Although it is mostly thought of as a skin disorder that only afflicts adolescents, it’s often that adults are searching for the proper acne treatments also. Although hormones can affect the health of our skin, many other factors can influence acne. Here are some of the most common causes of acne:
- Diet/Food Sensitivities:
We all know things like caffeine and chocolate can affect your skin, but did you know other foods like dairy, gluten, or alcohol also can manifest themselves on your face? These foods can also make your skin dull, flakey, and dry. - Hormone imbalance:
The main hormone to blame is testosterone, but imbalances of all the sex hormones can lead to acne. These breakouts are often on the jawline and cheeks and pop up around the same time every month. - Liver dysfunction:
This is tied closely to hormone imbalance. The liver is the organ that processes the hormones and eliminates many toxins. When our environment is too toxic and we overburden the liver, it can manifest on your face, mostly in the forehead area. - Harsh soaps and chemicals:
Oftentimes, cleansing too vigorously can dry out our skin and push it to produce more sebum (oil on our skin). We see the oil, cleanse it more, thus initiating a cycle. This eventually pushes our skin to overproduce sebum, which can get trapped in pores and produce acne. Harsh cleansers are not always better cleansers. Sometimes it’s best to go gentle and simple such as castor oil. - Hiding from moisture:
Moisturizing can be your friend in the case of acne. Like above, if skin is too dry, it will overproduce sebum and thus, you enter a vicious cycle. - Simple hygiene:
We do our laundry every week, but how often do you wash your make up brushes and pillow cases? Keep these clean, which can help decrease the spread of bacteria, and thus, decrease acne.
There are other causes of acne, but by treating the whole person, you can have a profound effect on your skin. Our skin is our largest organ, and our body is a complete system. The health of one system affects many others within and acne can just be a manifestation of imbalance. See your naturopath to find out ways to treat acne that are safer and have less side effects than the medications often prescribed.