Controlling acne can at times be challenging. Today is the start of a new blog post series all about taking control of your acne! If you've suffered from acne or hormonal breakouts, you 'll know how stressful and frustrating it can be. Especially, when you don't know the best way to manage it. You want someone to give you some honest advice and find some products that work. I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter I had terrible hormonal acne. Red, sore and angry. And I was thinking the whole time "where is my radiant pregnant glow everyone speaks about?" All I wanted to do was hide. I had no idea what skin care products were safe to use on my skin during pregnancy. I wish I had known about Botani back then.
Controlling Acne
I sat down with our founder Barbara Filokostas, to have a chat about how to treat acne. With over 20 years' experience as a naturopath and after treating many clients with skin sensitivities such as acne and hormonal breaks outs, she is the guru on this topic. She had loads of practical tips to help manage acne which I'll be sharing with you over the coming weeks. Barbara takes a holistic approach to skincare, looking at all the lifestyle elements that can impact the skin health.Ingredients To Watch
Mainstream brands will often use ingredients such as dimethicone, which is a silicone-based polymer. It's used to make products go on smoothly, commonly used in primers, foundations and lotions. But what this synthetic ingredient does is act like plastic and cover the skin. So effectively it's like wrapping yourself in plastic all day long. Most importantly it prevents your skin, which is your largest living organ, from functioning properly. Your skin naturally releases bacteria, skin oils and other impurities but when it has a coating of dimethicone on it, these impurities become trapped in the skin causing inflammation and infection. So the very cosmetics that you may be used to cover up acne is contributing to the breakouts and congestion.Over Cleansing
It may sound funny to say this when talking about acne, but oil is not the enemy! This perception often leads to people experiencing acne to over cleanse. Over cleansing strips the skin and interferes with the Hydrolipidic Layer, also known as the acid mantle. This layer is essential for protecting the skin against infection, irritation, allergic reaction and dehydration. Over-cleansing can leave skin prone to further infection and breakouts, not to mention dehydration.Unhealthy Diet
In taking a holistic approach to skincare, it's vital to look at how we feed the skin from the inside. In many cases, poor nutrition can make you more susceptible to breakouts. Foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates are linked to acne breakout in many people. That includes:- Processed food such as chips and biscuits.
- Starchy foods; white bread, pasta, potatoes etc.
- Sugary drinks.
