Functional Medicine Healing

  I'm always concerned when I hear folks state they're managing acne with birth control pills, antibiotics, or drugs like Accutane. Applying a topical lotion and/or taking an oral drug to treat acne is a common practice, but is this the right approach? It may be worth looking at a more suitable method that targets the fundamental reason without the side effects of drugs. We'll look at several complementary therapies, as well as some lesser-known causes of acne and better, safer treatments that consider the fundamental problem. Acne is characterized by increased inflammation, increased sebum (oil) production, Propionibacterium acnes (P. acne) colonization of the skin, and aberrant keratinization (buildup of skin cells). Inflammatory acne (cysts, papules, nodules, and pustules) and the appearance of comedones (white heads or black heads) have been linked to these disorders, and antibiotics, both orally and topically, have been widely used to manage them. Accutane (Isotretinio...