Are you struggling with acne? Or do you have naturally clear skin and want to know the secrets for achieving beautiful glowing skin and for increasing your health?

Your skin is your body's largest organ of elimination and detoxification. Toxins that you put into your body (including over-the-counter and prescribed drugs) are eliminated through your oil glands and can show up as acne anywhere on the body. Most acne treatment products contain harsh chemicals that dry out your skin and create a constant battle between the body and the product itself, ultimately doing more harm than good.

Blemish-free skin requires that the internal as well as the external causes of acne are addressed. Proper diet, exercise, relaxation, and natural acne products are necessary treatments for long-term success. When you are healthy on the inside, your skin shows it!

“The Ultimate Clear Skin Plan” by Karen Jessett (www.acne-advice.com) outlines the causes of acne and several ways for healing the body internally and externally to find the long-term path to clearer skin naturally.

Some Causes of Acne

• Hormones: For most people, acne begins at puberty. The body starts to produce hormones called androgens. Androgens cause the enlargement and over stimulation of the sebaceous glands in people with acne. Sensitivity to these androgens also causes acne during the menstrual cycle and sometimes in pregnancy. The extra oil (sebum) from the sebaceous glands mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria (Proprionibacterium acnes) on the skin’s surface and blocks pores. Inside the blocked pore, these bacteria multiply to cause inflammation that leads to acne.
• Stress: Stress causes the production of hormones, such as cortisol, that can aggravate acne. Stress also causes the digestive system to slow down; this in itself is often linked to acne.
• Harsh, drying skin care products: These dry the skin too much, causing the sebaceous glands to excrete more oil to compensate for the dryness. Dry skin also leads to excess dead skin cells. More oil + excess dead skin cells = blocked pores and more acne!

Natural Ways to Clear Acne

Avoid caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine stimulates hormone production.

Eat hormone-regulating foods such as alfalfa, flaxseed, oats, celery, parsley, rhubarb, fennel, and evening primrose oil.
Utilize relaxation techniques and exercise to help avoid stress.
Use only natural, botanical acne treatment products that are free from harsh, drying ingredients. Avoid products containing the following chemical ingredients: alcohol, isopropyl myristate, lanolin, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, mineral oil and parabens.
Top Ten Foods for helping to reduce acne: avocado, mangos/papayas, watercress, garlic, celery, olives, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, herbs/wild greens/salad leaves, and berries.
Foods to avoid: dairy products, refined and cooked carbohydrates, cooked fats, and meat. All of these foods are acid-forming in the body and cause a sluggish digestive system. If food travels too slowly through the body, toxins build up and are not carried away by the usual processes and are expelled via the skin, causing acne.

If you nourish your skin from the inside and out, your body will work in harmony and your skin will sparkle!

I highly recommend the “The Ultimate Clear Skin Plan” by Karen Jessett. Ms. Jessett created www.acne-advice.com to provide information about how to treat this distressing condition naturally. She has spent over 10 years gathering information to successfully rid herself of acne. This book provides everything you need to find long-term success for blemish-free skin.

Source: http://www.magicsuds.net/magic_suds_014.htm