Frequently Asked Questions
Hormones, Pore clogging ingredients or Both
Hormonal Fluctuations
#1 is Stress,
Other fluctuation triggers:
- Puberty
- Women's monthly cycle
- Menopause
Increased androgen hormones stimulate pores to produce more oil.
The simplest way to explain this:
When the body's natural oil production increases, the excess oil can accumulate over time. This accumulation can clump together dead skin cells with oil in the pores, leading to the formation of acne.
*The natural shedding of dead skin cells is not fast enough for the excess oil production leading to the formation of acne.
When the body detects the issue, inflammation can start, leading to a red pimple or puss filled pimple.
Note:
Non-inflamed pimples, also known as whiteheads and blackheads, have not been recognized by the body yet, so they can remain on the skin without noticeable changes for a long time.
Detecting pore-clogging ingredients
requires effort, as the effects of using pore clogging products may take two to three months to appear. To prevent this, read ingredient lists and avoid products with pore-clogging components. Resolving the issue will take several consistent months.
What should you know?
Not everyone is susceptible to poor clogging ingredients so this can be a little challenging to figure out. There are a few indications that this could be a problem for you. This is for makeup, haircare and skincare products.
Questions to ponder?
- Do you have a lot of closed comedone’s (white bumps under the skin with no inflammation) in the areas that you use your makeup such as a blush on your cheeks or a bronzer, a highlighter?
- have switched brands/lines within the last 8 to 12 weeks and developed NEW closed comedone’s? (white bumps under the skin with no inflammation)
- how and when they show up and in what quantity is a red flag
My recommendations and be your own detective with the information below.
TIP: Check if it is applicable, fragrance is best to appear midway or towards the end of the ingredient list. There are many ingredients that can be irritating for some, getting familiar with how your
skin responds to products that contain fragrance or known irritants will help
you navigate possible triggers.
Educate Yourself!
For a full list of ingredients to watch out for, visit my website: http://www.shop.beautifyyourskin.com/blog
Treating acne requires specific ingredients suited to different types of acne, lifestyles and skin sensitivity.
Knowing which ingredient works for your acne type and using the products correctly is crucial.
Treating acne is no simple task and can be a small investment. There are so many elements to acne and ways to deal with it.
TIP: It can be overwhelming; it’s not always an easy process and cutting corners won’t get you the results you want. Book an
Appointment, we can guide you to success.
Unfortunately, there is No, Cure. Acne can be managed and controlled.
Accutane is the only method that has been proven to clear even the most severe cases of acne. However, I believe it should be the last resort because of its many side effects. You should talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of medications and other treatments.
Once your clear doesn’t mean you’re cured and can stop doing your regimen. You must maintain the regimen to keep control over the acne. There is no way to know how long it will be before the acne runs its course. There will come a day when the acne may stop, there isn’t any way to know how long anyone will suffer.
Getting clear requires patience and persistence, you won’t get clear overnight. It can take a minimum of 4-6 months for some people to respond to the right regimen. Breakouts will not cease forever, as they can and do continue to happen. Making sure you are returning for further evaluation, and treatment is highly recommended to adjust the regimen. Keeping clear requires consistent management and skin care regimens.
Sometimes? Not everyone will have the same response to food. It can vary in severity and here’s why.
Nutrition and Acne: There is no scientific proof that food causes acne! Except Milk!
What we do know is that foods high in Sugar or Iodine, (Salty foods) can influence acne by triggering inflammation.
Food for Thought
- You already have acne
- Acne is an inflammatory condition
- When consuming high amounts of Sugar or Iodine (Salty) foods, it can exacerbate the acne condition by triggering more inflammation.
- When you feed the acne, it can continue to grow.
- Sensitivities are individual.
Eating a well-balanced healthy diet that includes plenty of water is recommended for overall good health.
Foods that can contribute to inflamation with iodine:
- AVOID
Iodized salt,
Milk, cheese
Whey or soy protein shakes or protein bars
Soy - tofu, soy milk, tempeh, edamame, soy sauce
Seafood, shellfish, cod, scallops,
Spirulina, corella, blue-green algae
Kelp, miso soup, seaweed, seaweed supplements,
Vitamins Supplements with iodides
kelp, potassium iodide,
High Androgen Foods - AVOID
peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil, corn oil, canola oil, shellfish, and organ
meats
*Beware of supplements that
contain whey or biotin - also vitamin B12 Studies have shown they can trigger
an inflammatory response that can lead to more breakouts.
Alternative protein Shakes & supplement choices - SUBSTITUTES
Pea protein, egg white protein, hemp,
Alternative high androgen Food choices - SUBSTITUTES
almond butter, or other nut butter,
olive oil, butter, coconut oil
Alternative Food choices - SUBSTITUTES
Sea salt, Unionized salt, Celtic salt
Almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk,
Nut cheese
Freshwater fish - trout, bass, catfish
Foods that can contribute to healing your acne are low-glycemic foods and foods with lower iodine
Below is a list of a few suggestions to consider:
- vegetables, spinach, kale, orange and purple carrots, tomatoes, purple sweet potatoes, broccoli, Peppers, and beets
- fruits berries, apples, oranges
- whole grains brown rice, quinoa, and oats
- healthy FATS, avocado, almonds and nuts (almonds and walnuts) chia, and flax seeds provide anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids
- spices - Turmeric,
and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties, - lean proteins salmon, chicken, tofu, and legumes like lentils and chickpeas support skin repair
Reading the labels will help you
Make-up could have pore clogging or irritating ingredients. It is important to make sure that your makeup is suitable for your skin type and sensitivity.
Check your cosmetics and/or hair products for pore clogging ingredients; Here are a few common bad ingredients: Isopropyl myristate, cetyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, laureth-4, natural Vitamin E, cocoa butter and D & C red dyes all agitate acne. Know ingredients to avoid. Click here to view pore clogging ingredients
Buyer beware - Benzoyl Peroxide medications found at OTC stores may contain isopropyl myristate and laureth-4, oils or other ingredients, that impede the active ingredient of benzoyl peroxide.
Retin A medications also from your Dermatologist! It can contain one of the most offensive pore-clogging ingredients: Isopropyl myristate.
Watch out for "oil-free" products. They contain synthetic oils (fatty acids), D&C red dyes and detergents that can aggravate acne.
Certain birth control pills can help maintain acne. Talk to your OBGYN about this. Also, the taking of birth control pills may delay the onset of acne and once off them, you may experience the acne you would've had before taking them. Helps to keep hormonal levels even.
Washing your face sets the stage for application of your current recommendation of products. Not washing your face at night after collecting debris bacteria oil sweat can lead to new acne formation.
When acne seems to be affecting your social life and the scars are multiplying. If all the remedies that you've tried haven't given you relief.
When we start to get these lesions on the skin, we stress out even more!
= More hormonal imbalances Yikes!
What most people do in this circumstance is to go and get an acne wash or treatment of some sort. Not knowing anything about how the products work on the skin or the acne.
This leads to dehydrating the skin so badly that the skin starts to produce more oil!
Now your stress has increased even more. = (more oily surges)! The vicious cycle continues. Let’s throw bacteria in the mix and like magic we have a full blow break out leading to inflammation, and pus, we pop, pick, and prod... Guess what’s happening now? Spreading the bacteria so now we have more new lesions.
No adults can suffer with acne breakouts at any time in their life due to stressful situations that trigger hormonal imbalances.Teenagers during puberty are developing hormones which can create the right environment for acne to form.
Absolutely, continuing to manage healthy skin for the future is recommended. Decide on what fits your budget and lifestyle
and be consistent. No Regrets!
Trusting online information can be a daunting task and difficult to navigate.
Fact: There are no simple acne treatments – time, patience & consistency are key
Not All Products are created EQUAL
Tip: An Esthetician that has worked with a skincare product line will be able to help you navigate the right formulation for your skin issues, better and faster.
Not all Estheticians are created equal – Search for an Esthetician who will recommend product lines that they know well and use in their practice.
Treating acne is no simple task and can be a small investment. I can help you save time & money by getting you the right regimen the first time around. There are products that maintain our skin and products that change our skin. You can’t clear skin without products that change the skin. Ongoing communication with your esthetician is a must to get clear. If you’re better educated about acne, then you’re less likely to fall for all the BS and myths on social media.
When you are ready to commit, put in the effort, because it is NOT an easy thing to do, doing the work it takes to gain control over acne is key to success, and of course the right products.
Skin care opinions over this Brand vs that Brand?
Is one right and the other wrong, not necessarily and here's why.
The differences of opinion through the experiences of an Esthetician in the
treatment room and building regimens for years for clients does not mean that
one or the other is wrong. In fact, accumulation of knowledge is important for an esthetician to share the consistency and experiences of her chosen products, including educating her clients on the choices for them.
While some people perform amazing capabilities of pronouncing ingredients correctly and knowing all about them you cannot judge a product by its ingredient list alone.
It's important to know that some things could be offensive to your skin, but not others. Formulations of products are complicated just as your skin care issues or your regimen can be complicated. So, while knowing your ingredients can be beneficial, there's great peace in knowing that the person using and working with the products knows the product history, consistency and how effective they can be.
When you compare products through the ingredient list, they may have the same or similar ingredients side by side but there are differences. These differences can be huge.
For example, let's say commonality known ingredient “glycolic” and if you take another glycolic product with the same ingredients, what's different about them?
- First thing to know is they are not created by the same formulator or lab,
- They don't have the same percentages of ingredients going down the list. Taking it one step further, even if the list was exactly the same on each bottle (known as “duping a product”) they would still have different sources for their particular ingredients
- Finally, the quality of those ingredients can differ quite a bit.
Often acne sufferers become frustrated from the lack of success, so they search for an acne home remedy. These acne remedies can include lemon, toothpaste, vinegar, garlic, mint and even urine. Unfortunately, these methods won’t get rid of your acne. Some of them might temporarily dry up an acne pustule, but don’t mistake this as an actual remedy for acne
Contrary to popular notion, chocolate and greasy foods do not cause acne. It boils down to the consumption of high amounts of sugar or salt that can aggravate the acne that you already have.
No, picking at or opening pimples can make them worse. It can cause deeper inflammation and the spreading of acne bacteria leading to more breakouts.
Do your best not to pick.
Treating acne often results in red, irritated, and flaky skin, which is a temporary phase. It takes time for skin to adjust to new products, and it's impossible to predict individual reactions beforehand. Allowing your skin to adapt gradually to minimize side effects. The process typically involves skin peeling to unclog pores. You can proceed slowly with fewer side effects, but this may prolong the treatment. Mild side effects are normal and not indicative of an allergic reaction.