization

Acne patients 2-3 times as likely to be depressed as the general population

Acne linked to suicide thoughts in students

Acne vulgaris significantly affects patients’ quality of life. Regardless of the severity of acne, older adults were more affected by their acne.

Does Diet Really Affect Acne?

[Does acne cause the depression? Does depression cause the acne? Or does the same thing cause both depression and acne? An interesting concept. Our regimen promotes a lot of things that help with depression (proper sleep, sunlight, exercise, and a relatively healthy diet. I would venture, with no real evidence, to say that often all 3 statements are true and they cause sufferers to spiral downwards into a worse case of both depression and acne.]

Vitamin B / Zinc tablets appear to be an effective oral therapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris and rosacea

2009 acne study. Milk and high glycemic load diets increased acne prevalence and severity.

Acne Research Paper: Skim milk (not whole milk) associated with Acne in teenagers

“Positive association between intake of milk and acne” in a study of 6000 teenage girls

Role of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, hyperglycaemic food and milk consumption in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris

Accutane might work because it suppresses the retina’s ability to see light at night.

Clindamycin gel + Benzoyl Peroxide wash appears safe and well-tolerated in participants with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

In this study of Chinese students, desserts and fruit juices were linked to increased acne, and dairy and soy linked to decreased acne.

A high glycemic load diet, dairy food intake, high fat diet, and iodine in Korean foods appear to play a role in acne exacerbation.

Glycemic index, glycemic load: new evidence for a link with acne.

Classification of benzoyl peroxide as safe and effective

Light and laser therapy for acne: sham or science? facts and controversies.

Vitamin D deficiency causes cancer and increased mortality rates.

Study showing red/blue light therapy helped with acne, followed by one that shows that red/blue light therapy failed to help.

Topical Botanical Helps Acne With Postinflammatory Hypopigmentation

[This study was about red/blue light on the skin, not in the eyes. Light in the eyes is was this site advocates as an important factor in limiting acne, so these studies would not particularly relate to the theory]

If you want access to the bulk of the research on acne, you will have to pay for it. So much for the free spirit of academia at the research labs around the world. No wonder it’s so hard to solve relatively simple problems like acne. The world’s information is simply not at our disposal the way it could be. Please send us any other studies you think we might find interesting.

Other interesting studies:
Zinc may shorten the length of common colds

No comments yet.

How to clear your skin:

Vitamins / Supplements

With a meal, 3-4 times per day: 3 mgs of boron, Vitamin B Complex 50, 25-50 mgs of Zinc. Once per day, with a meal: Multi vitamin, Fish Oil (Not Cod Liver Oil), 2000 IUs of Vitamin D. This alone may end acne.

Get outside during the day!

You need daylight to suppress melatonin so you can really crank it out at night. Stay in the shade, but you must see sky. 12+ hours is optimal, an hour in the am and at noon may work. No sunburns, sunglasses or hats!

Fix your sleep cycle

Go to sleep at the same time every night. Ten o'clock is optimal. Sleep in complete darkness, and wake up without an alarm. 8.5+ hours is best. Try to keep your evening activities calm and in relative darkness. It is nearly impossible to improve acne without sleeping properly.

Get your exercise

Workout for 30-60 minutes, 4-5 hours before bedtime, every day. Eat meat beforehand (within an hour). You are moving Tryptophan into the brain. Additional exercise is great, but never close to bedtime. Outdoor exercise is best. Make sure you work up a good sweat.

Eat the right things

Eliminate gluten, dairy and processed foods altogether. Cut back on soy and sugars including fruit. Use unlimited extra virgin olive oil, but no soy / vegetable / other oils. Eat tomatoes cooked in olive oil (or tomato juice), carrots, and broccoli every day. Eat sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds before bedtime.

Other Stuff

Wash only twice/day. Shave daily (men). Don't use topical products. Use jojoba oil or moisturizer only as necessary to avoid dry skin. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Relax. Life is good!

Don’t Do This!

Avoid kelp, too much iodine (iodized salt, sea salt is ok), alcohol, drugs, harsh topical medicines like benzoyl peroxide, over-washing, antibiotics, stimulants (ritalin,caffeine) within 10 hours of bedtime, sleep deprivation, sleeping with the light on, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night (drink less water at night!).

Do Your Best

If you have acne, chances are you are violating a lot of these rules. No one expects you to fix everything at once. Make changes as you can, experiment, and see what happens. Once your skin is great, you can add back in certain foods and lifestyles that are important to you. If something turns out to be a trigger, you'll figure it out pretty quick.