Acne

Remember those post-puberty glory days and the change in facial terrain that followed?  Well, some guys find themselves observing the same phenomenon after Hormone Replacement Therapy!  Yes, that's always fun to explain to the wife and kids, eh? 

The good news is that, diet alone can help very significantly with acne. Below I outline some of the key scientific findings that can help or even cure this issue:

1. Low Glycemic Diet.  A couple of studies have shown significant decreases in acne through a diet based on low-glycemic carbohydrates, such as most whole grains, fruits and veges. [1]  One of these studies was based on fairly high protein (25%), medium carbohydrate (45%) and medium-high fat (30%). [2] Care should be taken to avoid saturated fat in order to avoid erectile issues, which means the protein would need to come from egg whites and possibly whey.

2.  Fish Oil.  Multiple studies have indicated that increased consumption of fish and sea food, and thus most likely fish oil, is associated with decreased acne. [3]

3.  Red Light Therapy.  A recent study showed that red light therapy appears to be an excellent solution for acne.  Acne is primarily caused by bacteria that live within skin pores where red light therapy specializes in penetrating. [4] You may recall from my page on Skin and Eye Treatments that red light therapy is very effective aginst the wrinkling that occurs around the eye, a difficult are to treat in general.

4.  Dairy.  Some people reports good results with acne simply by giving up dairy. [5] This is anecdotal but is easy and worth a try.

Notice that the above two are actually part of a Mediterrean Diet, although typically a Mediterrean Diet is not as high in protein as the above.  A Mediterrean Diet is also very pro-testosterone as well and has excellent erectile and heart outcomes as well.

Anecdotally, many have cleared up their acne on a Low Fat Diet as well, although there are no studies to prove it.  However, it makes sense considering that a Low Fat Diet is generally composed of low-glycemic foods as well.  Many of us will find your skin as "smooth as a baby's butt" again after going low fat.

REFERENCES:

1) J Am Acad Dermatol, 2007 Aug, 57(2):247-56, "The effect of a high-protein, low glycemic-load diet versus a conventional, high glycemic-load diet on biochemical parameters associated with acne vulgaris: a randomized, investigator-masked, controlled trial"

2) Am J Clin Nutr, 2007 Jul, 86(1):107-15, "A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial"

3)  Arch Dermatol, 1961 Dec, 84:898-911, "Adolescent acne and dietary iodine"

4) Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, Published Online: 11 Sep 2008, 24(5):244-248, "Non-invasive diagnostic evaluation of phototherapeutic effects of red light phototherapy of acne vulgaris"

5) Prevention., April 2010, p.4.