What are some common causes of acne?
Understanding the changes that your hormones go through, and the visible effects they have on your skin’s barrier function, will help you better understand how to care for your skin and overall health. When hormones shift, skin barrier function is compromised. This causes the skin to become more sensitive and prone to sun damage, redness, breakouts, flushes, aging and dryness. Balancing your hormones can help you prevent these issues and is the key to the long-term health of your skin.
You may be wondering what your digestive system has to do with your skin health. The gut is crucial to the health of your skin – and your entire body! You’ll see.
It’s true that no single food causes or prevents acne, but rather what ’s on your whole plate. Regularly avoiding foods that cause inflammation or dysregulate the hormones and eating a nourishing, skin-healthy diet is the first step in clearing acne from the inside out. Which is why we are so lucky to have our foodie Pamela provide us with wholesome recipes fuelled by the good stuff.
Inflammation & infections
Skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and eczema are often triggered by inflammation. Therefore, taking a close look at what we consume (food, drinks, medications, and more) is necessary to reduce the inflammatory response in our bodies. Chronic infections which can often be hidden in your body weaken the immune system resulting in more prominent skin issues, like acne.
Our modern lives make living free from toxins pretty difficult. From pollution in the air, to chemicals in our food and water, to the ingredients in the very products we put on our skin… Overtime, these toxins build up and can cause a range of health issues, including acne. Knowing how to reduce the influx of toxins and support elimination is really important. For instance, poo can tell you a lot about the balance of bacteria in your gut, whether your body is detoxifying toxins properly, or how you are absorbing nutrients. Yes, your poo is directly linked to the health of your skin! Don’t worry, you’ll hear more about poo very very soon.
The truth is, we all experience stress from time to time. But when stress becomes chronic it can start to have a major impact on your physical and mental health. Stress is not a sole cause of acne, but it can have a major effect on the severity and frequency of breakouts and lesions.
As with any health condition, lifestyle habits must be taken into consideration to make real, lasting change. When it comes to skin health and acne, the habits that cause our issues aren’t always clear. Things like face touching, sedentary lifestyle, hygiene considerations, drinking, smoking, exposure to irritants and so forth can all play a role.
