Accessing Your Acne Formations

Acne may present itself in various forms: blackheads, whiteheads,
pustules, etc. Each form comes baring its own message.

No one really knows what causes acne. But since you spend 24 hours a
day and 7 days a week with YOU, you are the person most equipped
to determine the cause of your acne formations. Again, acne is a
message and one does not cure a message, one responds to it.

Nevertheless, a sample explanation for the formation of acne is given
below:

I stress formation because most texts like to treat the process by which
a zit forms as if this is the cause of the zit. Such explanations overlook
why, when, where and how the body received the message that it
needed to create an acne pimple. Acne is a symptom of emotional,
physical and/or psychological needs within the body that have not
been met.

It may take 2–6 weeks before a zit appears on your skin’s surface. A
pimple begins its formation in the sebaceous hair follicles, also known
as pores. Within each follicle the sebaceous glands produce sebum, the
oil that keeps the skin moist and supple. Your skin is constantly
renewing itself.

In this rejuvenating process old skin cells die and then
combine with your skin’s natural oils. Later this mixture of dead cells
and oil is shed off. This natural exfoliation allows for new skin cells to
arrive giving your face and body a healthy glow.

However, this scenario does not pan out quite the same for everyone.
When your skin does not shed in the normal pattern, dead cells will
become sticky and clump together creating a plug over the pore. This
skin cap of dead skins cells stuck together, or comedo, traps oil and
bacteria inside the follicle.

While this comedo is locking oil and bacteria within your skin, the
pore begins to swell as your skin continues its normal oil production.
Remember your pores are holes that are designed to allow your body
to breathe and cleanse itself.

Sense this build-up of waste and bacteria
is viewed as an enemy by the immune system, the immune system
responds by sending white blood cells to the site of the infected pore.

It could take 2–6 weeks before a pimple arrives to represent the drama
that has been unfolding in your body.

We all have the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes, on our
face and bodies. P. acnes can take part in the creation of an acne
eruption.

When we have an inflammation, our bodies are telling us that
we have consumed something, felt something, or thought something
that had an adverse affect on the body. These toxins need removal.

Plus, it is not normal to have acne as a growing adolescent because of
hormonal changes. There are cultures that do not subscribe to the
Western diet and never experience acne at any age.

We have the symptom acne, because our body is ridding itself of
toxins through the skin. And as these toxins make their exit, white
blood cells come along and make them less dangerous to the body.
There is more to the formation of a pimple that an overflow of oil.
Your body is trying to tell you something.

Our mood, state of mind, and internal organs can all trigger the
formation of a pimple. Getting to know our bodies better, we can
discover precisely what types of environmental and emotional changes
trigger acne formations within our body.

From there, we can design a lifestyle approach that will lead us away from acne formations to a healthier state of mind and body.

Haven’t your ever asked yourself, “Uh, why do I get pimples on my face? Why can’t they come somewhere where no one can see them?”

Well we live in a vain world for good and not so good reasons. Would
you give a zip that occurred on your elbow as much attention as your
would one that popped up right on the center of your nose? I’m going
to guess of course not.

We pay attention to our faces, so naturally the
body is going to send the message to the spot where it should get the
quickest response. Unfortunately, we as a society have accustomed
ourselves to the idea of zapping zits, not interpreting them.

Thus, we tire ourselves in a search for the non-existent cure for acne. All the while, our body pleads for our awareness to go away from the zit and
toward our physical and emotional needs.

Face Charts

So how do you remove the symptom of acne? You address the
conditions that created the toxic situation. Looking at the formation of
an acne lesion is a major step in decoding the message of your acne.
Using the guidelines below will give you an idea as to how to start
decoding the messages that your acne brings.

In his book African Holistic Health, Dr. Llaila O. Africa explains that
the face is a reflection of robust health as well as “dis-ease”. Bumps
such as blackheads, whiteheads and other acne formations indicate a
“dis-ease” in the state of the organ that corresponds to its location on
the face.

To illustrate, a bump located in the middle of the eyes would
suggest that the liver is having difficulties and it should be treated
accordingly.

For a pimple located in this area, one could perform a
liver cleanse or make certain tha t they avoid foods and drinks that tax
the liver (such as coffee and alcohol) for a few days.

An illustration of the face chart is provided in the next page. Use the
face chart by determining the location of the acne pimple on your face.
Then determine what organ is associated with the location of the
pimple (e.g. large intestines, small intestines, etc.).

Once you know what organ is connected to the pimple formation, use the suggestions in the Acne Organ Connection Chart to help this organ recover so that the pimple goes away.

This may seem trivial, but have you ever had a pimple that always seems to show up in the exact same location? Well,
that pimple is obviously sending a message. Addressing the pimple
using the Acne Organ Connection Chart will help you resolve the
issues that an organ, through the pimple, brings to your attention.

Acne Face Chart

Copyright 2004 © by Naweko San-Joyz

Based on works by Dr. Llaila Afrika and Michio Kushi