Acne is essentially caused by 3 factors: excess oil in the skin, the shedding of skin cells, and the growth of bacteria within the cells which all ultimately clog pores.
In an effort to not bore you with the scientific details, I will keep give you some of the main acne culprits and then the solutions. The remedies here are holistic, so they do not involve medications or require you to stay our of the sum (ahem..Proactive).
If I had to sum up acne into one sentence, I would suggest to avoid foods that increase inflammation in the body. An inflamed body is more prone to acne (and many other diseases as well). Interestingly enough, most of the causes you will see below, are related to inflammation.
Top causes for acne:
- Essential fatty acid deficiencies
- Food allergies
- Excess of unhealthy fat in diet (trans, saturated, hydrogenated)
- Over-consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids (corn oil, soybean oil, palm oil)
- Dairy (increases testosterone in our bodies which clogs pores)
- Eating high glycemic foods (increasing insulin also increases acne)
Top holistic remedies:
- Increase Omega 3 fatty acids in diet (EPA: traditionally comes from fish, but can be taken as capsules or liquid. It has been shown to dramatically decrease inflammation in the body and therefore may reduce acne as well).
- Increase antioxidants in diet (vitamins A, E, C, selenium, zinc: green tea, ginger, turmeric, peanuts, lean meats)
- Eat low glycemic foods that will not increase blood sugar levels and therefore insulin (lots of veggies, some fruits, lean meat, monounsaturated fats, and whole grains)
- Stress reduction (stress increases inflammation)
- Tea tree oil applied directly to the skin may help (5 parts tea tree oil, 95 parts water)
Inflammation is intriguing to me and the ways that affects our bodies. The more I read about it, the more I understand how crucial it is to our well being to reduce the inflammation in our bodies. Look out for my next blog post which will be dedicated to inflammation.
If you are looking for additional resources and help with you acne, please contact me to schedule a complimentary breakthrough health session with me. Let me support you.
Source: Cathy Wong, ND, CNS. Find out more at http://www.cathywong.comPhoto Credit: Freestockphotos.biz