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In this article we approach ways to instantly restore our skin, but with an emphasis on the causes of acne and how we can get a lasting result.
Step one: don't panic and despair....
How often do we hear these expressions or have been in this position, not only as teenagers but also as adults?
My skin is so oily that I don't put anything on because I immediately get pimples and blackheads!
Every time I get stressed, I get pimples!
A few days before I get sick, I get pimples!
I don't know what to change in my diet, so I don't get pimples! I wonder if it really affects their appearance.
And how much truth is hidden in each of them….
- It is a fact that an oily skin has a greater tendency to develop acne, as due to the greater secretion of sebum, pores are more easily clogged, allowing unwanted mi-croorganisms to grow.
- Even more true is that stress causes an imbalance in many systems of our body, primarily the nervous as well as our immune and endocrine systems, causing an in-crease in cortisol which is thought by many to increase sebum secretion and the ten-dency for acne to appear on the skin.
- Just before menstruation, progesterone levels drop while estrogen levels rise. This can cause extra sebum secretion in our skin resulting in pores becoming more easily clogged and causing acne.
- Occasionally it is heard that diet does not affect the appearance of acne. If we think logically this is not the case. Diet plays an important role in everything and affects either directly or indirectly all the systems of our body. A poor-quality food, loaded with a lot of saturated fat, a lot of pesticides, high sugar content, and generally a very processed food is much harder to digest and eliminate from our body. So, we put a strain on both our digestive and excretory systems. Our skin is also an organ (like the kidneys, the large intestine, the liver) that contributes to the elimination of substances that our body does not need. Therefore, an unbalanced diet will also show on our skin directly, either by making it dull, with pimples etc.
However, by balanced we are referring to what causes balance in everyone, there is no one recipe for all people.
What can we do?
Focusing on everything we mention we can start by taking care of our skin and our whole body daily, step by step:
- Proper cleansing. We choose products that do not dehydrate and/or dry our skin but help it to maintain its moisture and elasticity. Moreover, we make sure that they have a natural antimicrobial action, regulate sebum secretion and enhance the detox-ification of our skin. Remember that in natural products derived from fruits and herbs, the right combination of ingredients acts more effectively than one ingredient alone (a phenomenon called synergy).
- Mechanical removal of dead cells so that they do not clog the pores, i.e., exfolia-tion! Note, however, that exfoliation should be done with gentle, soft movements so as not to further injure an already damaged skin.
- Use a toning lotion with astringent action (the simplest and most effective is lav-ender flower water, lemon tree - choose from its leaves to avoid photosensitivity) to shield the moisture and prepare the skin for the use of the moisturizer
- Good hydration of the skin from the outside and from the inside. Especially in the summer months don't leave your body dehydrated, increase your water consumption, and choose a good moisturizer. Again, make sure as for cleansing that it has the fol-lowing properties: sebum-regulating-antimicrobial-antioxidant action.
- Pay attention to the make-up products you use. Many block the pores and do not allow your skin to breathe
- Cleanse your body internally by focusing on "smoothing" herbs. These are a valu-able class of herbs (sorrel, red clover, gall, nettle, etc.) that cleanse the whole body by enhancing the action of either the kidneys, liver, or lymph. In herbal therapy we also use them widely for chronic skin diseases such as eczema or psoriasis with ex-cellent results. Remember that herbs need consistency and persistence, so give your-self the gift of using them regularly (usually 3 times a day) for a reasonable period (depending on the problem).
- If you experience stress occasionally don't let it become chronic. Strengthen your nervous system with nerve tonic herbs that strengthen our nervous system's response against stress (such as green oat tops, hypericum, lemon balm).
- Avoid taking antibiotics internally that promise a clear skin quickly because not only do they not solve the problem in a long term, but they put a strain on individual organs, especially the liver.
- In case of hormonal imbalance resort to regulating it in natural ways, again seeking the advice of an experienced healer, in collaboration with your gynecologist.
Myrto Deligianni
Biologist, Botanist