Peptides and anti-aging.

Ingredient spotlight! Let's talk peptides and anti aging.

You’ve probably heard of this ingredient if you’ve ever looked into anti-aging products. They’re popular, and for good reason. A powerful ingredient and inexpensive in comparison to other ingredients, let’s take a closer look at what exactly peptides are.

By definition peptides are chains of amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. I know that doesn’t mean much to most people so I’ll break it down for you.

Amino acids are organic compounds that help build proteins. It’s made of the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Amino acids have a bunch of different jobs, they give proteins their structure, transport nutrients, and send signals to other cells. When these amino acids link up they form a chain, they can be short or long. As they link up and become longer they become the building blocks of proteins. These chains of amino acids are known as peptides.

Proteins make up a lot of the body’s tissue, organs, and skin. The one big protein in your skin is called collagen, it makes up about 75% of your skin. This is also one of the key proteins that gives your skin a youthful appearance. Collagen is basically the foundation of your skin. When you’re young you have a ton of it, as you age collagen starts to diplete. As you lose collagen your skin will show more visible signs of aging like wrinkles, and saggy or crepey skin.

So amino acids form peptides, and peptides form protein like the very important collagen. See where I’m going with this?

Peptides can help boost collagen production! The peptides found in serums, creams, and others are short chain amino acids that easily pass through the layers of the skin. Peptides are chatty little guys so they go in and “talk” to your other cells by sending signals to do certain tasks like collagen synthesis.

The science behind peptides is simple. There’s no smoke and mirrors here. If you’ve ever thought about adding anti aging products into your regimen peptides would be a great addition.

Steps to start clearing your acne today.

To clear acne it takes hitting it at every angle. This means diet changes, lifestyle changes, using herbs and supplements for imbalances in the body, and good products used in the right way. But these are some steps you can start implementing today to get you on the right path. 

Reduce your stress and get some sleep. When you are under stress your adrenal glands go into a “fight or flight” response. When this happens they pump up your testosterone. Elevated testosterone triggers acne. When you don’t sleep you stress out easier.

Start limiting iodine and dairy in your diet. Switch iodized table salt to sea salt, limit how much seafood you eat, stay away from supplements containing iodine, and get into the habit of reading labels for iodine. Switch cow milk to almond milk, choose dairy free ice cream, switch to an alternative to cow milk in your coffee.

Stay clear of androgenic foods. Avoid foods like peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter, corn oil, canola oil, and organ meats.

Don’t pick! If you feel the urge hold a piece of ice on the pimple for 2 minutes. This reduces inflammation relieving pain and discomfort, and also allows better product absorption to the area. Picking can lead to post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (the dark or red marks) and these can take a while to fade.

Wash all your pillow cases, towels, clothes, anything that comes in contact with your skin for pore clogging ingredients. And while you’re at it ditch the fabric softener.

Avoid lo-dose birth control. Refer to my blog post “birth control and acne” for more information.

Do not use ANY makeup or hair products containing pore clogging ingredients. I’m serious ladies! To have clear skin you’re gonna have to breakup with some of your favorite products. Please refer to my blog post about pore clogging ingredients to see exactly what they are.

Use SPF every single day!    

PCOS and Acne

I speak for myself when I say PCOS is a B*tch.

I was diagnosed as a young teenager and struggled with the symptoms into mid adulthood. With diet and Face Reality I was able to clear my own acne. In an effort to help other women struggling with PCOS I wanted to share some information. 

Affecting about 10 million women in the world PCOS is not to be taken lightly. The exact reason why women develop PCOS is unknown, but it is considered a hormonal problem. It is the leading cause of female infertility and responsible for many more symptoms that affect the body physically and emotionally.

Hormonally speaking women with PCOS have higher levels of androgens in their bodies. The excess androgens are responsible for many of the PCOS symptoms including acne.

Women with PCOS are insulin resistant. Insulin allows the body to absorb glucose into your cells to use as energy. When you’re insulin resistant this can lead to increased blood glucose levels and cause the body to make even more insulin. Too much insulin can force your body to make more androgens.

It’s important to limit sugar and carbs in your diet when you have PCOS so your insulin levels don’t increase. With a diet geared towards low sugar and carbs, as well as avoiding foods known to aggravate acne, the breakouts that occur with PCOS are just as responsive and treatable as every other kind.

As we know there is no cure for PCOS but not having to worry about acne and wearing a symptom right on your face is a small victory. My programs are perfect for anybody ready to taking control of life with PCOS.

Foods that make acne worse

There’s a TON of information on the internet when it comes to your diet and acne. Don’t eat sugar, eat lots of fruit, don’t eat fatty foods, drink matcha powder. It can be confusing when there’s so much information. Even more frustrating is when the information you’re following isn’t true and makes your acne worse.

So here it is plain and simple. This is what you should avoid when you have acne.

Iodine (found in salt). This is the number one food you should be avoiding. Things like seafood, iodized salt, taco seasoning with tons of salt, anything with high amounts of iodine will aggravate acne. In fact I have a map of the United States in my office where I pin little flags where all my clients live. Most of these flags are in coastal states where people have diets with more seafood, seafood containing iodine.

We talk about your diet and how to best avoid iodine in your diet when you enroll in one of my acne programs. Removing iodine from your diet is actually really easy, and you won’t be giving up your favorite foods! I’ll teach you all of this and help you along the way.

Dairy, the one you always hear about. This one is true, dairy is a big acne aggravator. Not only does it contain iodine, but also added hormones. Whey protein is also dairy, so make sure to avoid protein drinks and protein bars containing dairy.

Soy is another culprit. Foods like edamame, soy sauce, soy protein are all foods that should be avoided.

BIOTIN also known as B7, this one seems to come up a lot. Commonly in “hair, skin, and nails” vitamins, it can be confusing why this is so bad. Remember from past posts, acne exists because of a predisposition for your skin’s pores to shed too many layers of skin, then accumulating and causing a pimple, pustule, or papule. Biotin speeds up cellular turnover, which is why you might notice your hair growing faster when you take it. Unfortunately when you have acne biotin just adds fuel to the fire. Watch out for biotin in supplements, health drinks, and especially avoid egg yolks which have a high amount. B12 also acts like Biotin, so be careful.

Androgenic foods like peanut butter, peanut oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil should be avoided too.

We go over this extensively in your consultation when you decide to make the choice to clear your acne. I will teach you how to change your diet to help your acne, and teach you how to introduce foods back into your diet when you graduate your acne clearing program.

***Food is not the cause of acne. Diet can have an impact on acne, but it takes hitting acne at every angle to get it clear. Diet combined with, herbs, supplements, and most importantly products used in the right way will clear your skin.***

Birth Control and Acne

Birth control pills, IUDs, implants and shots are widely used today and prescribed often as a means to control acne. Most forms of birth control can have the potential to cause acne and weight gain in those susceptible.

Typically birth control is divided up as estrogen or progestin dominant and have varying degrees of androgenic (testosterone like) effects. As a general rule of thumb, those with the potential for higher androgenic symptoms should be avoided for people prone to acne because they promote breakouts. As an acne sufferer it is important to **speak with your doctor about selecting a form of birth control that is higher in estrogen and lower in androgen potency.**

The most commonly prescribed in this category are:

Brevicon

Necon

Tri-Nessa

Demulan

Ortho Tricyclen

Tri-Previferm

Femcon

Ortho-Novum

Tri-Sprintec

Kelnor

Ovcon

Zovia

Modicon

Previferm

MonoNessa

Sprintec

It is best to AVOID the following that are high in androgen activity and low in estrogen:

Alesse

Kariva

Nexplanon

Amethyst

Lessina

Nordette

Apri

Levora/Levonest

Norplant

Azurette

Linessa

NuvaRing

Caziant

Loestrin

Ogestrel

Cryselle

Lo-Feminol

Ortho Tricyclen Lo

Cyclessa

Lo-Ogestrel

Ovral

Depo-Provera

Lo-Ovral

Paragard/Copper IUD*

Desogen

Lutera

Portia

Emoquette

Marvelon

Reclipsen

Estrostep Fe

Microgestin

Seasonale/Seasonique

Implanon

Mircette

Sronyx

Jolessa

Mirena or Skylar IUD

Triphasil/Trivora

Only you and your doctor can determine what form of birth control is right for you. The above is just a basic guideline that should be used to initiate a conversation between you and your physician. If you are considering using birth control, it is important to know that it can be associated with a high risk of blood clots, weight gain, nausea, mood changes, depression and breast tenderness. Serious side effects include strokes, digestive issues and embolism.

Finally, it is entirely possible to treat acne without using birth control. If you have no underlying health issues that require you to be on birth control and are considering using birth control only to control your acne, please feel free to talk with me to get some additional perspective on how I can help you without the use of birth control. 

*Although the Paragard/Copper IUD does not contain any hormones, it has been observed that it has aggravated acne.

Adult acne: You’re not alone, I promise.

What’s worse than acne? Adult acne. The easiest way for me to speak about this is for me to first tell you a bit about my own experience….

I had acne in high school like most kids. Nothing too bad, but enough where I begged my mom to buy me Proactive, or take me to see a dermatologists. Nothing ever really worked, but my acne sort of just cleared up on it’s own as I grew up. I was happy with my skin for a while, I got the occasional pimple but really nothing to call home about.

Fast forward almost 10 years at this point my skin is horrible. Constantly caking on makeup to cover it, trying products to clear it, spending hours on the internet in hopes of finding the solution. I just didn’t understand. I was an adult, I washed my face, I didn’t have a horrible diet, but still…. Acne. Even after I decided to pursue a career in skincare and go to esthetics school, I couldn’t figure it out and no one could help me! Eventually I found the answer, and have clear skin now, but it took a while to figure it out. Lucky for you reading this, I’ve done the hard part for you.

There’s so many factors to an adult's life that surface acne, just as there were factors that made your acne surface as a teenager. Or maybe you didn’t even have acne as a teenager and now you do! So let me tell you what’s going on.

According to a study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual meeting this March more people are suffering from acne now than ever before. Over 50% of adults continue to get acne well into adulthood, so don’t feel like you’re alone.

Okay Mackenzie, but why the heck is this happening??

Well… as I have mentioned in previous blog posts. Acne is hereditary, and something has to “trigger” it for it to show on your skin. Some people just never grow out of it. Some people never see it, and then all of a sudden at 45 years of age they have a face full of it! Why it laid dormant for so long is a mystery, but as an adult there’s many things that can contribute to acne being triggered.

Hormonal fluctuations in your adult years can certainly have an impact. Things like:

• birth control

• Plan B

• pregnancy

• premenstrual syndrome

• medications, and

• menopause

If you are a women, learn about the birth control you are taking, how it effects acne, and consider switching to something acne safe. Please visit my blog post about acne safe birth control if you have questions.

Medical conditions like PCOS or Thyroid disorder can cause mayhem in your skin.

Medications like lithium (for bipolar disorder), thyroid medications, anticonvulsant medications, lo-dose birth control, corticosteroids, etc can trigger acne.

Pore clogging makeup, skin care, laundry detergent, and hair care can be one of the BIGGEST culprits for acne. Even products that say “non-pore clogging” or “noncomedogenic can’t be trusted as they aren’t regulated terms. If you’re ever in questions, refer to my list of pore clogging ingredients.

Stress may be one of the biggest factors in adult acne. As adults we sometimes have monumentous amounts of stress that a teenager would never experience. Acne is almost always associated with some elevated levels of testosterone, it’s almost unheard of for someone to have low testosterone and acne together. When your body becomes stressed your adrenal glands go into a “fight or flight” response increasing testosterone. This would show in the amount of acne you see in your skin.

The good news! Acne is acne. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a teenage boy or a 50 year old women. It responds the same way to product, active ingredients, diet changes, and supplementation with herbs. So if you’ve lost hope, I can help you. The majority of my clients are those suffering from adult acne… men and women. If you’re tired and frustrated and want your acne cleared for good please schedule a consultation with me and together we will get to the root cause!

Coconut Oil. One of social media’s favorite ways to ruin your skin.

You’re told over and over again on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and other platforms that this miracle oil is a cure all. We cook with it, clean with it, moisturize with it, remove makeup with it, whiten teeth with it, all kinds of stuff that the internet says to do.

But what is coconut oil? Why is this oil being shoved down our throats? Is it really all that beneficial? What’s it really doing?

In recent years coconut oil has grown vastly in popularity. There’s been claims that it can do everything from clearing skin, supporting weight loss, and even slowing the progressions of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s beneficial to use as a hair treatment because the small molecules better penetrate your hair follicles. The antioxidant properties can be beneficial in a multitude of ways. It even reversed hepatosteatosis, a type of fatty liver disease in rodents.

Coconut oil can be great! But it can also be bad....

A survey published in July 2016 shows that 72% of people think coconut oil is healthy. Only 37% of nutritionist agree. Why is that? Because coconut oil has a saturated fat content of 90%. Saturated fats have been found to increase cardiovascular and other diseases.

But Mackenzie, what does this have to do with my skin?

Well! A coconut oil molecule is very small, this means that it easily passes through your skin’s pores. Coconut oil is extremely pore clogging, or comedogenic. So all these sources that say to use it as a moisturizer, makeup remover, cleanser, etc, are basically encouraging you to clog your pores!

But remember, only someone with the pre-existing hereditary condition of acne would be victim to coconut oil. So when you see somebody with perfect skin slathering it on, the acne has either not yet shown itself (since it takes 90 days to form and show), or they just don’t have the hereditary condition of acne.

***To clear your acne you need a healthy body, and a program of the right products used in the right way. Kempz programs are designed to fit exactly what your body and skin needs. The amount of education you receive through your clear skin journey will stay with you for life.***

Pore clogging ingredients

Pore Clogging ingredients. Beware!

If you’re serious about clearing your acne you need to be sure these ingredients don’t show up anywhere. Not in your makeup, laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner, or any hair products at all.

**Don’t trust products that say “non comedogenic” or “non pore clogging” these aren’t regulated and often don’t mean anything.

**Common oils like coconut butter, jojoba butter, argan oil that claim to be good for your skin are pore cloggers. So be careful and always check the list!

Acetylated Lanolin

Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol

Algae Extract

Algin

Almond Oil

Apricot Kernel Oil

Argan Oil

Avocado Oil

Butters (Shea, Coconut, Almond, etc.)

Butyl Stearate

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Carrageenan

Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20

Cetyl Acetate

Cheru Seed Oil

Chlorella

Chondrus Crispus (a.k.a. Irish Moss or Carageenan Moss)

Chullu (Wild Apricot) Seed Oil

Coal Tar

Cocoa & Coconut Butters

Coconut Alkanes

Coconut Oil

Colloidal Sulfur

Corn Oil

Cotton Awws Oil

Cotton Seed Oil

D & C Red # 17

D & C Red # 21

D & C Red # 3

D & C Red # 30

D & C Red # 36

Decyl Oleate

Dhupa Seed oil

Dioctyl Succinate

Disodium Monooleamido

Ethoxylated Lanolin

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Evening Primrose Oil

Glyceryl Stearate SE

Glyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Groundnut Oil

Hexadecyl Alcohol

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Isocetyl Alcohol

Isocetyl Stearate

Isodecyl Oleate

Isopropyl Isostearate

Isopropyl Linolate

Isopropyl Myristate

Isopropyl Palmitate

Isostearyl Isostearate

Isostearyl Neopentanoate

Kapok Oil

Kasum Oil

Kelp

Kokum Oil

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Laminaria Saccharina Extract

(Laminaria Saccharina)

Lanolin

Laureth – 23

Laureth – 4

Lauric Acid

Mahua Seed oil

Mink Oil

Monostearate

Myristic Acid

Myristyl Alcohol

Myristyl Lactate

Myristyl Myristate

Nahor Seed Oil

Neem Oil

Octyl Palmitate

Octyl Stearate

Oleth – 3

Oleth – 5

Oleyl Alcohol

Olive Oil

Palash Oil

Palm Kernel Oil

Palm Oil

Peach Kernel Oil

Peanut Oil

PEG 100 Distearate

PEG 150 Distearate

PEG 200 Dilaurate

PEG – 16

PEG 16 Lanolin

PEG2 – Sulfosuccinate

PEG 8 Stearate

PG Monostearate

Pilu Oil

Pisu Oil

PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate

Plankton

Polyglyceryl – 3 Diisostearate

Polyglyceryl – Diisostearate

Potassium Chloride

Monostearate

PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate

Propylene Glycol Monostearate

Ratanjyat Oil

Red Algae/Brown Algae

Rice Bran Oil

Sal Seed Oil

Sea Whip Extract

Seaweed

Sesame Oil

Shark Liver Oil (Squalene)

Sodium Carbomer

Shea Butter

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Solulan 16

Sorbitan Oleate

Soybean Oil

Spirulina

Steareth – 10

Steareth – 2

Stearic Acid Tea

Stearyl Heptanoate

Sulfated Castor Oil

Sulfated Jojoba Oil

Tribeheniin

Undi Oil

Wheat Germ Glycerides

Wheat Germ Oil

Xylene

What is acne?

What exactly are we up against here?

Acne is a hereditary condition of your skin’s pores. An acneic pore sheds too many layers of skin in a day, about 5 layers. A healthy pore sheds about 1 layer of skin in a day. All these dead layers of skin then accumulate inside of your pore creating a pustule or papule (acne). This is known as retention hyperkeratosis.

So why doesn’t my sister, brother, mom, dad, whoever, have acne?

Well there has to be a trigger. Something happening internally or externally that is triggering the acne to appear on the skin’s surface.

Commonly these would be:

• Imbalanced hormones

• Stress

• Poor gut health

• Too much iodine in your diet

• Poor clogging ingredients

• Certain medications

When your pore starts accumulating these extra dead skin cells a microcomedone starts to form. You can’t see them but they’re lurking below the surface. In fact these start forming as far as 90 days before they ever show on your skin. This is why my programs are designed to be 3-4 months long, and why I won’t be having you spot treating your acne, rather we will be treating your entire face, back, shoulders, any acneic skin.

There’s different kinds of acne, that need to be treated different. This depends on if the pore becomes inflamed or not. This again is also inherited. If the pore doesn’t become inflamed a white head or bump will form. This is called a closed comedone, or non-inflamed acne. In inflamed acne as the dead skin cells and excess oil build up inside your pore, the bacteria inside will start to spill out of that pore into surrounding pores. This causes an infection which you know as a “pimple”.

***We have to know what acne is in order to treat it. With the knowledge I have, I can successfully treat your acne guaranteed.***

Accutane. Your worst decision ever.

You may have heard about this drug in your own research when trying to treat your acne? Maybe your doctor even mentioned it? You’ve probably heard that there can be some side effects but dismissed these warnings with eyes laser focused on clear skin. Well.... maybe you should read this first.

First of all what is Accutane?

Isotretinoin is a drug used to treat severe acne that dermatologists have decided can’t benefit from other treatments.

This drug is a vitamin A derivative (retinoid), so your body reacts to it in a similar way that it does to vitamin A. Vitamin A quickly builds up in your tissue which can quickly lead to bigger problems.

Accutane does not fix the issue!

Acne is a hereditary condition of your skin’s pore where it sheds too many skin cells in a day. These accumulate inside your pore creating acne. Someone with this hereditary condition may never see acne on their face, that is because there has to be something that triggers it. Commonly that would be diet, poor gut health, external factors like makeup, or medications. If you never find and fix the trigger or supplement your skincare regimen elsewhere acne will always come back. Accutane does NOT address triggers, you are essentially putting a bandaid over the problem, that WILL create BIGGER problems later!

Isotretinoin will dry your body out for life.

Chronic dry eyes, bleeding nose, chapped lips, thinning and breaking hair, just to name a few. Your skin will be so fragile that sun exposure can scar your skin. Not only that but people have often experienced the palms of their hands, and soles of their feet peeling, cracking, and bleeding. It is even recommended that you do not wax your skin for 6 months AFTER taking it because your skin is so prone to irreparable damage.

Is temporary clear skin worth central nervous system damage?

For some clear skin meant permanent hearing loss. Ringing in the ears, and temporary hearing loss are not uncommon. Isotretinoin will increase pressure in your brain. Common side effects of pressure in your brain include:

• severe headache
• blurred vision
• dizziness
• nausea
• vomiting
• seizures
• Stroke

More serious mental health problems including depression, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. Warning signs include emotional outbursts, withdrawal, and seeing or hearing things that aren’t real.

Say goodbye to a healthy digestive tract.

Problems along your digestive tract would include:

• bleeding gums
• a lack of appetite
• heartburn
• stomach pain
• bowel pain
• dark urine
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• rectal bleeding

These symptoms could be warning you of severe problems to your:

• esophagus
• pancreas
• liver
• intestines

You are in big trouble if you get pregnant.

If you become pregnant during the time you’re taking this drug, or 4 weeks after (in my opinion not long enough), you are putting your baby at SERIOUS risk. Taking isotretinoin during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, death of the fetus, or premature birth. It can also lead to severe birth defects such as:

• small or missing ears
• hearing loss
• small eyes, which is called microphthalmia
• missing eyes
• a small or missing thymus gland, which is responsible for making white blood cells
• a cleft palate
• congenital heart defects

If that’s not enough It can also cause a buildup of fluid and pressure on the brain called hydrocephalus. This can lead to intellectual disabilities.

Babies may be born with an underdeveloped brain and small head, which is called microcephaly. This can lead to intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In fact pregnancy is taken so seriously with the use of this drug that you are required to enroll in a risk management program designed to prevent fetal exposure to isotretinoin called iPledge. This requires that you must use two forms of contraception and submit a negative pregnancy test to your physician each month while you’re taking isotretinoin.

Why would you take such a harmful drug if it doesn’t even work?

I have treated MANY clients who have come to me after Accutane doesn’t work. Can you imagine doing so much irreversible damage to your body only to continue experiencing breakouts? I have created programs with Face Reality that have a 95% success rate, naturally, without the use of drugs. That other 5% that don’t clear is because they don’t follow instructions, are not dedicated to the program, or are taking a medication that isn’t acne safe that they can’t go without (they usually still clear to about 85%). My programs are cheaper, work better, address the issue to not only get your skin clear quickly but KEEP your skin clear for life. Your health will not decline, your body will feel better as we address issues in your diet, and internal health. Educating you on your body, teaching you the tools to maintain your health, and of course giving you completely clear skin that doesn’t come back (unlike Accutane)

***Isotretinoin is an extremely harmful drug that is completely unnecessary in the fight against acne. I urge you, even BEG you, do NOT take this drug. It may be your biggest regret in life.***