Although very different situations, there are a surprising number of similarities between the struggle to get healthy skin and the struggle to get a healthy body. I’m going to map out similarities and differences here with the intention of giving people some insight into their own emotional reactions when dealing with difficult challenges of life.

We’ll start with interesting similarities:

1) Emotional imbalance will eventually develop in all cases.

-sooner or later, long term obesity and chronic acne can tweak the mind of any normal human being. Once an emotional problem has set in, treatment becomes even more challenging.

2) They are both 100% treatable:

-All Obese patients can get in shape as proven by the show “The Biggest Loser”

-All Acne Patients can safely get clear as proven by the medical project, “The Acne Practice”

3) Both Obesity and Acne are Self-Vicitimizing Situations:

-Obese patients have been blaming “Glandular and Genetic Problems” for their obesity for decades.
(This notion has since been disproven by the show “The Biggest Loser”)

-Acne patients display the exact same type of self-victimization using “Hormonal Imbalances or Bad Genetics”
(This notion has since been disproven by “The Acne Practice”)

4) Western Medicine often fails them both:

-5 minutes with the doctor is often not enough to “cure” obesity.
-5 minutes with the doctor is often not enough to “cure” chronic resistant acne

5) Eastern Medicine often fails them both also.

-An enthusiastic caring practitioner seen once a week or once a month is sometimes not enough. These two conditions can be very stubborn.

6) The Situation is Underestimated

-Frustration develops when obese patients can’t get victory. This frustration is generated from an expectation that it “should” happen from whatever efforts they are making.

-Frustration develops in acne patients when a 20 dollar bottle of cream does not transform their entire life. Acne patients are notorious for underestimating the difficulty of their situation. (large companies have been catering to this magical thinking for decades)

7) Both utilize a losing mentality to protect themselves from more heartache and pain:

-When beat down many times by failure despite great efforts, both obese patients and acne patients can become apathetic or defeated. When this emotional phenomenon takes hold, it takes an enormous amount of energy to wake them up to the reality that these situations are always treatable. (and thus the need for the show “The Biggest Loser” and the 120 videos in “The Acne Practice”)

These similarities can make obesity, acne, and all other treatable chronic conditions behave like the same chronic condition.
The emotional reactions are rooted in both Control Issues and The Agony of Defeat.






However, despite the similar heartache and reactions, acne and obesity have many differences that should be illustrated here as well.

1) Hands Down, Chronic Acne is trickier.

From Richard Simmons to that Tae Bo guy, there have been successful practitioners of fitness that have proven over and over again that anyone who really wants it can get fit.
However, until this recent project started in 2007, there has never been an acne expert who could really prove all forms of acne are safely treatable.
Poorly backed up claims and imaginative theories have ruled this field mainly due to the difficulty of getting solid results without taking chemotherapeutic levels of medications.
For this reason alone, Acne has proven to be the tougher condition to beat.

2) Motivation:

While there are still many motivated obese patients temporarily losing the battle of fitness at this time, the motivation of a chronic acne sufferer is often times more comparable to that of an olympic athlete. Acne suffers will often do anything to get clear including extremes of nutritional restriction, application of topicals, avoidance of aggravating situations, and spending every hard earned cent they gather. When referring to the ultra-motivated group of patients, Acne sufferers are very different from obese patients.

3) Cost:

-While fitness may require great personal training and coaching for some people, no group of suffering souls has collectively spent more money on themselves than the acne patients. On numerous occasions, I’ve had patients tell me they have already spent over 20 thousand dollars unsuccessfully trying to fix their skin.




Bottom Line:
While Obesity and Acne have remarkable emotional and self-vicitmizing similarities, Acne has proven to be a much trickier situation to conquer.
Fortunately, due to shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “The Acne Practice”, we all now know that both situations are treatable in 100% of cases.
There are no exceptions to this rule and no amount of self-vicitmization or hopelessness will ever refute what these two projects have already proven.

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©2010 “Acne vs. Obesity: A study of our humanity” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

There is nothing tougher than trying to plan the perfect wedding with skin that is completely unpredictable. Fear of being the center of attention during a very romantic celebration is often times too much for an acne sufferer to bear.


The lesson of this blog post is that skin that feels unpredictable is not really in good control.


Real control comes with it a sense of confidence and a lowered level of anxiety, allowing one to focus on other aspects of life. (like the flowers and catering for the reception…)

When you watch this video, you can really feel how her anxiety vanishes once her skin is in total control.

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©2010 “Wedding Day Anxiety?” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

One of the earliest posts on this blog was called, “My skin is Special”

It talks about the emotional phenomenon of categorizing oneself in a hopeless situation based in prior heartache and failure.

After seeing this next unbelievable case, I will ask you whether you still think your case is special and untreatable.

Pay close attention to every detail of a case that seemed unbeatable for years.

History:

Acne for 18 years!
Flares mostly with Menstrual Periods
Never had a clear month (”no vacation”)
emotionally affected
life choices and dreams affected
compensatory life skills were developed to overcome the challenges.

Prior Failures:

Multiple Dermatologists
Accutane
Oral Antibiotics
Rx Topicals (multiple)
OTC Topicals (multiple)
Lifestyle Modification
Food Changes
Home Remedies
“Everything”

Share

©2010 “My Skin is Special (Part 2)” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

Last year I wrote a post called “Control Issues” which discussed the core emotional struggle of chronic acne.

After reading that philosophy, watch these videos below and witness how similar the suffering is for so many people.

It’s amazing how many people truly believe their case to be special and untreatable.
It’s been witnessed, written about, and revisited once again in high definition.

The many emotional phenomena of chronic acne are being broken down and illustrated here in a way that will bring a new sense of awareness to this type of relentless suffering.


Once the entire blog is read, one can learn how to react less and observe more.

Witness the powerful transformation of “Control Issues”

After another month of total inactivation, his mind had reset and you can feel that he is no longer painfully suffering.

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©2010 “Control Issues” (Part II) by Dr. Neal Schwartz

When was the last time you felt momentary pure joy???


The kind of smile you can’t hold back, the kind of laugh that goes up an octave accidentally.


How powerful has your vast knowledge been in regards to finding happiness in a single moment in time?
(Hint** Your intellect can’t always save you from depression. Mood is a visceral sensation and can’t be fixed from the mind)

This is biggest medical tip I can give anyone in the world:

Your Doctor, Psychiatrist, Therapist, Holistic Healer, Nutritionist, Dermatologist, or Spiritual leader can never fully fix your Depression or Anxiety. Ever…!!!

Its really all up to you and your actions…

They can give you a turbo boost or a step by step path to a new destination, but it’s really all on you.

The sooner you take 100% accountability for your life, the sooner you will develop the needed skills for this world.




As conscious human beings, we are all predisposed to depression and anxiety. Some will crack early and some won’t feel its rath until they get older. The more you alienate or isolate yourself as a “Special” case, the lower your chances are of seeing the truth.


The Truth is that only tenacious self-starters can rebound and pull themselves out of a hole.
To dig out from the bottom, It takes four times the energy of getting through a typical day.
(Fortunately, energy can be aquired step by step as an artistry in itself. follow the blog here for a map of how to escape the dungeon)

I can see in retrospect how my uncomfortable skin and my imbalanced mood ruined many joyous opportunities in my 20’s. I became hesitant to do many fun activities including the beach, skiing, outdoor sports in general, and general daytime social activities. This is what troubled skin has done to millions of others. A huge group of repressed sufferering souls who are missing the best years of their lives. It’s horribly painful to experience and equally troubling to witness as a prior sufferer.

Here’s the up side:
Its never too late to re-capture your youth. You’ll need to swiftly and effectively fix your skin and mind and start living before it’s really too late. 20’s, 30’s, 40′, 50’s, and on…. it moves fast…

I’m 34 now, feel like I’m in my early 20’s only through creative physical activity that has exponentially gone up in the last few years.

After having needlessly suffered for long over a decade, I have re-entered the “World of the Living” in full regalia.

Check this out.

As an expressive necessity of being a sensitive person came to a head, I finally found the guitar and my voice at 29.
(We all have this same need. It’s never too late to find it)
(learn how to play guitar here)
Original songs will be coming on this site to help inspire people to express themselves. It’s vitally important, especially if you consider yourself to be a sensitive individual)

As the possibilities of the world re-opened for me, I found a childhood dream in Mexico 3 years ago:
(I loved the beach as a kid and lost this amazing aspect of life somewhere along the line)
This photo is from my first time surfing a few years ago. I improved last year and this summer will be bringing surf videos here to inspire the most sluggish of minds.

After a complete mind transformation from surfing, skiing magically came back into my life.
(I had skied as a kid and somehow through the rigors of becoming a doctor had completely lost it in my twenties and early thirties)

And last but not least, This video is from yesterday, day 1 of a new adventure in physicality. This last one is the inspiration for the “pure joy” of this post.


It’s the artistic search for the “balance point” that magically clears the heady mind. I strongly believe that the stress caused by the energy of our overly-conscious minds is one of the biggest causes of all disease.
Our greatest strength as humans, our consciousness, is often the cause of our own demise.

(They make these things in Adult sizes also!!)

I am feeling good today and it is no accident. My actions will dictate my life. Your actions will dictate yours.
There is no western medicine or eastern herb that can really save you.

Like all real arts, finding happiness, physical balance, and mental wellness can never be mastered. Only improved upon.
If you do not yet consider yourself an artist of life, know that your knowledge and intellect may not have enough power to save you.

As a former “know it all” non-artist, follow me as someone who has transformed and found the light of life. New possibilities arose only when I began to move away from the imbalance created by the stress-inducing “heady” identity.

Engaging in the daunting challenges of artistic balances rather than patting myself on the back for the simple task of gathering and storing knowledge.




Find the art of movement and your mind will finally release.
(your therapist can’t help you with this)


At this rate, I imagine I’ll be younger by 35…..


I promise to help you all find “pure joy” in this very short lifetime.
Stay tuned for the next level…


-Dr. Neal






©2010 “Pure Joy” (part I) by Dr. Neal Schwartz

Watch and listen closely as 7 years of a losing fight comes full circle for this brave woman.
(this video is her gift to the world)

Part 2

One of the many missions of this project is to bring awareness to the subtle suffering that is all around us at work, in the family, and with friends.

More important than the awareness is the vivid proof that all of these chronic ailments are beatable with the proper weapons and focus.




This spotlight case illustrates many of the emotional issues that were posted up here last year.

Specifically:

Control Issues
The Agony of Defeat
Baffled by Prior Failure
Vegetarians with Acne

(see the Emotional Issues Category of the Blog)

When a young intelligent woman has tried all acne medications, eats an amazingly balanced diet, dances all week, and is surrounded by comforting people…, it is truly BAFFLING to her why she would still get acne every single day. When this goes on for 7 years without a vacation, many people begin to crack under the cummulative heartache of the defeat.

Mild persistent cases can ruin lives in subtle ways that onlookers will never understand.

It’s the subtle moodiness, lack of interest, or desire to go back home to bed that chips away at our entire society.

My goal is to both bring awareness to these emotional reactions and then to open doors to the real possibility of transformation.

In this case, note how the emotional issues are amplified by prior failure despite enormous efforts.

(Acne patients are often times the most motivated people around.
Awareness of ongoing struggles despite great efforts will hopefully rise from this video project)

Be well,

-Dr. Neal

©2010 “Witnessing Transformation” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

I propose a New Law that requires all Acne companies to post this warning with every advertisement in the same way the drug companies are forced to mention potential side effects in their commercials.

It is the irresponsible smiles of the Acne commercials that leaves people baffled and bewildered by their own failure.  They are irresponsibly making acne seem easy to beat.





To display what I see every week in the office, I will lay out the exact emotional phenomenon as it repeatedly unfolds.

We’ll use “John” as an example…

1)   John views widespread commercials showing happy people with success over a real medical condition.

2)  John buys the product as a “consumer” with the expectation that it will work as it did on the commercial.  His only responsibility in this “consumer” relationship is to pay for it and follow the instructions.

3)  John uses the product exactly as directed.

4)  John uses it patiently, “hoping and waiting” 2-3 months as directed.

5)  3 months later, John is angry that he still has bad acne despite perfect compliance.   John begins to lose trust and hope.

6)  John’s expectation was very high solely based on the commercial, and his experience did not meet his expectation.

(It is our expectations that determine our satisfaction.  In this case, John is very upset and will be slower to trust any company in the future.)

Why did John get so upset??


The exact reason John is upset is because the company who ran the infomercial did not mention that over 60% of people using their product do not get the results seen on the commercial.   And even more upsetting,  John was never told that the people themselves in the commercial were wearing makeup and altering the lighting to make the results seem great.

This upsetting phenomenon is happening every day to millions of people.  I am often left to pick up the emotional pieces in the aftermath when people come to the office or contact me online.

I believe it needs to stop, as the emotional results can be devastating to our whole community.   A society of distrusting, hopeless people who are angry at all big businesses for selling false hope.


In the world of beauty and fashion ads,  people have forgotten Acne has always been, and will always be, a medical condition that often times requires help from an expert practitioner.



To correct this widespread problem, Here is the legistlation I propose:

1) All Acne marketing be treated like prescription drug marketing as these products are also dealing with a medical condition.

-With this new responsibility will come the requirement to use zero makeup and zero camera or lighting alterations.

2)  All Acne companies are to be required to specifically disclaim the variablity in their results.

For example:

 ”Results may vary. If not improving, please seek other alternatives as time = scarring”

When a “Customer”  fails in this new scenario,  It causes much less anxiety to know the failure is more “the norm” than a special, unseen “affliction.”



Bottom Line:

Although always treatable, Acne is not always simple to fix.

There needs to be a higher level of accountability to get this message across while still giving hope to those who need.

Simple Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid regimens have failed millions of people  (i.e. your case is not special)

When responsibly communicated.., those who fail will be less likely to self-victimize themselves as a special, untreatable case.

In a related conversation:

Are you Baffled that your dietary changes did not fix your skin??

When dietary strategies are hyped up as a “solution” for acne, maybe there should be some awareness of the warning above…?

In the conversation of “First do not harm”,  I’d like to emphasize the idea that reckless and irresponsible promises often cause real emotional wounds.

Proper Accountability and Responsibility is the key to prevent future needless suffering and self-victimization.

Acne commercials need to be held accountable for the emotional problems they have helped create,

-Dr. Neal

©2010 “Baffled by Prior Failure??” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

FAQ:      ”Hi Dr. Neal,  my acne is not as severe as some of your bigger cases.  Do you think “non-inflamed” acne is also treatable??”

Answer: Every Case of Acne is both treatable and preventable.

There are no exceptions to this rule.

There are several missions involved in this groundbreaking video project.

Here are the clear, unwavering points being proven by the expanding gallery every month:

1) All Severe cases are treatable despite prior failure

2) All mild and moderate cases are treatable despite prior failure

3) Like many treatable chronic situations, Acne is a self-victimizing condition  (click the link to learn more–”part I”)

4) Acne comes with many emotional problems that were originally caused by acne itself,  but then manifest as their own entity until directly healed.

5) Hormonal Acne, Adult acne, Genetic Acne, Post-Accutane Acne, and Special acne are all special terms for “plain old acne”  that can only lead to self-victimization.

6) Blackheads, “non-inflamed” bumps,  congested pores, pimples of all types, and cysts are all part of the same chronic condition of acne.  (many manifestations of the same condition)

7) By labeling your case of acne by the old terms,  ”cystic acne”,  ”non-inflamed acne”, blackheads, moderate, severe, mild, comedonal….,  you are creating a special condition from a typical situation.  This mistake creates a pathway to the emotional phenomenon of  “Self-Victimization”

*8)  Self-Victimization is the reason people needlessly suffer from treatable conditions for a lifetime.  It’s difficult to witness people constantly making this emotional mistake.

Watching people continue to make this emotional mistake is the fuel that keeps me writing and video taping.  If I put up big cases,  the mild cased people self-victimize themselves. If I put up women,  the men think their case is special. When I put up darker skin, the light skin people become victims.  If we celebrate stopping the oil,  the dry cases become “special”

I am witnessing this self-victimization every single day and it’s relentless.  I will endlessly fight this emotional decision with thousands of videos until popular thought overwhelms this mistake.

If you have already witnessed this type of behavior in your family members or friends,  let them know of this classic emotional mistake.   Needless suffering hurts us all.

Until this emotional concept and mistake becomes common knowledge in our society, there will always be people who mistakenly think their case is “special”

(this is universal to all treatable lifetime ailments,  not just treatable skin problems)

Fortunately for this particular emotional crusade,  there are videos already in the extended gallery of almost every situation.  Cystic, non-inflamed, light, dark, mild, moderate, severe, hormonal, genetic, adult, teen, seb derm, dry, oily, sensitive, women, men, post-accutane….

Those who have victimized themselves only need to watch them to see what is possible.

For today’s offering, specifically for those who are suffering from “non-inflamed” acne,

here’s some videos plucked out of the collection to help you see what is possible for any situation…

click link below for more videos———->

(more…)

Acne is a relentless condition that can tweak the mind of anyone.

As you can imagine,  I see many cases of anxiety and depression on a daily basis. In our newer information age,  I’ve noticed people are becomming less and less equipped to handle the emotional stresses of life, possibly due to the search for a magic piece of information that can save them.

In this series of videos and posts, my intention is to shift the emphasis of healing back to action instead of knowledge.

One reason the  internet may be failing to help you find balance is because sitting and watching the screen, in and of itself,  is very bad for your health.

The more you sit and research for magic solutions that require less action,  the worse off your mental health becomes.

Success in achieving any goal often times comes from action rather than the endless gathering of opinions and statistics.

With that in mind,  I’ve decided to make some videos to get people in action.  I will refer patients from the office and clients online to this video collection in an effort to break the spiral of hopelessness and mistaken pessimism that is often unconsciously created while having troubled skin or any other chronic medical problem.

Part 1 is the introduction and Beginner workouts:

Details:

20 squats

20 sit-ups

or

20 squats

20 pushups

or

20 pushups

20 situps.

For more intensity,  raise either or both numbers as high as you need and repeat sets decreasing the numbers like this:

100 squats

50 situps

80 squats

40 situps

60 squats

30 situps

40 squats

20 situps

20 squats

10 situps

For more beginner ideas,  see the crossfit (beginners) section of the blog.

(see videos 2 and 3 in the link below)

(more…)

    The aesthetic and beauty conversation surrounding healthy skin often times can obscure the real emotional issue of chronic active acne.  Although these other issues are real and distracting,  the main issue here is one of control.  If something breaks in your body, it’s always very reassuring to know that you can find a medication, a service, or a lifestyle change that can help you get back to normal.  

    However,  when you are diligently making major efforts with all possible resources available and finding no relief,  a real anxiety will arise.

   I observe the classic anxiety that arises with chronic acne as a predictable consequence of this condition regardless of the original strength of one’s character.   If you are feeling anxious about your acne that has not yet been controlled using standard treatment,  try not to get down on yourself for it.  It’s extremely common, predictable, and reversible.  Your anxiety, frustation, fear, depression, and eventual hopelessness have all been witnessed before.  I’m writing this post to help people observe their own emotional reactions.  As you become more self-observant, you will find yourself less reactive and more keen to your own feelings and actions.

This control issue is also one of the reasons why those without chronic acne will find it difficult to ever really understand what it is you are going through.   

Here’s an example of the distinction between aesthetic issues and the bigger issue of control:

If someone gets hit in the face and takes a small superficial wound on their cheek, they will likely be upset.  This upset will likely manifest as anger, annoyance, and then quickly resolve into acceptance as it appears there will be minimal permanent damage. 

In contrast,  If an acne patient gets the same size pimple on their cheek at the same time,  they will not go through the stages of grief properly because there is a another issue in the mix.  Although the temporary aesthetic problem may be similar,  there are many differences:

1)  They may be ashamed at the stigma of having acne.   

2)  They don’t really know why it came up in the first place.  

3)  They don’t know when the next wound will be coming.

4)  They are doubly frustrated since they are already eating well and using many acne medications. 

This example was put here to show the differences between aesthetic concerns and control issues. 

If someone close to you does not understand why you are getting upset about your acne problem,  clue them into the real issue of persistent acne. 

This is not a superficial problem.   It is a physical and emotional issue of control.

   You can observe this issue in the videos as the anxiety changes from week to week.   The reason things have changed is not only because their skin looks much nicer.  They are calmed down by the reality that they have regained control of their lives.   Listen closely for the transformation.

Hope this helps, 

-Dr. Neal

©2009   “Control Issues…”      by    Dr. Neal Schwartz