Evening Primrose Oil Q & A

You may already know how important it is to get essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your daily diet. Evening primrose oil is one way to get these essential nutrients. I recommend it for clients who have PMS, oily skin, breakouts, and dermatitises like eczema. It even works as a hangover cure. (Note: although there is some discussion about monthly cycles for women, men, too, can benefit from taking this supplement. In other words, don’t let the talk of periods turn you off from reading this article!)

I started using evening primrose oil capsules and have noticed a great change not only in my skin, but a lessening of symptoms of PMS. I used to get cysts on my jaw and neck area, which I know were hormonal, and since the evening primrose I now only get one small pimple every 3 or 4 months around my period.

Evening primrose oil is not for everyone, but I have seen it work really well for a lot of people. I include that email because it mirrors the experience of many of my clients.

Evening primrose oil can help with the balance of estrogen in the body during menstruation (when estrogen levels naturally lower). It can help to elevate estrogen levels and in some cases eliminate the pain and tension of a woman’s period. I used to take it when I was ovulating, to help lessen the sometimes erratic emotional and physical changes during PMS. Then, by the time my period started, I was feeling more in balance and experienced less pain from cramping.

In your book [Timeless Skin] you recommend evening primrose in capsules for oily or acne skin. I was wondering what milligrams are you talking about per capsule?

I usually get my primrose oil at Whole Foods. I use the 365 brand that are 500mg each. They look like vitamin E capsules, or perhaps a bit bigger. Years ago, evening primrose was a little hard to find. Now there are many brands to choose from. I don’t recommend one brand over another, but I do suggest talking with the people working in the herb department at your local health food store. Ask them which primrose oil would be the best one.

I started taking evening primrose oil, but I’m not sure if it’s really helping my skin. I’ve been taking it for 3 months now. Should I continue, or should I stop taking it?

The thing with evening primrose oil is you may or may not notice a big change. Some people do; they notice a lessening of the oil in general in their skin, or they may even notice their breakouts have diminished—if not in frequency, then in size and number. The essential fatty acids found in evening primrose oil are essential to healthy cells, yet they are hard to get through food. So for me this is reason enough to take evening primrose oil regardless of noticing big results.

When and how many evening primrose capsules do I take? Since it helps PMS, do I only take it during menstruation or should I take it daily?

I recommend experimenting to find out what works for you—especially if you are taking evening primrose oil to offset symptoms of PMS. For problem skin, try 2-4 capsules twice daily and increase if you don’t see any noticeable results. For cramps due to PMS, try 1-2 capsules twice a day from the time you start ovulating, then increase by one or two capsules (3-4 twice daily) until you have finished your monthly cycle. I used to take more on the days I felt the emotional roller coaster that premenstruation can bring.

I have been using evening primrose oil to help with my acne and hormones, and it’s been fabulous. I now want to become pregnant and wonder if I should continue or stop the primrose oil?

I was advised by a doctor that evening primrose oil should be very good to take during pregnancy. He suggested the baby will like it and utilize its nutrients, and fish oils, too (if you take those), to build healthy cell walls. Evening primrose oil should be very good for a growing fetus. Conversely, evening primrose may not be advisable to take if you have or have had cancer because it may help those cells to grow. Please consult with your doctor before taking this or any other supplement.

Evening primrose oil may be contraindicated if you are taking **Premarin® (a common medication taken for hormone replacement therapy after menopause). Because evening primrose oil can help promote the production of natural estrogen, coupling it with the estrogen in Premarin may result in an excess of this hormone. Whether or not you are taking hormones or any other medication, check with your health care practitioner to find out if you should or can take evening primrose oil.

Last night I was having a drink with some coworkers and the topic of evening primrose for hangovers came up. Anyone who has tried it now swears by it. Thanks again for that information!

**As an advocate for animals, please know that Premarin (aka Pregnant mare urine) utilizes horse urine in a way that is inhumane. Don’t believe me? Click here, or simply do an Internet search. There are many articles describing the truth about horse urine collection and the deplorable life of a PMU horse. There are also many alternatives to this unfortunately popular hormone medication. My own article will be coming soon.

For more information, see:

• The Many Uses for Evening Primrose Oil 
• Problem Skin Q & As—Monthly Breakout 
• PLEASE: Don’t take Premarin!

Ella, a former (now rescued) PMU mare.

What is acne? Acne explained

Acne is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody. Yet many of us will have to contend with it sometime in our lives. It can be debilitating and embarrassing and can cause real psychological scars that stay with us for a long time. Unfortunately, the scars can be physical as well. Here, I am not proposing a cure or some miracle program to stop acne from occurring, but I will explain what acne is and provide some suggestions for coping with this disease.

As a teenager, I had (what I remember to be) perfect skin. It wasn’t until I was 23 that I developed a case of acne that lasted for a few years, a time period that I will never forget. It doesn’t matter when it hits you, if it does it is devastating. So I hope you never have to go through what we acne sufferers have gone through. And if you have acne now (or know someone who does), hopefully there will be some information here that you find helpful, which can lead you to a path of healthier skin—for a lifetime.

What is acne? The following has been reprinted with permission from a Johnson & Johnson, Inc. pamphlet on acne. They so clearly explain how acne develops, I wanted to pass the information along to you as it was written.

---

---

Long before blemishes appear on your skin, trouble has been building up beneath the surface—in the hair follicles and their attached oil glands. Each follicle contains a number of sebaceous or oil glands. The oil you see on your skin is sebum, which comes from these glands.

Cells that line the follicle surrounding the hair are being constantly replaced. The mix with sebum and work their way to the surface of the skin. Eventually they are washed away. Sometimes, however, this process goes haywire. For reasons not completely understood, the follicle begins to produce cells that stick together so tightly that they are not shed. Accumulated cells, bound up in sebum and mixed with other skin materials, including pigment and bacteria, stick together and form a plug. This plug clogs up the pore, obstructing the opening to the skin. But the sebaceous gland keeps producing sebum, and this is how acne begins. The initial buildup is called a microcomedo. It lies deep within the follicle and starts forming many weeks before you notice any disturbance on your skin.

The sebaceous gland continues to put oil into the blocked system, and the follicle begins to swell and forms a closed comedo or whitehead. A whitehead is usually visible as a slight bump on the skin. If the follicle doesn’t break, the whitehead may turn into an open comedo or blackhead. The familiar blackhead is like a whitehead except that the exit to the skin surface is open. Some of the materials in the follicle cause it to darken. This material, and not dirt, gives the blackhead its dark color. Often the follicle bursts or leaks from the pressure in the plugged system. A papule or pimple forms when the follicle begins to release its contents into the surrounding tissue, causing inflammation. That’s why the skin surface surrounding a pimple usually appears reddened and swollen. 

The white cells in the body attack this material and pus develops. These pus-filled inflammations are called pustules and in about 10 days will usually disappear by themselves as the body disposes of this material.

You might suffer from whiteheads, blackheads, papules or pustules or a combination of all of them. Keep in mind that these blemishes are just expressions of acne at different stages of development. But every one originated from a microcomedo hidden within the follicle—which is why we say acne is a problem that works against you from the inside out.

---

---

Acne is certainly no fun. If you’re a teenager, it is probably just a matter of time (although this could mean years) before your hormones balance out and your skin problems go away. If you are a teenager or an adult and have true acne—or even just simple breakout—you must look to your diet and lifestyle to find out how these areas of your life are contributing to your skin woes.

For more information, see:

• What is causing your breakout?
• Problem skin profile: Donna—constipated with problem skin
• MYTH: Food doesn’t affect skin

Tinted lipbalm replaces lipstick

You talked about a light-colored lip balm on a TV news program. Could you please give me information about this product? Where can I get it, and what was the brand name?

I don’t wear any makeup at all, but there are times I would like a little color on my lips. The product you mentioned sounds perfect for me. I have been looking for something like that for a long time.

The items I was showing on TV were tinted non-petroleum lip balms. They are wonderful problem-solvers because they are treating your lips while at the same time giving them some color. The pigments in these colored balms are not as dense as in a real lipstick, so they don’t give you deep color, but they do give you some color.

The actual products I had on the show are made by a company called Un-Petroleum®, although they are not the only company with tinted lip balms on the market. They can be found at most health food stores, and I’ve even seen some at regular grocery stores.

For more information, see:

• Kiss Chapped Lips Goodbye!
• More Help for Chapped Lips
• The Ins and Outs of Lipstick

Acid Alkaline Balance (Diet): all links so far

acid alkaline balance (diet)

• Antioxidant Sources

• A Quick Tip to have fresh lemon juice at the ready—always

• Hot water and lemon to the rescue

• How to alkalize your body first thing in the morning

• Juicing for Better Health

• Spirulina—a great all-around supplement

• Understanding antioxidants & free radicals

   

Dark Circles explained

What are dark circles? What causes them?

When you see dark circles under your eyes, you are essentially seeing the blood vessels—filled with blood—due to the exceptionally thin skin in that area. Stress and lack of sleep can cause changes in your blood circulation (it becomes slower), which can cause the tiny capillaries to expand. Thin skin or circulation that has slowed down can both cause dark circles to appear.

Then there are allergies. Airborne inhalants as well as food allergies can cause dark circles to form. So the short answer to that question is similar to what causes problem skin: diet, environment, and lifestyle habits. Genetics, as always, can also play a key role in whether or not you will have dark circles.

My story. Throughout my life, I have never really had a problem with dark circles under my eyes. Sure, once in a while if I was out too late or just didn’t get enough sleep for some reason, they might appear temporarily. And many years ago, while I lived in Dallas, I had terrible springtime allergies, so during my annual two months of misery, the dark circles were generally always present. But by and large, I didn’t consider dark circles a concern for me.

Then when I moved to Chicago in 2002 (age 41), I noticed a marked difference in the dark circles under my eyes. In fact, I noticed that I constantly had them! At first I thought it was due to the stress I was under having recently moved my life to a new city. Then I thought it was the pollution here (although I think both cities have an equal problem when it comes to air quality). When I would go to Dallas on business I noticed the dark circles virtually went away, so I knew it was something to do with life in Chicago.

Months later, I discovered the culprit. It was not so much the outside air pollution, it was no longer the stress of moving (I’d lived there long enough to smooth all that out), but what I think was causing the problem was the apartment I was living in at the time. It was extremely dusty there, and I’m not sure why. I could see the dust accumulate on everything—including my cats! I have never lived anywhere with so much dust! I put air filters in every room, including the bathroom, but still, the dust kept on coming. Dust is a very common allergen, and I believe it was dust that ultimately caused my dark circles back then. It was my body’s allergic reaction showing itself.

Dark circles are there for a reason. But just like my dusty apartment story, it may take a sleuth to figure out why they are there. It’s always going to be environmental—your body’s environment. Our magnificent machines are always throwing off toxins, and when the toxic buildup is too much to take, the body starts giving signs of overload. So if you suffer with dark circles, look around and see if you can figure out what is causing them. I believe that common allergens, whether they be in your diet or your immediate environment, are causes for persistent or even temporarily dark circles.

To further discuss my personal experience with darkness under the eyes, I have found that since moving into menopause (I am 54), the dark circles are somewhat of a permanent feature on my face. I’m sure due to hormone changes and simply the aging of my skin, the dark circles are clear and present. I eat a fairly pristine diet and unless I have had alcohol or sugar, which make the darkness worse, the discoloration is always there to some degree. At this point I don’t let the darkness bother me. I find my eye glasses, which I don’t wear all the time, cover the area if I feel the need.

Products for dark circles. Although there are many products on the market that profess to remove dark circles, I would caution you against spending too much of your hard earned money on them. I’m not saying you won’t find relief with one or more of these creams, but I have not found one product that stands out from any other. I believe if there was a product that really got rid of dark circles completely, we would all know about it. The manufacturers would be rich and no one would have to walk the earth with dark circles! But that isn’t the case.

If you want to try a product said to help reduce dark circles, don’t hesitate! But don’t be surprised if it doesn’t do all you want it to do. If the product helps, great; if it doesn’t, return it if you can. For less severe cases of dark circles, products truly may help. But if you are genetically predisposed and/or have a lifestyle that doesn’t support your best health, you may not find the results you are looking for in a cream designed to help with dark circles. And do try looking at your diet to see if you may be contributing to the problem.

For more information, see:

• Yonka’s Eye Treatment Creams & Gels (scroll down to Phyto-Contour to see what Yonka has for dark circles and puffiness under the eyes)
• Will my puffy eyes ever go away? Help!
• Air pollution and how it affects your skin

Yonka’s Eye Treatment Creams & Gels