10-Step Acne Treatment Program

Donna Tozzi, B.S.N., R.N., the founder of the Tozzi Institute, has launched a new section on her website for Acne Treatment - The 10-Step Regimen to clear up aging skin. Unlike other skin care regiments, The PoreStar Top 10 plan begins from within. Whether a lawyer, doctor, fast food worker or Mom, the skin is under constant attack. Sunshine, dirt, smog and other pollutants are constantly on the move to dame your skin. Most other skin care programs cover these dangers quite well. The difference with the Tozzi Acne Regimen is this - IT BEGINS FROM WITHIN.

While other programs concentrate on the outside, Tozzi gives equal importance to what is going on inside. Stress, diet, perspiration and emotional state can all have an effect on your skin condition. That is where the Tozzi Acne Regimen begins the battle.

Steps 1-3 - Visualize, Detoxify and Proper Nutrition - The first three steps of the PoreStar Top 10 involve steps you can take before you receive the Tozzi Skin Care Regimen. "Visualize" wearing revealing clothes without embarrassing acne. "Visualize" a "fearless" trip to the beach in the skimpiest of bikinis. Build your confidence. Steps 2 and 3 involve more visible lifestyle changes -Start the day with a healthy breakfast drink from Tozzi's line of nutritional supplements. "Detoxify" your body and release all the harmful toxins built up from a lifetime of saturated fat and processed sugar. Then begin the third step, "Practicing Proper Nutrition." Did you know that by improving ones nutrition one can eat less food? This produces less harmful chemicals for your body to expel thereby creating acne.

Steps 4-5 - Manage Stress and Exercise - Managing stress and adhering to a regular exercise regiment is easier to say than to do. After just a few weeks of following a schedule, one will be surprised how much better one feels and look. Stress causes your pores to overload with waste, thus increasing the chance for unsightly breakouts. Proper exercise increases the blood flow and aids in the removal of impurities in your body that can lead to bad skin.

Step 6-9 - Cleanse Skin, Wash the Face- Make it a habit to cleanse the face every morning with PoreStar 10 % Facial Wash with Aloe Vera. Cleaning the face regularly helps prevent oily residue, a breeding ground for pimples. If you plan to spend a good portion of the day enjoying Mother Nature and all she has to offer, consider using PoreStar' Dual-action Moisturizer with SPF 30. In addition to washing ones face when a person wakes every morning, clear away the day's grime before bed each night. PoreStar's Lucky Charms gly- sal ance pads allows the skin to breath. It removes the oily buildup and impurities denying acne a place to breed. And get your sleep. Adequate rest does wonders for reducing the stress.

There is nothing that makes a body feel younger and more vibrant than clearer skin. So why not choose the method that clears the skin from the inside out.

For more information, visit tozzi.biz

New Oral Acne Medications Poised to Benefit Patients

While laser and light-based therapies continue to make their mark on many dermatologic procedures, some dermatologists believe the tried-and-true oral medications for treating moderate to severe acne offer patients the best long-term treatment outcomes.

In fact, the introduction of new oral acne medications demonstrates that the demand for systemic acne therapies is still strong.

Speaking recently at the American Academy of Dermatology's Summer AcademyMeeting 2007, dermatologist Hilary E. Baldwin, MD, FAAD, associate professor of clinical dermatology at the State University of New York( SUNY) in Brooklyn, N.Y., discussed the newest developments in oral medications for the treatment of acne.

"The current systemic acne medications have staying power for one simple reason -- they work," said Dr. Baldwin. "Recently, some exciting new treatments have expanded our options for acne patients and have even addressed some of the potential drawbacks of oral acne medications, such as bacterial resistance with long-term antibiotic use."

New Oral Medications

Dr. Baldwin reported that one of the most innovative new systemic acne medications is extended-release minocycline, which is the first time a weight-based oral medication has been introduced to control acne. This dose-based medication is taken once per day, and the extended-release nature of the drug means that the peak serum levels that are obtained in the bloodstream are not nearly as high as with immediate-release minocycline. Dr. Baldwin added that it is the peak serum levels in the bloodstream that is thought to cause the relatively high degree of side effects, such as dizziness, headaches and nausea.

Since extended-release minocycline can be taken with or without meals, Dr. Baldwin noted that patient compliance with taking this medication improves dramatically -- especially among teenage boys who tend to eat frequently throughout the day and find it hard to take a medication that needs to be taken on an empty stomach once a day, much less twice a day. Another new area of acne research that is proving promising is using antibiotics for a period of a few months to start a successful treatment regimen, then replacing them with other non-antibiotic medications to maintain results over time. Dr. Baldwin explained that this "step-down" approach is important, as an increasing concern of long-term antibiotic use is that bacteria are evolving to become resistant to these medications --prompting dermatologists to seek alternative therapies in order to get their patients off of oral antibiotics as soon as possible. Recent clinical studies using the step-down approach from antibiotics and a topical retinoid to topical retinoids alone have shown positive results in maintaining improvement in acne patients, despite the abrupt discontinuation of oral antibiotics.

Another category of oral medications that dermatologists are using to treat acne is anti-inflammatory medications, which can be used in some cases to lessen the severity of acne. Used by some dermatologists to reduce the redness and swelling of acne, controlled-release doxycycline is one new anti-inflammatory medication recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating rosacea.

"Since controlled-release doxycycline is not an antibiotic, it does not kill the bacteria involved in the pathogenesis of acne and is therefore not expected to be as effective as antibiotics in controlling acute acne," said Dr. Baldwin. "But for some patients, such as women who may be prone to yeast infections from using antibiotics, this anti-inflammatory medication may offer noticeable improvement in the inflammation caused by acne."

Dr. Baldwin also added that a new oral medication on the horizon could be another viable alternative for acne patients in the next few years. Incyclinide, a chemically modified tetracycline that is not an antibiotic, is now in phase two of clinical trials and shows promise in treating both acne and rosacea.

"We're hopeful that the new systemic acne medications will lead to improved treatment outcomes for acne patients," said Dr. Baldwin. "However, with so many treatment options available, it's important that acne patients involve a dermatologist to oversee their treatment regimen -- as only a dermatologist can determine which acne medications are best for each patient."

For more information, visit skincarephysicians.com