Acne
Acne is one of the more common skincare problems in the world. Just about anyone can get acne - it doesn’t matter where you live, what climate you live in, how old you are, what face type you have or even what sex you are. Though acne does primarily bother kids in their teen years and 20s, it also does happen with other folks as well and there is a whole slew of reasons for getting acne. In fact, out of all of the skin care issues you could have, acne is one of those very broad topics that could fill libraries upon libraries because there are just so many different common skincare questions about acne, but also about how you get acne, how to get rid of it, how to prevent it from happening and more. Though I cannot answer every single question, we would be here for millennia, I can try to answer some of the most common skincare questions in regards to acne. Below you will find some of those causes, and a few solutions as well.
What Is Acne?
In a very short answer, acne is a skin condition that is caused by the inflammation of the glands of the skin as well as the hair follicles of the skin. The glands are called sebaceous glands. These glands create a serum called, you guessed it, sebum. Sebum helps to naturally moisturize hair and skin. When you have an area of skin on your face where acne is present it’s because the sebaceous glands are what surrounds the actual hair structures i.e.; follicles. The mixture of both sebaceous glands and the follicles of the hair on your face is the section where acne develops, this section is called the pilosebaceous unit. Acne often happens when the glands of the skin are over or under stimulated and start to produce the sebum serum. When this happens, the skin doesn’t shed its skin cells in the right way. When the skin doesn’t shed the skin cells it creates a blockage in the follicles and it traps the sebum. This then causes bacteria and then inflammation and then acne. It’s a very complex problem, and it can be caused by a variety of things.
Makeup with Ingredients That Cause Irritation
These days so many different companies make so many different makeups that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the good ones and the bad ones. But, if you take a look at the ingredients list you can be aware on which ingredients are bad and in turn which brands or types are bad. When it comes to make up, try avoiding these ingredients - they can be very harmful to your skin, and in turn result in irritation, acne, pimples, blackheads, white heads, the list goes on and on. They include:
Artificial Colors: If a product includes an ingredient called FDC or FD&C this is a product that has artificial colors. A product that has artificial colors can cause irritation to the skin. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blush, lipstick or mascara, keep it away from your skin at all costs - unless you want to breakout!
Lanolin: This is a type of sebum oil. Of course sebum oil is good because it’s a type of serum and essentially will help your skin if you have any dryness, but it’s not ideal for people with acne, because of the explanation above in the introduction paragraph! Stay away from any form of Sebum oil or Lanolin oil if you have acne.
Mineral Oil: In most cases, people would think that mineral oil would be a good thing right? Wrong! In fact, mineral oil can lead to white bumps on your skin as well as a really bad case of acne. Essentially it leaves a film on your skin and traps the dead skin cells and bacteria into the skin.
Artificial Fragrances: Fragrances that are artificial i.e.; laboratory made, can and probably will cause acne and breakouts. When possible, try to use products that are organic, natural or products that actually contain NO fragrances!
Dirty Applicators and Tools for Your Face
I saw something on Kathy Lee and Hoda a few months ago where they talked about makeup tools like brushes, applicators and sponges. A doctor of dermatology was on the show taking note of all the ladies brushes, tools and applicators and asked them the last time they washed them or bought new ones. Most of the ladies, including Hoda said they were using the same ones for over 2 years! The doctor actually boffed at Hoda. This is a very incorrect way of living and thinking. In fact, your brushes, applicators and any other tools that touch your skin, should be washed at least once a week and if you cannot wash them or have no idea how, you need to throw them away and get new ones! Make up tools can be crawling with all sorts of bacteria and these bacteria’s can cause pimples and acne.
Foods You Eat
It’s sort of obvious that the foods we eat can cause acne. Look at when you get around your monthly cycle and you start downing a bunch of chocolate! Not only can hormones and hormonal changes make you get acne, but the foods you eat and the things we drink can also make you get acne as well. Some foods that we think are even healthy for us, can be bad when it comes to acne. Here are a few foods you might want to stay away from if you have acne already or you are prone to getting acne:
Salsa
Mm Salsa! You would think that salsa would be incredibly healthy right? It has all these really natural ingredients in it after all. But, salsa also contains acids and salts. For example the salsa probably contains vinegar and tomatoes - both of these items are known for making people break out. If you absolutely love salsa and still want it, try using it without tomatoes and an acidic. In fact, there are quite a few salsas out there that are using other bases besides tomatoes. One of my favorites is a peach and mango salsa. Super yummy!
Greek Yogurt
I know, I know, you didn’t think that Greek Yogurt was going to be on this list either, but you have to consider something - this is a dairy, no matter how healthy it is! In a lot of cases dairy in some individuals can cause acne. The reason is because of the way it relates to the bodies hormones. One of the best things you can do if you really want the Greek Yogurt but you don’t want to break out, is to make sure that the GY you are eating has no added hormones, and that it’s organic. Consider brands such as Fage or Chobani.
Kelp
Kelp is a newer-ish item that a lot of people are eating these days. And not just vegetarians either. Everyone is calling this the new spinach. It’s incredibly good for you, high in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, but it also includes iodine. Iodine in smaller quantities is good for you, but for a person that breaks out really easily or has a history of acne in their family, iodine even in smaller quantities is going to make you break out like crazy!!!
What Is Acne?
In a very short answer, acne is a skin condition that is caused by the inflammation of the glands of the skin as well as the hair follicles of the skin. The glands are called sebaceous glands. These glands create a serum called, you guessed it, sebum. Sebum helps to naturally moisturize hair and skin. When you have an area of skin on your face where acne is present it’s because the sebaceous glands are what surrounds the actual hair structures i.e.; follicles. The mixture of both sebaceous glands and the follicles of the hair on your face is the section where acne develops, this section is called the pilosebaceous unit. Acne often happens when the glands of the skin are over or under stimulated and start to produce the sebum serum. When this happens, the skin doesn’t shed its skin cells in the right way. When the skin doesn’t shed the skin cells it creates a blockage in the follicles and it traps the sebum. This then causes bacteria and then inflammation and then acne. It’s a very complex problem, and it can be caused by a variety of things.
Makeup with Ingredients That Cause Irritation
These days so many different companies make so many different makeups that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the good ones and the bad ones. But, if you take a look at the ingredients list you can be aware on which ingredients are bad and in turn which brands or types are bad. When it comes to make up, try avoiding these ingredients - they can be very harmful to your skin, and in turn result in irritation, acne, pimples, blackheads, white heads, the list goes on and on. They include:
Artificial Colors: If a product includes an ingredient called FDC or FD&C this is a product that has artificial colors. A product that has artificial colors can cause irritation to the skin. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blush, lipstick or mascara, keep it away from your skin at all costs - unless you want to breakout!
Lanolin: This is a type of sebum oil. Of course sebum oil is good because it’s a type of serum and essentially will help your skin if you have any dryness, but it’s not ideal for people with acne, because of the explanation above in the introduction paragraph! Stay away from any form of Sebum oil or Lanolin oil if you have acne.
Mineral Oil: In most cases, people would think that mineral oil would be a good thing right? Wrong! In fact, mineral oil can lead to white bumps on your skin as well as a really bad case of acne. Essentially it leaves a film on your skin and traps the dead skin cells and bacteria into the skin.
Artificial Fragrances: Fragrances that are artificial i.e.; laboratory made, can and probably will cause acne and breakouts. When possible, try to use products that are organic, natural or products that actually contain NO fragrances!
Dirty Applicators and Tools for Your Face
I saw something on Kathy Lee and Hoda a few months ago where they talked about makeup tools like brushes, applicators and sponges. A doctor of dermatology was on the show taking note of all the ladies brushes, tools and applicators and asked them the last time they washed them or bought new ones. Most of the ladies, including Hoda said they were using the same ones for over 2 years! The doctor actually boffed at Hoda. This is a very incorrect way of living and thinking. In fact, your brushes, applicators and any other tools that touch your skin, should be washed at least once a week and if you cannot wash them or have no idea how, you need to throw them away and get new ones! Make up tools can be crawling with all sorts of bacteria and these bacteria’s can cause pimples and acne.
Foods You Eat
It’s sort of obvious that the foods we eat can cause acne. Look at when you get around your monthly cycle and you start downing a bunch of chocolate! Not only can hormones and hormonal changes make you get acne, but the foods you eat and the things we drink can also make you get acne as well. Some foods that we think are even healthy for us, can be bad when it comes to acne. Here are a few foods you might want to stay away from if you have acne already or you are prone to getting acne:
Salsa
Mm Salsa! You would think that salsa would be incredibly healthy right? It has all these really natural ingredients in it after all. But, salsa also contains acids and salts. For example the salsa probably contains vinegar and tomatoes - both of these items are known for making people break out. If you absolutely love salsa and still want it, try using it without tomatoes and an acidic. In fact, there are quite a few salsas out there that are using other bases besides tomatoes. One of my favorites is a peach and mango salsa. Super yummy!
Greek Yogurt
I know, I know, you didn’t think that Greek Yogurt was going to be on this list either, but you have to consider something - this is a dairy, no matter how healthy it is! In a lot of cases dairy in some individuals can cause acne. The reason is because of the way it relates to the bodies hormones. One of the best things you can do if you really want the Greek Yogurt but you don’t want to break out, is to make sure that the GY you are eating has no added hormones, and that it’s organic. Consider brands such as Fage or Chobani.
Kelp
Kelp is a newer-ish item that a lot of people are eating these days. And not just vegetarians either. Everyone is calling this the new spinach. It’s incredibly good for you, high in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, but it also includes iodine. Iodine in smaller quantities is good for you, but for a person that breaks out really easily or has a history of acne in their family, iodine even in smaller quantities is going to make you break out like crazy!!!