Acne Diet for Your Teen

As a parent, seeing your kid deal with acne hurts on multiple levels. You hate it for them, and while you may be able to chuckle, you can probably remember the annoyance of dealing with your own teenage acne. Most parents are willing to do whatever is necessary to help their teen deal with acne, and many parents have offered extensive time and financial resources to solving the acne problem.

Help Your Teen With An Acne Diet

One thing that many parents are unaware of is how a quality diet can promote healthy overall skin. We’re all quite aware of the myths associated with acne, such as chocolate or greasy foods causing breakouts. While there are small elements of truth to many acne myths, the true cause of acne is much easier to understand than most people realize. In order to help offer a better acne diet to a teenager struggling with acne related issues; let’s delve into the cause of all acne.

The Cause of Acne

All acne is formed by the same three components: dead skin cells shedding from the surface of the skin, bacteria from the surface of the skin and sebum (skin oil) that is naturally secreted from the sebaceous gland. When these three come together, they create a plug or clog within a follicle and the pore on the surface of the skin.

When the pore opening is closed, except for a tiny, microscopic opening, a whitehead, or closed comedome develops. Similarly, when the pore is open at the surface, a blackhead, or open comedome develops. This dispels the myth that blackheads are caused due to poor hygiene. The discoloration of a blackhead has nothing to do with dirt; rather it’s caused by oxidized sebum and dead skin cells, as well as the skin’s melanin, offering skin tone and color.

Acne cysts or cystic acne is also formed in this very manner, when an infection occurs deeper in a follicle. This severe acne type can become quite damaging if it is not addressed and properly treated.

How Can an Acne Diet Help in the Fight Against Acne?

The skin is the body’s largest organ. It needs to be fed agents of health from the inside as well as the outside. For most teenagers, their diets consist of whatever they’re offered for breakfast, “who knows what” at lunch and then perhaps a decent supper at home. The “who knows what” lunch may consist of potato chips and a soda, or some variation of a deep fried meat or potato.

Balance in a diet is important, yet what is even more important for teenagers suffering from acne is the ingestion of water, and beverages that promote health. Most people fail to drink enough water for their cells to function at an optimal level. Teens and many parents are of the mindset that sports drinks such as Gatorade are a tasty substitute. When in fact; these drinks possess sugar and acidity levels that rival most soft drinks. This is terrible for the development of healthy cellular activity in the skin’s dermis.

What is An Acne Diet?

Beyond ingesting more water, a great acne diet will consist of less refined sugars, less fried foods and an increase in foods that are high in antioxidants. This means naturally sweet foods such as fruit, and hearty vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts. If certain foods fall in the category of dislikes, consider a few new recipes.

One reason to cut out fried foods is based on the oil content. The more oil in a diet, the more oil produced by the skin. Make no mistake, you are what you eat, and in order for the skin to perform optimally, it needs an optimal fuel source.