Skin Care Tip: Skin care from within

My name is Kim and I've been suffering from acne since the age of 24. I've tried several antibiotic treatments and even Accutane but nothing has helped. But now, at 40, my skin finally looks good.

Basically, I've made five changes and these were made because of the negative impact these five ingredients have on the body's cleansing system, that is liver, kidneys and skin.

1. No sugar; e.g. in yogurt, fruit juices, soft drinks, candy, ALL sugars! But DO NOT USE SWEETENERS! They're all damaging to your system in different ways. A good alternative if you really need the sweet taste try Stevia. It's extracted from the leaves of a South-American bush, it's extremely sweet and is used for it's beneficial properties. In Japan artificial sweeteners have been banned for their damaging effects and instead they use Stevia in for example soft drinks. Or have a fruit, it works surprisingly well.

2. No hydrogenated fats; chips, ice cream, cookies, chocolate (dark chocolate made with cocoa butter is ok). Use cold pressed oils only since these haven't been chemically altered through heat processing! Cold pressed oils are 100% beneficial and are needed for a healthy skin, a functioning brain and, strangely enough, weight-loss.

3. No white flour; raises blood-sugar levels at almost the same speed as sugar and all beneficial nutrients and fibers have been removed. If you eat bread, try to avoid bread made with bakers yeast (brewers yeast is something completely different and has a positive impact on your system). The best alternative is sourdough-bread. And as for pasta; try full-grain, it's delicious and keeps you going for several hours!

4. No coffee; caffeine raises cortisol-levels and destroys your hormonal balance as well as your sleep patterns which are of vital importance for rebuilding tissue, especially the deep sleep face. This was the hardest one to figure out - I didn't understand why my skin wouldn't heal completely. I still got temporary outbursts of acne. But then I almost lost the ability to sleep and realized I had to stop my exessive coffe habit. My skin reacted surprisingly fast and now it looks really good.

5. I drink 15 ml of Udo's Choice 2 times per day. It contains omega 3, 6 and 9 in the right proportions. It regulates hormonal balance, my skin loves it and my severe PMS has totally vanished!

This has been a lifestyle change and perhaps it seems too big a project to take on. But I promise, it's worth it! I no longer suffer from sudden blood-sugar drops, my digestion is perfect, my behind and my thighs almost disappeared when I stopped my sugar intake (that's because of a really complicated process, which I don't remember, that includes how the liver stores fat) and my main problem, my skin, has finally cleared!

And it all started with one small step! Good luck and don't loose faith! It will take some time, but every step of the way you will see small changes for the better.