Managing breakouts and skin texture
So you’ve tried everything for your breakouts but nothing seems to work. You’ve bought new skincare, tried cutting out certain foods and may have even been medicated by your doctor. These different approaches tell us that the causes for breakouts are very broad. In order to find the specific cause of your breakouts, often a process of light research and elimination can be the way to go. We have compiled some of the light research for you in a simple way.
The main causes of breakouts are as follows:
- Hormones
- Diet
- Stress
- Bacteria
Let’s talk about Hormones first. One may think that to sort out their hormones, they must be medicated (often with a contraceptive). And while this often makes a difference, sometimes this suggestion is inappropriate for some whether that be due to their age, their values, potential side effects, their medical history or other medications they are on. Luckily, pharmaceuticals are not the only way to manage your hormones. Some of the most effective ways to balance your hormones are simple additions you can make to your everyday life. These include changes to your sleep, diet and exercise. All of these things, when done right, help to manage your hormones, which in turn affects the processes going on within your body and on your skin.
Moving on to diet. We’re not going to discuss cutting out major food groups or related food insensitivities as everyone is different. We’re going for a shallow dive into the basics. For most individuals, Dietitians recommend a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fats. Fruit and Vegetables are packed full of nature’s goodness, proven to improve skin cell health and production. Depending on the type, they include Vitamins A, E, C as well as other nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus and zinc all known to benefit the skin. Then we have lean protein which provides us with the building blocks to create new proteins sent throughout our bodies and to the surface of our skin. Proteins also help to manage our metabolism and appetite, giving us long lasting energy and leaving little room for cravings of unhealthier foods that can cause breakouts. Whole grains are widely known to be a good source of fibre for healthy waste removal and also contain antioxidants which combat inflammation of the skin. And finally, fats. They have an overwhelmingly bad reputation in today’s media despite having astounding benefits to our skin and whole body health. Healthy fats can be found in Avocado, fish, nuts and seeds. Healthy fats are one of the major food groups responsible for ensuring our skin stays thick, supple and moisturised which are all features of youthful and radiant skin.
Finally we have stress and bacteria as major causes for breakouts. As the above two sections will greatly improve stress levels and you can find the blog on stress *here*, we’re going to spend this last section focussed on Bacterial causes. Firstly, Bacteria is not all bad. Bacteria is necessary for our bodies’ immune systems and proper gut health. But many bacteria, especially in large numbers can lead to infections of the body and skin. Again despite a lot of research, there is a common idea that the only way to contend with bacteria on the skin is with antibiotics. While they may be absolutely necessary for more serious infections and skin conditions, there are natural ways in which we can reduce the amount of bacteria on our skin, leading to less breakouts and a smoother texture. One of the things you can do is to make sure you cleanse your face morning and night followed by a moisturiser that lets the body know it doesn’t need to create more oil for hydration. An important note to make here is how crucial it is to have a clean flannel or wipe. Many don’t consider this, but if you could see the bacteria that comes off of your face from one clean, we can almost guarantee you wouldn’t want to put that anywhere near your face again until that bacteria has been removed. And on that same note, ensuring that you change your pillowcase at least weekly will help to keep bacteria at bay.
We hope you learned something new here and are able to combat any breakouts you may have by implementing these simple and natural changes. We encourage you to save this article for the next time you struggle with a breakout and let us know how well these small but powerful steps worked for you.