Ten Tips on looking after your SKIN and to Help PREVENT ACNE Like your personality, your skin is also different to everyone else's. What is normal skin? The problem with this description normal skin is that it just doesn't exist in the real world. It is the rare adult who can claim to have that kind of skin. There are to many factors from food, hormones and our environment to name a few that causes changes to your skin. Keep your face clean use a cleanser. This is the number one thing to do for your face and any area s you may have a skin concern. Get in the habit NOW Look for a cleanser with: Salicylic Acid unclogs Lactic Acid unclogs and hydrates Who uses one of these? Known by a few different names mainly: Umm interesting Who has one of these in their family either younger or older? A Face washer or Flannel 1
Do not share face washers, if you have an active skin condition put it out to be washed after each or use disposable clothes. Why are some of you asking (I hope not) but just incase germs spread and grow, they love wet, damp hot places just like the bathroom. Ask your self do you really know what the person before you has been doing with that face cloth. Yes let not go there. This could make a good science lesson to see what grows while hanging in the damp bathroom. How to wash your face: (A quick demo Jacob) -Pull back your hair. -Splash warm water (warm water opens pores and helps you to clean deeper, the shower is a good place to cleanse as you can steam you face first). -Apply cleanser gently (over your face, hairline, neck and jaw line, small circular motions, do not scrub you want to clean not irate your skin). -Rinse off well as residue can clog your pores. -Pat dry again be gentle your skin is delicate. This is what cleansing should look like. Never use soap as it is to harsh and can disrupt your skins normal ph levels. Soap does this by stripping skin of natural oils you then product more oil and cause oily skin. SO WHY CLEANSE TWICE A DAY? Night time you need to remove your make up/sun screen, sweat, grim, dead skin and dirt the list goes on. If you don t your pores in your skin will become block and the chain effect will lead to skin problems such as acne. Morning is to freshen your skin, over night there may have been some dibbling? And again dead skin cells, sweat, oil and on. Add moisture to hold onto hydration in the skin. Why moisturise? To protect your skin from the elements as well as help seal in moisture. During the day use a SPF moisturiser. No matter whether your skin type is dry, oily or sensitive you shouldn t skip moisturising. (more on SPF soon) Use quality products these do not have to be expensive. WHY Without moisturising your skin will get redness, flaking and in time it will allow wrinkles and other aging signs to occur. 2
Look out for the Dirty Thirty Most Toxic Beauty Ingredients (Google if want them all but here are six). Some examples are: Aluminium compounds now banned in the EU has been linked to many medical issues Benzyl Acetate solvent hidden usually within fragrances also linked to many medical issues Formaldehyde used as a preservative, disinfectant found in shampoo, nail polish, creams banned in Canada and EU linked to many medical issues. Parabens these have many names and are in a lot of personal care and cosmetics products used as a preservative and anti bacterial agent. Paraben are linked to many many health and medical issues. Propylene Glycol solvent allows products to glide, not to freeze or melt also in a lot of personal care products. Very nasty it changes skin structure and is linked to many medical issues. (eg Lip stick fact a woman can consume 20kg of lip stick in their lifetime ummm yummy) Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) penetration enhancer in many cosmetics and personal care products. Also very nasty it changes skin structure and is linked to many medical issues. 6/30 READ LABELS gentlemen and have a voice. Learn your chemicals you are putting these chemicals on your skin, in your mouth (yes check your tooth paste) and into your blood stream. Keep hair and shampoo off your face Most of your hair products and your hair will be loaded up with oils and conditioning agents. While that's good for your head, it's not great when it rinses out onto your face, shoulders, and back! Keep your hands off your face We use our hands to do almost everything like opening doors, handshakes, touching money, eating and in the bathroom etc. Perspiration, dust, oil, germs, viruses and bacteria spread from person to person by way of frequently touched surfaces like door handles, store counter and school desks, etc. In the process of touching things our hands collect a lot of bacteria and germs. When you touch your face, you are simply spreading these bacteria and germs onto your face. So steer clear of touching the face, so that the excess oil, germs, grime and dirt, can not easily spread from the hands to the face. (your hand palms have a different type of skin to your face) Wash Your Pillow Slip Regularly How many hours do you sleep per night or lay on your bed? When your pillowcase isn't washed or changed regularly, a build up of dirt and oil from the environment as well as your skin and hair touching the pillow is transferred back to your skin (lets not forget that dribble) This can clog pores, cause pimples/acne, grow nasties and spread germs. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to help skin concerns. Don t forget this one. 3
Don t feed skin junk food Research has shown by using alternatives for dairy products, potatoes and white bread can help if you are having issues with breakouts. Several studies showed acne rose in places where people began eating diets high in refined, processed foods. One 2002 study found no pimples amongst 1,315 adolescents (aged 15 to25) living in Papua New Guinea and Paraguay; however, in western industrialised countries between 79 and 95 per cent of adolescents have pimples. Flush away toxins and hydrate your skin by drinking plenty of water. Humans need water. This one is over to you to think about. CHILL! Keep stress at bay Acne, for example. When you are tense, your body releases stress hormones, which may increase the skin's oil production, making you prone to pimples. Yes this is real. Stay out of the sun or Protect with Sunscreen The best way for me to get this message across is to show you a 3 minute clip. Stages of Acne Nobody is completely sure what causes acne (we are all so different). Experts believe the primary cause is a rise in androgen levels type of hormone. Androgen levels rise when a human becomes an adolescent. Rising androgen levels make the oil glands under your skin grow; the enlarged gland produces more oil. Excessive sebum can break down cellular walls in your pores, causing bacteria to grow. Acne could also be genetic, and some medications that contain androgen and lithium may cause acne. Greasy cosmetics may cause acne in some susceptible people. Below is picture of Stage 1 show congestion in the skin and Stage 2 showing signs of inflammation. 4
In humans, pimples tend to appear on the face, back, chest, shoulders and neck. Simply put skin cells, sebum and hair can clump together into a plug, this plug gets infected with bacteria, resulting in a swelling. A pimple starts to develop when the plug begins to break down. There are various types of pimples Whiteheads remain under the skin and are very small Blackheads clearly visible, they are black and appear on the surface of the skin. A blackhead is not caused by dirt it is skin debris, bacteria and oil. Scrubbing your face vigorously when you see blackheads will not help. Papules visible on the surface of the skin. They are small bumps, usually pink Pustules clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are red at their base and have pus at the top Nobules clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are large, solid pimples. They are painful and are embedded deep in the skin Cysts clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are painful, and are filled with pus. Cysts can easily cause scars. The pictures below are Stage 3 and 4 are very painful and there is a high risk of scaring. What to do with any skin concerns Start with something free our advice, a consultation is free and we will have a look under a woods lamp to see what is occurring under the skins surface and give you options to consider. Thank you 5