February 2023
There are several reasons why acne appears, one of the most frustrating, debilitating and stressful skin conditions almost everyone has dealt or is dealing with.
What is acne?
A common skin condition when the sebacious (oil) glands become infected and clogged with oil, skin cells, and bacteria. These look like black and whiteheads, pimples, and in extreme cases
painful nodules under the skin. They also almost always come with redness which is a sign of inflammation.
Understanding root causes of acne
The big categories are hormones, diet, lifestyle (stress), and habits (skincare routine).
Check your hormones
Getting your hormones checked by your doctor is the most efficient way of getting to know your body intimately. Most women, like me, really only considered getting their hormones checked when considering family planning. But hormones can help you understand what part of the "machine" (your body) you need to focus working on before anything else.
The same goes for men. Androgen is the main reason when looking at hormones why we get acne. Men naturally have more androgens and deal with hormone imbalances just as much as women do.
Eat the right foods
Supplements and multivitamins are useful
when you need an extra hand during your healing process. We should not rely on pills for long-term because it's better to spend money healing with actual food than pills. I believe whole-heartedly that good, nutritious food is our medicine and better than any man-made pills.
Balance is key. The 80/20 rule is be good and consistent 80% of the time and enjoy that pizza or bag of chips the other times. If you have 30 days in a month, you can have your cheat meals/snacks in moderation the other 6 days.
To visualize a week, you can have 4 cheat meals in a 7 day week if eating 3 times a day.
Avoid making every cheat meal processed which can set you back further from seeing improvements.
Feel empowered to ask your doctor what else you can do or who you can see for a more sustainable way to health that doesn't involve a monthly trip to the pharmacy. Work with professionals who look at health achievable without relying on conventional pills for the rest of your days.
For those who have a longer journey ahead and need the assistance of medications, hang in there. Food can still be medicine in conjunction with your treatment and there is always room for healthy living through eating.
Stressful Lifestyle
Exams, excessive travelling for work, intense training, and toxic relationships are examples of pressure we put on ourselves. We convince ourselves that a lot of our choices are positive: pursuing a degree, diligently working for that promotion, or aiming for "the perfect body".
These choices bring about stress to our body and mind. One obvious way is acne, which is why right before a major event/day, acne appears uninvited and it happens every single time!
I will be the first to admit that going slow and steady is not in my nature. But I am learning that I can still have big aspirations with reachable goals along the way so it doesn't feel overwhelming. I make time to get as much nature as possible, exercise (find your rhythm), and find joy and gratitude that I can see, one of them being the health and wellbeing of those I love and care about. You or I won't see acne too often when we continue to practice good lifestyle choices and create harmony in our daily routines.
Habits
Now that we have a more holistic view of our health, we can have fun with skincare!
Treatments at the dermatology office is great for those who need a quick fix or deal with uncontrollable acne even after checking off everything else. Some people trust doctors only. Whatever your comfort level is, it is still on us to make use of home treatments so we don't lose momentum on clear skin.
Some don'ts:
Force popping: This causes micro tears which leads to scarring and spreads the bacteria to another area of your skin.
Over cleaning/scrubbing: Constant cleansing and scrubbing with strong chemical peel solutions will make your skin overcompensate by producing more oil to dry skin while getting rid of friendly bacteria necessary for oil/water balance. It's a cycle you don't want to repeat.
Here are some of our favorite products (mostly unscented) to use at home for maintenance. Always remember consistency is vital to seeing improvements. Start by starting from scratch and adding one product at a time to find what works best for you:
Mist
Cleansers
Toner
Ampoule
Mask
Creams
Pimple Patches
Protection
Take care of your mind, body, and energy.
If you have any questions, feel free to visit us located inside Lumi Nails @ Morris Park on Saturday or email inquiries@thehouseofkalm.com.