Skin Care 101: Get Better Skin Today!

This post has been a long time coming. When I first started this blog I talked about skin care quite a lot. After a period of less than perfect skin the topic was often on my mind. I experienced six to nine months of constant blemishes upon reaching age 24. I'd never had poor skin before so it was confusing and upsetting. I like to feel in control of things and I definitely didn't feel in control of my skin.

Quick catch up >> Read all skin related posts here or listed separately as follows:
♥ Part 1: Microdermabrasion
♥ Part 2: Microdermabrasion
♥ Non Comedogenic Foundation
♥ Philosophy Skin Care System

Whilst I'm clearly not an expert, nor have my skin problems ever been as serious as acne, I'd still love to share with you what I've found beneficial. I have little scientific knowledge but I've not had a single blemish for over four months and that's good enough for me. Not one. Nothing. I have a very good friend who had terrible adult acne (but cured it using similar methods explained here) and another who works as a nutritional therapist. We've chatted at length so I guess they've contributed to this post too in one way or another. On a side note, my boyfriend previously had 2 or 3 spots at any one time and now has none. Zero. So this has worked for him too! Grab a cup of (herbal!) tea and read on.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I'm not a doctor or a health professional. These are just my personal opinions. Do your own research and consult with experts in the appropriate field. Please don't make any important decisions based upon this blog post. Instead, use it as a stepping stone to further discovery.

Z-Silc Plus, Johnson's Gel Wash, Philosophy The Great Mystery, The Body Shop Seaweed Toner, The Body Shop Seaweed Face Mask, Clinique Pore Minimiser, The Body Shop Blemish Stick.

Ok, so let's take a look at the skin care products I use. You'll notice a gel face wash from Johnson's that costs just a few pounds. There's absolutely nothing special or groundbreaking here, so please don't rush out to buy any of what you see. In the past I've used the Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser and if it was a little less expensive it would be my go to cleanser - I didn't restock as I'm saving my pennies. I love it. More recently I trialed the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish which I also rate highly. Both are gentle. Remember that word - G-E-N-T-L-E. The last thing stressed out skin needs is harsh products full of chemicals.

That's pretty much all I'm going to say with relation to products today but I will post a ton of stuff for you to look into tomorrow - all those products I reckon might be useful. Check back for that. Instead, what I want to clarify here is that I don't believe any one product is going to miraculously cure your skin problems. It goes far deeper than that. You need to get back to basics and nourish your body from within.


Beauty Comes from Within
So you've probably already guessed what I'm going to talk about in this little section. Don't fall asleep just yet. I believe wholeheartedly that some people are genetically vulnerable to outbreaks, usually because their hormonal balance falls out of whack easier than for others (this applies to girls and boys). But I also know that you can protect your hormone balance quite easily by feeding your body full of good stuff and avoiding the bad. This will be far tougher during the teenage years when hormones go crazy but it can still be done. For people who favour junk food this isn't so easy but if you want clear skin then find a way. Seriously, forget fancy products and visits to your doctor and instead, get real about healthy living.

Good Eats
We keep sweet treats like chocolate, biscuits, cake, desserts and ice cream to a minimum but still enjoy them a couple of times a week. Likewise, although we do drink alcohol it's not all the time and we pass on take-aways and fast food. We're not perfect and you don't need to be either! We do eat plenty of:

♥ Raw fresh salad, steamed green veg and green smoothies.
♥ Oily fish (mackerel, salmon), nuts and seeds (flax and pumpkin) and organic eggs - all contain the essential fats (omega 3 & 6) which are necessary for healthy skin.

If you're still not sure what healthy eating means two blogs I recommend are Keeping Healthy and Getting Stylish and Oh She Glows.

Extra Help
I take some great supplements which I'm positive accelerated the whole process.

♥ Vitex Fruit (Agnus Castus) $4.63 - a popular herb for women which is thought to balance hormones. (Use code UZI171 to save $5 off your first order. International shipping is only $2) Controlled studies have shown that this herb is beneficial to acne sufferers, most likely due to it's hormone balancing effects. I cannot for the life of me find the study that originally prompted me to purchase this (or I would include the link) but I do recall that the majority of participants were pretty much free from spots within 3 months. I'd say this has the potential to be a miracle pill more so than anything your doctor will give you.

♥ Multivitamin. I think every one should take one even if you eat a healthy diet.

♥ Essential Omegas. My boyfriend and I take Eskimo Skin Care which is thought to be the best on the market. Its often used by people with serious skin complaints such as eczema and psoriasis but is just as useful in the quest for healthy clear skin.

♥ Probiotics. Perhaps the most important item on this list (and the most important point in this entire post if you've regularly taken antibiotics). Healthy gut flora ('friendly bacteria') is absolutely fundamental to good health and that includes the health of your skin. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to people with acne because they kill 'bad' bacteria that can cause spots. They also kill all the good bacteria that live within your digestive system. Whilst antibiotics may improve your skin in the short term you cannot take them forever and if you're left with insufficient 'good' bacteria then you're in trouble. Seriously. Antibiotics do not offer a cure for acne, neither does Accutane. They offer a temporary short term solution, which inevitably does more harm than good and which does not resolve the true cause of your problem skin. Probiotics are expensive (I like this one) but brilliant. Doctors in South Africa routinely prescribe probiotics after a course of antibiotics - I wish our doctors did. Instead, you'll need to take charge of your own health and buy them.

I believe that the body can and will heal itself naturally given the right conditions, without the use of antibiotics, Accutane or the contraceptive pill - all commonly used to tackle poor skin.


Now for a few more generalised tips; many you will have heard before:

Keep It Clean and Be Gentle

♥ Change your pillow case and duvet cover regularly. I change our duvet once a week but change the pillows more frequently than that! Nothing beats freshly washed sheets anyhow but I think it's an important habit on your journey towards clear skin.

♥ Avoid touching your face as you fidget throughout the day.

♥ Keep your hair away from your face so far as is possible or be sure to wash your hair often so that whatever touches your face is clean. I use headbands a lot :)

♥ After exercise don't hang about before getting a shower. The sooner you clean the sweat off your shoulders, face and back the better.

♥ Find a skin care routine suitable for your skin type (gentle cleanser, toner and light moisturiser) and be disciplined enough to work with it twice daily. Its often worth persevering because even the best routines may initially cause further breakouts.

♥ Less is often more. I use a face mask once every 10 days at most and although I exfoliate I don't do so in a harsh or excessive way. I think it's really important to be gentle with your skin.

♥ Consider using non-comedogenic products and have foundation-free days whenever you can.

♥ Get plenty of sleep. The skin will most definitely suffer if you fail to get sufficient 'beauty sleep'. Any excuse for an afternoon nap then.

Acceptance

It's worth remembering that very few people have naturally flawless skin and that's why foundation is a multimillion pound industry. Part of my journey to better skin has been accepting that my skin may not ever be perfect (open pores are the natural structure of my skin). It just makes me happy to know that really good skin can be achieved by implementing the above tips.

Yes, I probably do have friends with better skin who do none of the above; I'm sure you do too. Lucky them. The rest of us need to work at it and accept our skin for what it is.

♥

As always, please comment freely. I love your participation in posts like these because readers can take tons more information, tips and help simply from reading the comments that accompany the post! How did you achieve clear skin? What steps do you think are most important? Any tips for other readers?

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