In the last post we talked about myths and facts associated with acne.
In this post we are going to go over some simple methods that will help you fight acne before it happens.
Acne is not the same as having a few zits, or a few pimples appearing on your face. Acne can even spread to different parts of the body, including your neck, your back, and your chest, and can be a very embarrassing skin condition.
Suffering from acne is not the same as having an occasional pimple popup on your face. As we have discussed before acne comes in many different forms. Breakouts can occur on different areas of your body including your face, neck, back and chest. Severe breakouts are not only irritating there also embarrassing.
While there are certain genetic markers and hormonal factors that determine whether or not we will suffer from acne during our lifetime, being burdened with it doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything you can do to help lesson the severity of your breakouts.
For those that have severe acne you have to remember that it is very important to seek the advice of a dermatologist to explore your possible treatment options. Don’t try to fight the battle alone. For those of us who have light to moderate acne there are several things that can be done to help reduce and prevent breakouts.
Let’s go over a few:
1. Consume a healthy diet
As we discussed in the last issue, eating fried foods and sweet treats occasionally will not lead to more breakouts, but what most people don’t realize is that our skin is the largest organ of the body and its job is to expel waste. It works in conjunction with our colon, intestines and bladder to help rid your body of toxins and keep it functioning properly.
So it only makes sense that how we eat will have an impact on the condition and appearance of our skin. By limiting the amount of unhealthy foods in our diets, we are reducing the amount of toxins that it has to expel through our pores. This in turn can help minimize or even prevent acne outbreaks from happening.
Consuming a healthy diet filled with nutrient rich food is essential to your overall health. For those with acne there are some vitamins and nutrients that should be specifically added to your daily diet to help reduce the possibility of breakouts even more. Especially foods that are rich in zinc, vitamin A, E and B6
These specific vitamins and minerals have been proven to help reduce the severity of acne breakouts. Zinc, especially in the form of zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate, can reduce the androgenic hormonal effects on our skin.
Vitamin A can help reduce sebum production. Vitamin E helps protect skin cell membrane from damage, as well as helps maintain healthy skin my eliminating harmful free radicals from our bodies, that can often be generated during physical activities.
Vitamin B6 helps prevent premenstrual acne, and reduce the sensitivity to the effects of testosterone. By adding foods rich in these vitamins and nutrients to your diet, you can reduce your chances of getting acne.
There are even vitamin supplements specifically made for people who suffer with acne. You can find them by checking with your local health food store or doing a search online for “vitamins specifically for acne prone skin”. Just remember, while vitamin supplements may help nothing will replace consuming a nutrient rich diet full of healthy fruits and vegetables.
2. Get plenty of exercise
Regular exercise and moderate sweating are excellent ways to help reduce the severity or even prevent your breakouts. This is because, when we exercise, we are increasing the blood flow to our skin, and providing more oxygen to our skin cells. Sweating moderately cleans our skin pores from the inside out, also aiding in the prevention of acne.
TIP: It is a good idea to shower immediately after exercising to wash away any excess oil and toxins that are released through your pores during your workout.
3. Detoxify your body
Detoxification is something that our body does naturally on its own. It is designed to efficiently expel harmful toxins in several ways, as I mentioned above. However, there are also other ways that you can help rid your body of toxins including; colon cleanses, liver flushes, enemas and enjoying a nice sauna.
When there is a toxin build up in vital parts of our digestive system, the toxins begin to excrete themselves from our skin pores, increasing the chances of an acne outbreak. By eliminating the buildup of toxins, we are helping to prevent acne.
In the next post, we will be talking about more about diet, high glycemic foods, allergies and how they can affect your acne.