Tag Archive for "natural acne treatment"

Acne Rosacea – What’s Getting Under Your Skin?

Posted on January 7, 2014 at 9:04 am.

Treating your acne rosacea naturally can bring up a bit of shock. People are often horrified to find out that there are tiny organisms living in the follicles on their nose and the center of their face. Some of those organisms include tiny mites that burrow into the hair follicles with their tail sticking out.

These mites, known as Demodex, are shaped like tiny cigars, with legs at one end. Identifying an abundance of them under the microscope after scraping the skin can be very helpful for the treating dermatologist, and for the patient as well.

Nevertheless, they can bring up great disgust when the patient sees them, wiggling under the microscope after being scraped off their skin. There is an old morbid old children’s rhyme: “the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout.” Sounds like rosacea to me.

What’s more, these mites have bacteria living inside of them, which may be a stimulation for the inflammation seen in rosacea. To top that off, this is only the beginning of the list of organisms living in the hair follicles that are suspected to play a role in causing rosacea. Treating rosacea naturally can be the safest, longest-lasting way to clear it. More on treatment methods in the next blog.

To your health,

Dr. Alan Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

Natural Skincare: Have a Sweet Holiday…

Posted on December 16, 2013 at 9:34 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

But not too sweet!

The Holidays are a time for parties, celebrations, and special treats. Candies, cookies and cakes appear as gifts and thank you’s at all sorts of homes and businesses at this time of year. It is not uncommon to hear a nudge to eat that “forbidden treat”- “Go ahead, it’s the holidays.” In the process, a lot more sugar gets eaten at this time of year. Other rich foods, like egg nog, and alcoholic drinks, and even foods suspected of being allergic, get consumed as well.

Some people date the onset or aggravation of their skin problems to this time of year. Sugar aggravates acne and other conditions by a variety of different pathways. It
favors overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract, which leads to leaky gut, absorption of allergens from food, and inflammation of oil glands.

A spike in blood sugar is answered by a spike in insulin levels, and then a rise in Insulin-like growth factor (IGF). This IGF has been shown to affect the follicular area in more than one way that leads to acne formation. This is just one way in which too much sugar can lead to a skin problem.

Other rich foods, alcohol, and allergy producing foods all have ways in which they can aggravate not only acne, but other skin problems.

So I wish you a sweet New Year and Holiday season, filled with love and deeper joy, but light on the sugar in its many forms. This is the one of best possible natural acne treatments.

To your health,

Alan M Dattner, MD

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Think you know about chocolate and acne? Think again… More on natural acne treatment.

Posted on December 2, 2013 at 9:01 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

Natural acne treatment is complex, and there are a number of factors determining what will cure your acne, as compared with someone else’s.

Here’s one issue: there have been a number of studies regarding acne that have confused rather than clarified the understanding of what to recommend for acne problems. One of the biggest confusions comes because acne sufferers differ in what causes their acne: this is not a single condition with a single cause.

Studies on acne and chocolate have been done because there are many people who, over the years, have observed acne outbreaks after eating chocolate. For some of those people, eating chocolate occurs when they also binge on sweets or eat poorly and leave out vegetables from their diets. These factors are often left out of studies.

One key study on the effects of feeding chocolate bars, versus similar-tasting bars without chocolate, was published by Dr. James Fulton in 1969. The study observed no difference in acne in those who ate the chocolate versus the placebo bars, and concluded that chocolate had no effect on acne. Thus, an entire generation of dermatologists was trained to believe that chocolate had no effect on acne based on this and other studies. That study is now considered to be flawed in its methods, and its conclusions not valid.

Clearly, there are some people who break out from eating chocolate, some people who beak out from binging on chocolate, and others who seem to have no outbreak. Some may be additionally aggravated by the milk products, sugars, or oils in milk chocolate, or be eating the chocolate to deal with stress or depression, any of which factors could aggravate acne.

So, the relationship between eating chocolate and acne is not a simple matter, and should not be dismissed with a simple statement, but rather be evaluated in the larger context of the overall habits and responses of the individual. If there is a suspicion of a relationship (between a particular food and an outbreak), and you want to treat acne naturally, without drugs, chocolate should be stopped, and re-added later to see if it causes outbreaks.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

9 Beauty Foods for Natural Skin Care: Broccoli!

Posted on November 25, 2013 at 9:34 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

Here’s an article published by iVillage in which I was quoted:

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Natural Skin Care
New York, New York

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Carpe Cold: Seize the Cold

Posted on November 17, 2013 at 10:00 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

While I generally deal with holistic dermatology, I have lots of experience with integrative medicine as it relates to the immune system. During cold and flu season, I tend to avoid flu vaccine. So, over many years of working long hours in my practice, I have perfected my method for cold and flu prevention and care.

The moment I become aware of a lowered resistence–a sneeze, a tired feeling, an ache in my head or neck–is the moment a cold or flu can be prevented with a regimen of natural remedies. If I wait a bit and don’t catch the symptoms until several hours or a day after that moment, I may not be able to prevent the illness, but I can lessen its severity and duration.

Steps to take at the pivotal moment:

stop whatever you’re doing. Take a nap if possible. If not, rest your eyes for a few minutes.
take a very hot bath, and when you emerge from the tub, bundle yourself up, climb into bed, and let the body “sweat out the cold.” (Be sure not to do this alone, as hot water can increase chance of fainting)
take healthy, regular doses of vitamins A, C, and E
take some echinacea or oregon graperoot
drink hot tea and keep the body full of fluids

Several hours of focused self-care at the right moment can prevent several days of illness, discomfort, and lost work–and it can keep you from spreading a cold or flu to loved ones.

To your health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Get rid of acne, eczema, migraines, and fatigue, naturally.

Posted on November 2, 2013 at 9:00 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

I recently read an article in the Science Section of the New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope entitled “Telling food allergies from false alarms”. The article focuses on the efficacy of food allergy antibody tests (only one of many kinds of allergy tests there are.) It suggests that people avoiding a number of foods face malnutrition and inconvenience.

The article overlooks the great value in helping patients eliminate foods which trigger a wide variety of conditions, most of which have an inflammatory etiology. Any blood test, be it of antibody reactivity, neutrophil change, or lymphocyte response, may be helpful to point out foods to test for potential clinical improvement by elimination and challenge.

I have seen numerous conditions including acne, eczema, irritable bowel, hidradenitis, migraines, and fatigue improve with food elimination. A physician experienced in multiple forms of food testing can help associate symptoms with exposures, choose appropriate tests, and interpret results. This kind of natural acne treatment is a lot cheaper than prescription drugs.

One things I do agree on is that allergy tests can give a wide variety of food and allergen sensitivities which may or may not indicate the cause of a patient’s presenting condition.

The absolute best way to learn what foods are causing skin or any other problems is to eliminate all possible trigger foods, check to see if the problem clears, and then every few days, add a food back to the diet to find out which is the culprit. The value of trials of food elimination to improve disease should not be overlooked for lack of definitive testing in major centers.

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Saving Money and Saving your Skin in Winter

Posted on October 30, 2013 at 12:47 pm.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

In my holistic dermatology practice, I often help patients whose skin suffers in winter. It is possible to both help your skin and save money doing it. I emphasize this because it requires doing something very simple and at the same time very challenging: changing your habits.

Even more, it requires changing the beliefs behind those habits, so I will try to give some additional information beyond what was in my last blog, to help you make these changes.

If you have ever done dishes or wet work, with your hands in and out of water repeatedly for a while, you know how your skin becomes dry and chapped. This is because you are washing away the oils and the salts which hold water in our skin. In the winter when the air is dry (low humidity), bathing washes out the oils from the skin. The belief that we need a shower, especially a long, hot one, to be clean, to wake up, or to feel alive in the morning, needs a second look if your skin becomes dry and scaly in winter. A washcloth under the arm and in the folds does a very nice job between showers, and does not dry out parts of your skin which do not need washing.

The result is that you:

save hot water,
save on lotion
save oils in your skin,
save money on heat,
save fresh water,
safe electricity

Once you have the routine down, you will save time as well.Of course there will be times and situations where you need a shower or bath. Bathing less often, faster, and soaping less areas which do not need heavy cleansing, will keep the moisture in your skin and save you money as well. I repeat the essence of my last message because I have found,
in my 30 yeasr of practice, that people often have to hear it more than once in order to reduce their bathing. Did you?

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner
Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Want to avoid a stroke? Avoid these two foods.

Posted on October 28, 2013 at 9:36 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

A number of recent reports show a dramatic rise in strokes in young and middle aged Americans. That included one report of a 51% rise in strokes in males 14- 34 years old (K Doheney Health Day). Causes were not found in the study, but explanations offered included increased obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, salt consumption, and recreational drug use.

I suggest that anything that increases fibrin formation and clotting within the blood vessels, is a possible culprit. Increased high temperature cooked foods, sugar, and other substances which lead to the process known as “glycation” may be factors in this change.

If you want to lower your risk for having a stroke, avoid eating sugary and fried foods. (Oh, and this may help clear acne naturally, too.)

To your health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

Acne Attack: Best Natural Acne Treatments

Posted on August 5, 2013 at 10:41 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

Having an acne outbreak? Bacne bugging you? As a holistic dermatologist, I always
advocate for the simplest, natural solutions to a skin problem.
While acne can have many causes, which should be addressed systematically, here is a great natural solution for relief of pimple pain, redness, and soreness:

Put some hot water in a bowl
Add enough salt so the water is about as salty as tears
Soak the pimple with a clean washcloth for about five minutes, refreshing the cloth with water every so often
Repeat two to three times per day

The hot water draws the acne to the surface, opens the pores, dries the skin out, and keeps the pimple free of possible infection. Remember not to prod or poke the pimple, as this can aggravate is and introduce germs. Also, make it a habit to take note of anything different you did preceding your outbreak; did you
alter your diet? the kind of soap you use? etc. As always, the natural approach is to examine the root cause of a disorder that arises.

To your health,

Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology
New York

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to
treat or diagnose an illness; please see your physician for care.

What is “Holistic Dermatology” or “Integrative Dermatology”?

Posted on July 29, 2013 at 9:28 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

What is Holistic Dermatology or Integrative Dermatology?

I have been incorporating principles of holistic practices into Dermatology for the past three decades.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE FOR THE SKIN

A variety of names have been given to this approach, including functional medicine, because it addresses the function of the underlying organs involved; complementary medicine, because it often includes methods which add to or compliment conventional medical techniques; alternative medicine, because it’s an alternative to some of the currently employed conventional techniques, and finally, integrative medicine, because when done well, it integrates the best aspects of conventional medicine with techniques which lie outside of those routinely practiced by MD physicians.

I have also called it Nutritional Dermatology, because much of my work involves dietary elimination, additions, and nutritional supplements. However it is called, I blend conventional and alternative techniques, I address other systems, besides the skin, and I evaluate the whole person.

BOARD-CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGY

As a board-certified dermatologist, I begin by seeking and making a conventional dermatologic and medical diagnosis. I then go on to find out, for the individual involved, what exactly was specific to their situation that caused them to develop the illness.

Most important in this quest is a carefully recalled story history from the patient about the events that preceded the onset of the illness. Knowing how hard this is to do on the spot, I recommend that anyone seeking good holistic care with me, or anyone else, should sit down with a calendar and try to identify when their problem began and what infections, exposures, stresses, new medications, vaccinations, or other foreign materials entering the body could have preceded the event in a matter of days, weeks, or months before the onset.

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Board Certified Dermatologist

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine