For all the talk about acne and how diet is important, it is important to keep in mind that avoiding certain foods isn’t the only part of the acne and diet equation. Eating certain foods can help fight pimples as well. This is especially true when dealing with scalp pimples. Introducing beta-carotene, a carotenoid that your body converts to Vitamin A. If you’ve ever heard of retinol cream prescribed by a doctor to someone with pimples, Vitamin A is an integral ingredient. Although that is a topical acne solution, supplementation with beta-carotene can do you one better.

Beta Carotene’s Role with Acne

Whether you have scalp acne, acne on your face, or acne on your body, supplementing with beta-carotene can do wonders for your skin. The beta carotene acne treatment has a very important component. Vitamin A is essential for a healthy immune system and provides for healthier skin by eliminating free radicals. These, over time, damage skin cells and only exacerbate pimples. However, one may question why there is a need to supplement with beta-carotene instead of simply Vitamin A, if the former is converted by the body into the latter. The reason for this is simple, the body only uses as much beta-carotene as it needs. If you supplement with Vitamin A directly, you’re force-feeding your body more than it might need. Without knowing the limit, this might have toxic effects. Why bother when beta-carotene is available?

Now, many places that talk about beta-carotene and its help with acne, usually talk about the basics. Yes, beta-carotene provides anti-oxidants. Yes, beta-carotene reduces inflammation so your pimples don’t look as big and red as they might. However, what’s so special about beta-carotene and what it does for scalp acne, or acne in general?

Beta Carotene Acne Treatment Reduces Sebum

Giving your body enough beta-carotene, and therefore Vitamin A, helps limit the amount of sebum it produces. Sebum is the oil that comes out of your skin’s pores, and is largely responsible for pimples. This is especially true on your scalp, where not only your skin’s pores are oily but this oil extends onto your hair. That’s double the trouble, a perfect breeding ground for pimples on scalp.

What also reduces sebum is Zinc, another supplement that should be a staple in your acne fighting regimen. However, the two should not be taken together as zinc lowers the effectiveness of beta-carotene absorption by the body. Give it some time in between taking the two if you want to supplement with both.

Foods with Beta Carotene

NOW Beta Carotene Softgels (link below) are a good brand for beta carotene supplementation. However, if you are not a fan of supplements in pill form, there are also foods you can eat to get a great amount of beta-carotene. Highly popular is carrot juice. One glass a day is plenty. Of course, snacking on carrots is a good option too. Other foods include cantaloupe, spinach, and sweet potatoes. However, keep in mind you have to be consistent. If you choose the food route, make sure you’re always keeping these foods in your diet.

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Most people don’t understand the role that zinc plays in getting rid of their pimples. Whether you have pimples on head, pimples on face, pimples on chest or back, or pimples on scalp, there is one vitamin that does more than any other in helping fight acne. That vitamin is zinc.

Benefits of Zinc on Acne

Taking a zinc supplement to fight acne is imperative to seeing results. You can clear any acne-prone body area by supplementing with zinc on a daily basis. Zinc can even help with acne scars, because it is essential to skin and hair health. It is often used as an oral supplement to help make sure that an individual does not develop scars when they have scabs.

Zinc’s most important function as it relates to acne, however, is controlling sebum production. By supplementing with zinc, acne does not have the environment it needs to develop on the skin (whether on the face, back, or scalp). Oily skin is often experienced by many people who struggle with pimples. By using zinc, the amount of sebum your body produces is lowered, inhibiting the likelihood of acne formation.

Zinc also contains anti-oxidants that fight free radicals (damage healthy skin cells). High amount of free radicals have been shown to aggravate acne in acne-prone individuals.

Not Every Zinc Capsule is Made Equal

When buying a zinc brand, make sure that you buy one that has the best absorbing zinc as its main ingredient. The better zinc is absorbed by your body, the more effective it will be at fighting acne. The best type of zinc to get is Opti-L-Zinc. A few companies produce this brand and it is easy to find, it comes with 30mg per capsule strength.

Effective Zinc Dosage

Take the zinc capsules twice daily (morning and night). Take each capsule after you have ate (to not upset your stomach). To fight acne and pimples, make sure to take 50-60mg per day. If you use the L-OptiZinc 30mg capsules, one capsule morning and night will be perfect.

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So you’ve been scratching your head because you have an itchy scalp, you’ve seen red bumps all around your scalp region, and now you’re wondering whether you have scalp folliculitis. In other words, whether you have pimples on scalp. The bad news, of course, is that these symptoms point to the fact that you do. The good news, however, is that scalp acne is easily treatable.

Causes of Pimples On Scalp

The formation of itchy pimples around the scalp region is another (yet no different) form of acne on a person’s body. It is quite common, and often forms when the hair follicles on your scalp suffer inflammation and form acne bacteria. Some people choose to ignore these scalp bumps, but others choose to act. After all, even if you have very mild symptoms, why not fight this problem off instead of potentially dealing with it chronically? If that is your mission, you’ve come to the right place.

Scalp Pimples Treatment

Just like acne on other parts of your body, such as your face, back, or chest, pimples on scalp may be treated orally. The two most common topical acne agents are salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Salicylic acid exfoliates the skin to prevent dead cells from sticking around and creating a breeding ground for bacteria, and through exfoliation also allows the bumps to lessen in redness. Benzoyl Peroxide, on the other hand, kills the bacteria. Unfortunately, benzoyl peroxide has its fair share of problems. It can bleach your hair and skin, and often dries it out severely. In our benzoyl peroxide article, we discuss all the benefits and costs of using it as a topical agent. In summary, it is not recommended. If any treatment should be used between these two, stick with salicylic acid. However, it can dry hair as well so try to find a brand that has .5% salicylic acid (many often come with 2%).

For real pimples on scalp treatment, your focus should be on the shampoo you use. The best shampoo for scalp bumps is undoubtedly tea tree oil shampoo. Tea Tree Oil can be used as a topical agent as well to substitute for benzoyl peroxide, but when dealing particularly with the scalp region, it is best to combine its benefits with a shampoo that can help keep your scalp from becoming dry. It’s a “kill two birds with one stone” type of deal. Tea Tree Oil Shampoo will not only kill bacteria, but it also disinfects the area generally and a solid shampoo will moisturize the scalp as well.

Scalp Pimples Treatment Isn’t Only Topical

What many people seem to forget, which is unfortunate, is that any acne fighting regimen must ultimately tackle acne from the inside. We’ve laid out the basic steps necessary to combat acne from the inside in our Scalp Acne Diet article. As a quick summary, eating natural and healthy foods is the first step towards clearing your system of potential acne outbreaks (whether on the scalp or anywhere else). But this is general advice that you will hear anywhere, what really matters is what you do next.

1. You should cut out dairy as much as possible.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar should be a staple in your diet
3. Zinc and Vitamin D3 should be your favorite supplements
4. Eating anything with high amounts of beta carotene is essential

As with anything that must be tackled on the inside, it is imperative that you give this regimen a try over a longer period of time. Most often, you will not see external results on an internal regimen for at least 3-4 weeks. After that, your pimples on scalp problem should be gone and should never come back. Furthermore, this regimen will provide you with a healthier lifestlye overall, which you will come to enjoy. Below are a few of the main products in this regimen:

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Many people who suffer from pimples on scalp struggle to find something that works and clears their head from irritating bumps. They are often pushed to go see a dermatologist and spend excessive amounts of money. However, scalp acne is not much different than facial or body acne. As a result, with some tweaks, many similar methods can be applied for scalp acne treatment that work for acne on other parts of the body. With the proper information, you can deal efficiently with pimples on scalp.

Most importantly, as with any acne, scalp pimples must be attacked from the inside. The most important component of scalp acne treatment, therefore, is not the surface (the scalp). That means that in order to get rid of this problem, certain regimen changes must be made in regards to both diet and supplementation. You cannot eat excessively oily foods all the time, because this oil is later released through your hair follicles and populates your scalp. This environment is perfect breeding ground for pimples. This does not mean you cannot enjoy eating oily foods, but if you do make sure it is done in moderation and not the main part of your diet. Ever notice how your hair is oily, and often times these bumps start appearing more frequently? Bad diet aggravates the condition, irritating both the skin on your scalp and your hair.

Scalp Acne Supplementation

You should focus on getting a regimen started that helps heal acne from the inside of your body, outside of fixing up your diet. Scalp acne treatment must include supplementing with products that help control sebum production, which is the most important element of developing any type of acne, including pimples on scalp. Your focus should be Zinc and Vitamin D3 supplementation. The linked articles will explain their role most efficiently, but they both are imperative in order to inhibit acne formation long before it starts appearing on your scalp or anywhere else.

Combating Scalp Bumps Topically

Scalp acne is no different than acne elsewhere. Because of this, typical medications that work well to fight acne that is already on your scalp should be based on salicylic acid or tea tree oil. Benzoyl Peroxide is not a good idea for scalp acne, because it has bleaching effects. Unless you want bleach spots to start appearing on your hair, steer clear. Nonetheless, tea tree oil has the same anti-bacterial properties as benzoyl peroxide and can be applied on a cotton ball to the problem areas without worry of bleaching. Studies have shown it is just as effective in fighting acne prone areas.

For best results in fighting pimples on scalp, it is necessary that you use the right type of shampoo. Many people have reported that the use of a dandruff shampoo (which contains zinc, mentioned prior) has had a very good impact on clearing scalp acne and preventing future break outs. However, perhaps the best option in regards to a solid shampoo to deal with these pimple problems is Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. We have written a solid article on why it is the best shampoo for scalp acne, but in a few words, just as it is a very good option to apply topically it is also non-irritating and fights acne bacteria deep into the scalp.

*As a tip, topical use of Apple Cider Vinegar to combat scalp bumps has also been reported to work very well. However, as with anything, consistent use is necessary. For best results in combating scalp acne, your scalp acne treatment must focus on all these things in tandem. Only when you develop a solid regimen, as outlined above, can you fight these acne problems and achieve results that you’ll be happy with. Combining all these things is key, and so is consistency.

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