As anyone knows who suffers from acne, it’s disfiguring, discouraging and downright depressing.  Its repercussions spread almost as widespread as its accompanying cysts, pustules and papules – affecting everything from social confidence to on-the-job performance.

Because acne can impact anyone from birth through middle age, it’s not just the bane of adolescents as many commonly believe.  Far from it – cases have been spotted as early as newborn babies, through adults approaching their later years who thought they had left acne behind them in their teens.  As the most common skin condition in the United States, acne’s reach is enormous as it affects approximately 40 to 50 million Americans at any time.
There are many ways to minimize, and eventually cure, acne that include over-the-counter products containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, and more aggressive creams and/or antibiotics prescribed by a dermatologist.  This includes Accutane, arguably the most effective treatment but that also features a considerable laundry list of potential side effects.
Medical day spas, such as Ecobeautica Wellness Center in Brooklyn, New York, offer additional acne-specific therapies.  Diamond microdermabrasion, the Cadillac of microdermabrasion, utilizes disposable or reusable diamond tip wands made of natural diamond chips to exfoliate and vacuum dead skin cells off the face and increase blood flow to the skin.  Another extremely effective option for troubled skin is an acne facial that combines stimulating deep-pore, deep-tissue cleansing with micro-targeted facial extractions and spot treatments to remove acne and its underlying infection.
Speaking of infection, we haven’t even scratched the surface yet of what causes acne – and that’s where an intuitive, knowledgeable holistic practitioner like Dr. Sergey Kalitenko can help.  An expert who believes that alternative medicine is just another name for good, responsible medicine, Dr. Kalitenko firmly believes that in order to treat any condition – from acne, wrinkles and menopause to hernias, insomnia and the common cold – you first need to look at their root causes.  These underlying factors can shed important clues to help determine the most appropriate course of treatment.
Acne is a prime example.  Many people attribute it to an inadequate skincare regimen and/or the hormonal changes caused by the onset of adolescence.  But there may be other mitigating factors as well that are playing an equal, if not greater, role in initiating and spreading this embarrassing skin condition.  Such as diet, for example.  Who knew that dairy products and high-gluten carbohydrates might be pimple-producing culprits?
When you drink a glass of milk, its progesterone is transferred to testosterone which stimulates oil production and boosts your likelihood of acne.  Not only that, but milk also contains rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) that farmers administer to their cows to produce more milk with fewer resources.  Good for the farmer’s milk output, but not so good for our faces, since the presence of growth hormones like rBGH can cause IGF-1 and keratinization that can lead to acne.
Refined sugars such as those found in cakes, candy, cookies, bread, rice and other common high-sugar/low-fiber carbohydrates behave similarly to milk in our bodies.  Because our digestive system was not physiologically engineered to digest refined sugars, blood sugar levels can soar, triggering our bodies to produce insulin to help our cells absorb the sugar.
And – you guessed it – when too much insulin is present, this can also lead to IGF-1 and keratinization.
In addition to dabbing on a benzoyl peroxide cream or embarking upon a more aggressive treatment regimen, you may want to get a holistic perspective on what might be causing your skin condition – from the inside out.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Kalitenko, contact either of his two New York City offices in Brooklyn (718/382-9200) or Great Neck (516/467-0253). To learn more about microdermabrasion or an acne facial at Ecobeautica Wellness Center, call them at 718/382-9200 or visit their full-service spa at 2158 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn.

Related Pages
Acne
Color Therapy
Facial
Microdermabrasion
Nutrition