Zinc and Acne - Natural Treatment for Acne!

Zincsupplements havebeenused for years in cases of both mild and inflammatory acne.In fact,research has shown us thatpeople with acnehave much lower levels of zinc when compared to those who have clear skin and that in supplementing zinc acne lesionsreduced by 50%.Deemed a natural cure for hormonal, cystic,or even regular good ole whiteheads,today I wanted to take a second to explore what exactly zinc is, what the best form is for acne, andhow it works to treat and prevent new breakouts from forming.

Zinc isa naturallyoccurring trace metal; it’s found in the earth, air,foods we eat, andin our bodies.Zinc is critical to our health, working to build the immunesystem, helping our cells grow,regulating our appetite, andspeeding up the healing process of wounds.A few foods where you can naturally find zinc are oysters, crab, beef and lamb, wheat, spinach, and pumpkin seeds.

Zinc is one of themoststudiednatural treatments for acne.With somuch research available they’ve been able to pin point exactly why zinc works. It actually targets ALLthe causes of acne. Pretty crazy right?!

Although zinc isn’t as effective as antibiotics,studies have proven that zinc iseffective at killing acne causing bacteria.What’s more is thatacne causing bacteria won’t develop a resistance to zinc, so it continues to work for those who have antibiotic resistantstrains within their system and on the skin.

Zinc helps to reduce overall bodily inflammation, including the inflammatory responseour bodies have to acne.When a pore becomes clogged it sends an inflammatory response throughout the body, becoming red and irritating.Surprisingly acne prone skin has a higher inflammatory response to bacteria thannon acne prone skin.Zinc reduces the inflammatory response and helps to calm the effect bacteria have on the skin.

Zinc reduces keratinocyte activation.Keratinocytesproduct keratin,which glues skin cells together.Too much keratin causes skin cells to stick together, leading to clogged pores andinflamed acne.Zinc reduces keratin and helps to keep the skins surface free of buildupand acne free.

Zinc slightly blocks DHT. DHTis a powerful androgenthat helps to givemales their “manly” characteristics. DHT in excess can cause hair loss,acne, and other unwanted physical changes.DHT blockers like zinc prevent these hormones from occurring in excess and balance them out naturally. It may not be a very strong hormone balancer but every bit helps!

There are several studies today which examine the effects of zinc on acne.The results are promising, showing that zinc is as effective as antibiotics in the 70s at reducing acne (but not as effective as present day antibiotics).