FAQ's About Acne

Hormonal acne is a common problem that affects millions of people worldwide. It is caused by a combination of factors, including hormonal changes, excess oil production, and clogged pores.

In the past, many people believed that hormonal acne was incurable. However, thanks to the Clear Path Program®, there is now a proven way to control hormonal acne and achieve clear, healthy skin.

The Clear Path Program® is a comprehensive acne treatment program that addresses all of the factors that can contribute to hormonal acne. This program includes:

• A personalized diet plan that helps to reduce oil production and inflammation.
• A step-by-step skincare routine that helps to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize the skin.
• A variety of natural supplements that help to balance hormones and improve skin health.

The Clear Path Program® has helped thousands of people to clear their hormonal acne and achieve the skin they have always wanted. If you are struggling with hormonal acne, I encourage you to learn more about the Clear Path Program® today.

Click here to learn more about the Clear Path Program® and how it can help you to clear your hormonal acne.

Many people believe that birth control can help clear acne. However, this is not always the case. In fact, some forms of birth control can actually make acne worse.

At the ABQ Acne Clinic, we have seen many clients who have been prescribed birth control in an attempt to clear their acne. However, we have also seen these same clients experience a worsening of their acne after starting birth control.

The reason for this is that some forms of birth control can increase oil production in the skin. This can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts.

Some of the most common forms of birth control that can aggravate acne include:

• Low-estrogen birth control pills
• The birth control patch
• The birth control ring
• Hormone-free IUDs (like Paragard)

If you are taking birth control and are experiencing acne, it is important to talk to your doctor. They may be able to prescribe a different form of birth control that is less likely to aggravate your acne.

In addition to birth control, there are a number of other factors that can contribute to acne, including:

• Hormonal changes
• Diet
• Stress
• Medications
• Skin care products

If you are struggling with acne, it is important to see a dermatologist. They can help you identify the underlying cause of your acne and develop a treatment plan that is right for you.

The Clear Path Program® is a comprehensive acne treatment program that addresses all of the factors that can contribute to acne. This program can help you clear your acne and achieve the skin you have always wanted.

Over-the-counter acne products are a popular choice for people who want to clear up their skin. However, they are not always effective, and they can even have negative side effects.

Here are some of the reasons why over-the-counter acne products are not enough:

• They are not strong enough to clear severe acne.
• They can cause dry, irritated, or flaky skin.
• They can cause breakouts.
• They do not address the underlying causes of acne.

If you have severe acne, you need to see a dermatologist. They can prescribe stronger medications that will actually clear your skin.

If you have mild to moderate acne, you can try over-the-counter products. However, it is important to use them correctly and to be patient. It may take several weeks or even months to see results.

It is also important to remember that products alone are not enough to clear acne. You also need to make lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.

If you are struggling with acne, talk to your doctor or dermatologist. They can help you develop a treatment plan that is right for you.

Antibiotics work by subduing a portion of the bacteria, and it does nothing to unclog your pores. This is a key point to be aware of. Acne is not just a bacterial issue, you must address the pores clogged with dead skin cells, and decrease inflammation. Now, because some of the bacteria are reduced by the antibiotics, your acne may subside to a certain degree. But it will come back, often with a vengeance once you stop the medication because the bacteria that survived will breed a population of bacteria which is stronger and more resistant to the antibiotics and your pores are still clogged, and you have high inflammation so the conditions remain conducive for acne to return. Additionally, we have had many clients over the years suffer from numerous side effects when taking antibiotics long term for acne. Not only does it kill the ‘good bacteria,’ found in the digestive tract leading to disturbances in the gut microflora, which allows Candida to colonize the digestive tract, it also increases inflammation in the body leading to more acne breakouts. Interestingly, Europe has caught on to the detrimental side effects of prescribing long-term antibiotic treatment for acne. In fact, in some countries, it is considered malpractice and a physician could lose their medical license for such actions.

It is a fact that foods play a major part in contributing to acne. The reality is, dermatologists, acquire very limited amount of nutritional training and really are unaware of the vast majority of foods that trigger acne. In fact, most were taught in medical school there is no connection between diet and acne based on a highly faulty study performed over 50 years ago! I am referring to the infamous, poorly controlled ‘Chocolate Study,’ conducted by Dr. James Fulton and sponsored by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association. In the study, each participant was instructed to eat one candy bar a day (one contained chocolate, the other did not) and each received the exact amount of calories, fat, and sugar content. This went on for several weeks. At the end of the study, the blemishes on each of their faces were counted to determine the results. The study suggests – but does not prove– that chocolate alone does not cause acne. The study, however, does not touch on the sugar, and fat content. Among the numerous errors in this study, one, in particular, is quite blatant. The test completely failed to isolate chocolate from its other main ingredient, sugar. No other foods were tested, the only focus was on whether chocolate affects acne or not. Another key fault in this study is that many of the participants had acne in the beginning of the trial and continued to have acne at the end of the trial. The correlation to the chocolate was only considered if the participant had more blemishes at the end of the study, but failed to correlate to feeding the existing acne. Many of the participants also were not acne prone, which is one reason why this study has been discredited. And with these results, it was determined that foods, in general, do not influence the health of the skin. This study has become the cornerstone in the world of dermatology–for several decades. With the Clear Path Program®, you will learn all the facts and the truth about the relationship between diet and acne. This program is about education and empowerment.

Topical prescriptions like Retin A Cream, and Tretinoin actually contain a pore clogging ingredient called Isopropyl Myristate. According to the comedogenic scale, based on a 0-5 rating, this determines to what degree an ingredient can clog the pores – Isopropyl Myristate is rated a 5! Of course, 5 is the worse. Obviously, this is not the best ingredient to have in an acne medication because it triggers more acne rather than actually clearing the skin. How does this happen? Pore clogging ingredients consist of tiny, sticky, molecules that are able to penetrate deep into the pore and mat up with dead skin cells. It’s as simple as that. Now that you are applying a pore-clogging topical prescription to your skin, not only will your skin feel irritated and dry, you could also experience new breakouts. In fact, most dermatologists will say that your skin will ‘get worse before it gets better.’ Of course, it rarely ‘gets better,’ instead, it supports acne. Does your dermatologist know about this pore clogging ingredient? Most likely not.

This can depend on many factors such as, an increase in inflammation, consuming acne triggering foods, chronic stress, using the wrong hair products, (including not washing your hair often enough), pore-clogging cosmetics, hormonal fluctuations often due to menses, touching your face, etc. Once you understand all of the acne triggering sources in your life, you will be able to maintain long term clear skin. The Clear Path Program® will show you step by step how to do this.

We have lots of clients with very sensitive skin. We will only give you treatments and skin care products that are right for your skin. We have numerous products and treatments to choose from to work with all skin types and stages of acne.

You may need to manage your acne for many years to come. Some individuals may experience a ‘burn out’ in the pore, which simply means, the pore in no longer aggravated, but this tends to be a genetic propensity, however, you will not ever know if you are prone to this, until if/or when it does happen. Even so, clients who have been following the Clear Path Program® for years, continue to feel energetic and healthy because they are following a low inflammation diet. Remember, at the foundation of all disease is inflammation. Additionally, with the Clear Path Program®, you can experience incredibly clear, vibrant skin and be able to maintain these results for life.