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| Bay Guy - 2005-04-02 2:37 PM
Cyndi - 2005-04-02 1:24 PM
Sorry guys but washing your face has nothing to do with Acne, it's NOT an external thing...its an internal cleansing that is going on. Acne is related to your Liver and it is your body detoxing. .
This is only half right. Dirty skin doesn't cause acne by itself, so that's basically true.
The liver and detox have nothing to do with acne, on the other hand. Hormones,
heredity, and how you handle your skin seem to be the main thing.
Well, Bikram yoga claims to affect the endocrine system and glands, so if my liver has been stimulated to detox, or if the yoga has stimulated hormone production and that has caused the acne, either way the acne is a result of a certain readjustment of my body internally. Honestly, at the age of 45 I am delighted to think these hormones can still do stuff. Where the heck were they when I was 15?
Anyway, I'm an advocate of Traditional Chinese nmedicine, and I know the liver has a connection to the skin, so I am going to take a wait and see attitude. Yes I am drinking lots of water, but no I am not giving up an occasional beer. Not counting those two gingerbread cookies I just ate, I have a pretty sugar-free, wheat-free, dairy-free diet.
Jeri |
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| I've often wondered if salt and other ingrediets in sweat plays a part in these sort of acne outbreaks. I find the first few warm days of the year will often provoke my acne into a rash which will then settle back down once the weather's been hot for 2-3 weeks or so.
Fee
Edited by Orbilia 2005-04-04 4:39 AM
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| I've had acne most of my 45 years. It was severe as a teenager and continued to be problematic until I discovered that it was partly being caused by diet. I was told my entire life that diet had nothing to do with it but I almost cured myself of all acne by cutting dairy products out of my diet (cheese is the worst; milk, butter and cream can be ingested in *tiny* portions with minimal effect). I've done a lot of experimenting and I can show a definitive effect - *every* time I eat dairy I *will* break out in pimples within 24 hours. The other major cause for me is stress. It doesn't trigger a breakout as quickly or as vehemently as dairy but I've found that my acne is almost completely controllable by avoiding these two factors.
I've heard a lot of people talk about acne episodes while new to Bikram Yoga but I find it odd that, as someone who is prone to acne, I've never had acne triggered by my practice, not even while attending the teacher training. The yoga seems to help minimize episodes but I can't be as sure of that as I am about dairy and stress.
Of course, everybody is different and I know many people who eat cheese galore with nary a pimple so I'm not suggesting that dairy will cause acne for most people. Still, don't believe anyone who tells you diet is absolutely not a factor. It is in my case and it's worth considering.
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Expert Yogi
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| Eric - you just reminded me of a friend who found the same effect with orange juice of all things. Once he stopped drinking orange juice (I imagine he also stopped eating oranges) his acne cleared right up. I am not a big fan of blaming everything on diet since our little brains are actually smart enough to convince us to feel bad or break out or whatever if we see ourselves eating what we have decided is "bad" for us. But sometimes it is a simple and dramatic change and you can go on with life so why not give it a try? |
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| I posted earlier about Proactiv and I take it back, Proactiv doesn't work on my skin type...but what has helped me is thinking about the positives of doing this yoga. More flexibility, strength, concentration, things become more clear and my butt is lookin FINE! =) Try to focus on the good stuff that come from the inside and just love your physical self as is because it really is what's inside that counts and eventually, you'll forget about the acne and IT WILL go away. It just takes time and faith.
Edited by beachbum 2005-04-07 12:36 AM
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| Shocked to see how much attention this posting received. I'm someone who is extremly obesseive about my skin - I've had problems in the past with mild to moderate acne. Being so nervous about acne I was hesitant to try bikram yoga. Needless to say, I gave it a shot and now I'm hooked.
It has aggravated my skin in the past but I have found a few tricks to keep it under control.
1. always put down a fresh towel for floor postures.
2. NEVER wear any make up! it stops the sweat in its tracks creating a breading ground for those nasty zits.
3. My last and best tip - after class wipe you face with an anti-ance cleansing cloth. This way you can wait till u get home to shower. Biore and clear and clear both make them and they come in resealable travel cases. You can also use them before class to remove make-up. If you are using other acne products it might be better to get a mild facial cleanser without the acne busting ingredients as to not aggravate your skin with too many products.
Bikram should be good for your skin - it's letting the toxins out - just don't let the make up block toxin release and remember to wipe the toxins away after class.
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| my daughter is 18 and does yoga with me. She has experienced some increase of breakouts. Our instructor suggested "Desert Essence" astringent pads with tea tree oil from Wild Oats. She has started using them and has great success. She has a real healthy diet and feels that if she ate like her friends, her outbreaks would be worse due to the detox effect. Drinking tons of water also helps flush the "stuff" out. |
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| I am very interested in this topic, as someone who has had consistant acne problems for the better part of 10 years. I have recently started practicing heat yoga and I absolutely love it. Its the only workout I've found that comes close to replacing the intensity of playing basketball or running track, both of which I have had to quit due to pending knee surgeries.
I have noticed a very mild increase in the number of whiteheads that form on my skin, but not to the point where it would stop me from doing the yoga.
However, one thing that has scared me is that I notice many of the girls who practice Bikram Yoga on a daily basis do not seem to have very good skin. Not only does it look acne prone, it also seems a little more uneven and less pleasant looking.
I had a couple thoughts on the mater:
1) All that sweating might just not be good for your skin
2) Maybe I'm just not used to seeing girls without makeup on.
I've also found that practicing Yoga in my home sauna is just as hot, but a lot less humid: 6 person sauna. You definitely can't fit more than one person in here to do stretches though. |
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| David, I notice that my skin is very blotchy after doing Bikram. My old spot scars are reddened by the heat, but it goes away after I cool down. I notice that other women have the same look after the class. I think you hit the nail on the head about not being used to seeing women without makeup on though. I never really wore makeup (until a year ago after I got a wedding makeover), and I was really surprised what a dramatic difference it made! One time I saw my aunt without makeup (I never knew she wore it!) I was surprised to see she had freckles – which I thought was adorable, but she thought they needed to be hidden! Makeup can do some amazing things!! By the way, I have acne prone skin, and I do not find the heat from Bikram Yoga helps or hurts my skin. When does “teenage skin” go away anyway?? I am almost 30 and it’s really getting old!! |
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| Also, if some women come to class wearing makeup, the sweat and dirt combined will clog their pores and make for more acne.
Gracie - I'm 33 and still have teenage breakouts too. No fair! I thought there would be some break between pimples and wrinkles! Both at the same time is just cruel. |
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| Tea tree oil changed everything for me - took care of all my facial acne overnight. That is if your signif. other can handle the smell!!! Luckily I just need it every now and then.
As far as Bikram, when I did it several times a week, it was more chest/back acne, but that can happen in any kind of athletic stuff that makes you sweat a lot. I just make sure to shower right away, though that didn't always work back then. Now that I do more of a variety of things, it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore.....hmmm.
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| Well I only do Bikram a few times a week, and run or hike the rest of the time. I concur about showering immediately after class, without that, my skin would be a mess!! My mom said she had zits til her 40's, so I've got a good 10 more years of joy  |
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| Jeri- I was reading your post about acne and Bikram and your experience with acne on the lower right side of the face. I too, am 44, and had the same experience with no acne as a teen etc. until I hit 40.
I developed acne on the LR side of the face and I tried everything to get rid of it..irritating factors illiminated, etc. Finally went to the dermatologist. I had Peri-oral (around the mouth) dermatitis or rosacea.
I am very fair skinned and have a hard time doing Bikram really do to migraines and I look like a lobster for about 2 hours after class. I control the break outs due to rosacea with a skin care line called Obagi. I am seeing a dermatologist today to check my rosacea and see if the Obagi is the thing for me. An oral surgeon placed me on the system and my skin is much healthier and pores and much smaller. Good for us mature girls!
Hope this has helped someone else. Took me by surprise going to the MD to find out what the h*** was going on!
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| I am bumping this thread to report the amazing success I have had with improving my skin since I began Bikram yoga. I have had fairly bad acne since I was 12 years old (I'm 31 now) and as recently as two months ago it was so bad that it made me cry. When I began Bikram yoga, I read this thread and felt great trepidation -- it sounded like my skin would get worse, not better. At first, it did get worse. I had large cystic acne breakouts on my face and back. However, after two weeks of practice, it began to get better. Now at the 5-week mark, my skin is better than ever in my adult life. I am thrilled. |
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Expert Yogi
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Sharky, that is great!! |
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| I used to never be able to wear makeup while exercising because of trapping the sweat/bacteria in. My friend let me try some of her Seaport Mineral makeup all natural and I wear it everywhere. It helped my acne and really helped hide the scars. I think the best color for me was the neutral and I wouldn't live without it. I get it from seaportbeauty.com
jods - 2005-04-23 5:15 AM
Shocked to see how much attention this posting received. I'm someone who is extremly obesseive about my skin - I've had problems in the past with mild to moderate acne. Being so nervous about acne I was hesitant to try bikram yoga. Needless to say, I gave it a shot and now I'm hooked.
It has aggravated my skin in the past but I have found a few tricks to keep it under control.
1. always put down a fresh towel for floor postures.
2. NEVER wear any make up! it stops the sweat in its tracks creating a breading ground for those nasty zits.
3. My last and best tip - after class wipe you face with an anti-ance cleansing cloth. This way you can wait till u get home to shower. Biore and clear and clear both make them and they come in resealable travel cases. You can also use them before class to remove make-up. If you are using other acne products it might be better to get a mild facial cleanser without the acne busting ingredients as to not aggravate your skin with too many products.
Bikram should be good for your skin - it's letting the toxins out - just don't let the make up block toxin release and remember to wipe the toxins away after class.
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| Can someone please tell me what does Bikram yoga have to do with acne? See a doctor if you have bad skin. Stop trying to blame bikram yoga.- |
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| I think it makes sense. With the amount of sweat and heat and toxins being flushed, doesn't it make sense that it could cause or worsten acne? To the original poster: I agree that taking a shower directly after class would probably help but also I'd like to suggest maybe hitting your face with a hit of the shower turned to cold at the end of your shower. I've heard about doing this to close pores. I'm no doctor, but maybe after your face is washed, you could do that and then apply your acne treatments, moisturizers, and whatnot. |
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| I think it is very unfortunate that your practice hasn't helped you to be more compassionate toward others. As a sufferer of acne for almost 20 years I have treid every treatment and dermatologist out there and the acne has always come back. Diet and supplements have helped more than any physician. And, yes, it is common knowledge that Bikram yoga can elevate the swelling of your skin and cause disorders like acne to become inflamed. It is a stigmata that can hurt emotionally as well as physically, especially when there are people out there making comments stating it is OUR fault that we have it. |
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Expert Yogi
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| Ms P. sorry you see these posts as hurtful, although I skipped through them (they are pretty old) and I didn't see much that was blaming the individual for their skin problems. Yes, some blamed the heat of Bikram yoga, I blamed orange juice for one person I know and so on. What I noticed was that almost everyone had a different approach and sharing ideas was helpful to some. The plain truth is that yogis are human and we have our faults. We can't alwyas say everything in a way that is 100% correct for everyone who reads the boards. I hope you read some more and join our group. We are pretty nice.  |
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| One Post: Posts: 54 Can someone please tell me what does Bikram yoga have to do with acne? See a doctor if you have bad skin. Stop trying to blame bikram yoga.-
===> Skin = Largest Organ in a human being. Its main function is to regulate temperature of the body to a normal temperature. This is done by sweating. Acne is a disease related to the function of the organ Skin. And Hot Temperature of the room tries to make the skin hot, which shall overwork to keep body temperature normal. Thus, acne + heat overload the skin. That is the connection! |
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| That's an interesting idea. I've heard that the current theory is that acne is caused by impurities in the skin, so would sweating help or hurt this? |
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| Tourist,
I was actually replying to "Seandre" 's reply #27779...it seemed very negative to me. But YES! I agree that this is a great forum filled with very nice people...hope I didn't send out the wrong idea! I hope to let more people know if my techniques for clearing up this problem work, and will post a new reply soon. Thanks for defending this great online forum! Blessed be! Namaste!
Ms.P  |
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Expert Yogi
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | According to TCM theory, pimples and acne would be caused by internal heat, imbalance of the internal organs and eating spicy and hot foods.....however, that would not occur overnite and it would not happen if the body were balanced properly. Having that said, for instance, someone like me who has a very strong Pitta dosha, eats spicy food and then does Bikram every day would definitely have some issues with acne, heat and pimple breakouts...this I have noticed. However, when I maintain my balance, KNOWING that I'm going into the extreme heat on a daily basis, I would not eat spicy foods, I would eat more cooling foods and drink more green jasmine tea...and probably would be fine with that, for the most part. Take a person with a strong Kapha dosha...they would probably love this kind of atmosphere and it would be very beneficial for this dosha.
I think we need to instead of saying, Bikram causes Acne, we should try to learn our body's constitution and work from that knowing. My husband loves the heat, he's Indian, has a strong Kapha dosha and can tolerate these kinds of temperatures. It really makes me sick cause I wish I could deal with it better....but I can't, it's who I am, so I do Bikram at home and I go to a studio that does not do the extreme heat.
For the record, when I'm doing lots of Bikram yoga, my favorite foods are watermelon, cantaloupes and honeydews...these help tremendously. Also, another good food for acne, is to eat Bitter Melon. You can buy the Bitter Melon tea bags in your local Chinatown market. This is a great food for lowering heat, and clearing acne. You should eat it as much as possible, if not every day or every other day in the summer months. I take the Bitter Melon raw, cut the seeds out, and place the entire gourd in the blender with a half cup or so of water. Blend it into a drink. I drink this at night a couple of hours before bedtime on an empty stomach. This is very soothing and cooling to the liver and kidney organs. Not only does it remove heat, but it also removes dampness which helps balance your water intake and outake, helping your bladder function.
If you can't deal with raw bitter melon or even the Indian Bitter Melon, the Chinese Bitter Melon is more mellow and easier to manage for a beginner. What you do is chop it in slices, place it in boiling water for 1 minute and drain. 10 minutes before this procedure, mix 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons of Rice Vinegar, chopped ginger - small amount 1/4 teaspoon and 1 clove of diced garlic. Let it stand for as long as possible, 30 - 45 mins. is best, but doesn't matter. Serve with Bitter Melon and steamed rice. Let that be your evening meal.
The difference between Indian and Chinese Bitter Melon....Indian is very bitter, more bitter than the Chinese - which is my preferred one. It is also more prickly and detailed. The Chinese is smoother in texture with small ripples, not prickly. Sometimes you can find the Chinese Bitter Melon in White, this is also good, but not as bitter. It comes from Taiwan actually.
Have fun. You won't find Bitter Melon at American supermarkets. If you do, I would be really surprised. If you live in NYC, they sell it on the streets in Chinatown and they are absolutely beautiful and cheap.
Also, another good food is Winter Melon or Ash gourd. This is another good vegetable for to eat as well. More on that at another time.
Edited by Cyndi 2006-04-28 8:22 AM
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| WOW !! 
I just stumbled back onto this forum today and noticed it was kept alive even though I left it shortly after posting !! Thanks to everyone for their replies.
I left Bikram Yoga shortly after posting. Then I went back after my face had cleared up and Bikram Yoga didn't have any effect on my acne. I think it was related to stress from the hurricanes we experienced in Central Florida the same time I started practicing.
Happily I am now back to Bikram Yoga and have just completed my first Master Cleanse. The MC seems to have REALLY cleared up my face. I will post back if I experience any more acne problems, but I think it was due to stress. I have cut out chocolate and milk products from my diet since the MC so we'll see how the face cooperates. My tongue turned while on the cleanse and stayed white even into day 12. I decided to stop after day 12 and now 3 days post cleanse my tongue is back to pink. I think my acne was also related to toxins in my body. I just had my first Bikram class today after being on the cleanse, so we'll see how my face fares.
Again, thanks for all the replies everyone !!!
Edited by Attiepay 2007-04-14 8:17 PM
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Bikram Yoga and Acne
