04/18/2012 In Skin Conditions, Skin Nutrition by bien-être

Everyone has candida. Certain levels of this fungus are considered healthy, as it keeps other harmful bacteria and fungus at bay. However, when candida becomes overgrown and out of control, it starts to wreak havoc on the intestines and digestive tract, moving from the gut to the bloodstream and then to the mouth, skin and nails. Candida overgrowth is a very common problem and often times shows up on the skin in the form of eczema, acne, rosacea, rashes, and athlete’s foot. I’ve mentioned candida overgrowth before, and it’s no joke!

One of the biggest culprits for candida overgrowth is frequent use of antibiotics.

The reason that antibiotics cause so many problems is they kill the healthy bacteria in our gut, and our healthy bacteria are needed to protect us from many problems. Once you’ve destroyed your healthy bacteria with antibiotics, numerous problems can take hold. The most common problem to take hold is candida overgrowth, and candida overgrowth can be at the root of numerous health conditions. -Natural News

We live in a time where antibiotics are a favorite go to for many different ailments, which means that they are often over-prescribed. I find this ironic that while antibiotics are often prescribed for acne, they are often the cause of candida overgrowth. No wonder many clients see a resurgence of these skin conditions some time after completing treatment. In some cases, antibiotics fail to clear the acne and can make matters worse indirectly down the road.

Sugar feeds candida in the gut, so anytime we indulge in a sweet treat or eat refined grains or citrus fruits we are feeding our candida…ew. Too much sugar or processed foods in the diet can both trigger candida overgrowth and continue to feed it, making it worse. Sugar is NO BUENO for your skin anyway – and I suggest avoiding it whenever possible. Sugar increases inflammation and feeds candida – these are two things you do not want more of if you are working to improve the condition and health of your skin.

For acne sufferers, I highly recommend testing for candida overgrowth. If you choose not to test for candida, you can eliminate ALL sugars from your diet and take a good quality probiotic daily to see if the acne clears. For extreme candida cases, additional supplementation may be needed to get rid of the excess yeast. This is especially important for those who’ve used antibiotics to treat their acne. There are natural remedies worthy of a try before yielding to antibiotics for acne. I really like Osmosis Skincare, LED Therapy, Grapefruit seed extract, and the anti-candida diet (or anti-inflammatory diet.) For more information on any of these treatments, contact bien-etre spa!

If you must go on antibiotics, make sure you follow them up with a really good probiotic. It’s my professional belief that for acne, antibiotics are not the cure all – although many dermatologists will suggest they are.

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10/14/2010 In Skin Care 101, Skin Conditions, Skin Nutrition by bien-être

So you’ve noticed rashes or major Acne breakouts creeping up and are wondering where they are coming from. You may have even been diagnosed with Eczema or Psoriasis…been given a topical medicated cream and sent home with little explanation of where the rash came from and how to heal it. This can be very frustrating. The fact is that chronic skin rashes almost always have an internal connection somewhere. The question is “where?”

Candida yeast (Candida albicans)  is a common condition that has been linked to many ill effects, internal and topical. This bacteria grows in the gut and then can spread throughout the body, causing everything from poor digestion and weight gain to nail fungus, acne (in some cases) and rashes like eczema and psoriasis.

Most people have candida in their system to some extent. This is made worse by a diet filled with sugar, simple carbohydrates, processed foods, hormones in meet and dairy, antibiotics, HRT, and other medications. Usually when someone experiences a topical irritation or rash, the doctor will prescribe a topical antibiotic or steroid cream. Unfortunately, although at first the rash may go away, both of these treatments make the candida much worse.

Candida suppresses the immune system’s offensive weapons on the skin as it does elsewhere in the body, so inflammation can be prolonged on the skin as it is elsewhere. If the inflammation occurs in the hair follicles, acne can result. If the inflammation is spread more generally, we can see eczema. When the inflammation becomes even worse, we see psoriasis. Psoriasis is the body’s immune system fighting Candida on the skin and the immune system is unable to win so the inflammation, a defensive weapon persists. – Dr. Bruce Semon, Wisconsin Institute of Nutrition (www.nutritioninstitute.com)

So what are we supposed to do about this candida epidemic? It starts with diet. There is a ton of really great information out there about the Anti-Candida Diet. These diets are more of a lifestyle change and (I’m being honest here) are really strict. In my experience, they are meant to be a starting point for quick (real) results and are a beneficial addition to an internal cleanse. Cleansing at this level should always be done under medical or professional supervision*. There are also certain clearing agents available for internal yeast, but they are a temporary fix. Candida can easily come back if your system is weak or overloaded, or if your diet is high in sugar. LED Therapy can aid in killing bacteria and calming inflammation in the skin and is a great partner with internal cleansing and dietary changes.

Read up on Candida, topical and internal symptoms and conditions as well as possible treatments that work on these great sites:
Nutrition Help
The Candida Diet
Pure Mamas

*For information on cleansing in San Diego area, talk to one of these ladies:
Dr. Leila McGehee Tucker
Patricia Blake

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02/19/2010 In Skin Conditions by bien-être

The answer may surprise you…YES it does.

It is normal to breakout when there is an imbalance inside the body caused by stress, hormonal fluctuation, diet, and/or lifestyle. No one enjoys them, but pimples, clogged pores and rashes certainly get our attention – and let us know that something is off balance. Many times, they give us motivation to clean up our diet, manage stress and eliminate outside stressors like irritating ingredients or sun overexposure. Fix the imbalance or eliminate the stress and the breakout will go away. Facial treatments are used in conjunction with internal balancing to speed recovery and help prevent and correct scarring and discoloration. This is where your trusted esthetician becomes your best friend. Diagnostic skincare (a form of skin care that looks at all topical “symptoms” to help diagnose the imbalance or cause of stress) is a vital tool for correcting breakouts. *Acne is a different situation: it is a systemic skin condition which requires both topical and internal treatment. I talk more about acne in other posts, but this one is dedicated to occasional “situational” breakouts.

For example, let’s say I notice a breakout in the center of my forehead. In this case I am my own esthetician, so I would link this to a combination of stress and raised cortisol levels as well as an imbalance in the digestive and elimination systems. To correct the imbalance internally I would cut out caffeine and sugar and add more greens to my diet. Topically I would treat the breakout with salicylic acid, red clay and tea tree to calm inflammation and eliminate bacteria and excess oil. Voila! I am communicating with my body through my skin – and experiencing a higher level of health as a result.

There’s simply no such thing as “perfect” skin that never breaks out. Great genes can bless you with beautiful skin that rarely sees a blemish, but skin is meant to react to imbalance and stress. Your skin acts as a built-in communication system between you and your body. Using something to prevent your skin from functioning in this way may guarantee temporary clear skin, but will do so by preventing your skin to function the way it was meant to.

Bottom line: Don’t get discouraged when you get a little pimple, rash or breakout. See it as a sign that your skin is healthy and ocmunicating an imbalance. In most cases, this imbalance can be easily fixed and the breakout wont last very long. If you have questions about breakouts, acne, rosacea, eczema or any other skin condition, ask me using our “ask” function.

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08/03/2009 In Skin Conditions by bien-être

comedone

A comedone is a plug of sebum (oil) and dead skin cells or material literally ‘stuck’ in the opening of your hair follicle. The follicle naturally produces oil to keep your skin regulated and balanced, but if there is an overproduction of oil for any reason, combined with debris from mature skin cells, makeup or the environment – it can lead to a comedone. Comedones are either open (blackhead) or almost closed (whitehead).

milia

Milia are formed when skin does not slough off normally but instead remains trapped in a pocket on the surface of the skin. An individual milium is formed from a hair follicle or sweat gland.

papule

A papule is a raised skin lesion – usually a sign that your skin is under inflammatory response of some kind. many times, we get papules – or pimples – when we are stressed, detoxing or out of balance hormonally. Papules are often associated with acne. However, just because you are breaking out does not mean you have acne. your skin can get an acneic breakout and not need medication. If you are breaking out in papules, look internally to see if there is a food sensitivity, digestion issues or hormonal imbalance. For more information on this, read our post on Breakouts and Acne.

pustule

Simply put, a pustule is a papule, or raised skin lesion, filled with pus. enough said?
(more…)

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05/08/2009 In Skin Conditions by bien-être

As your liaison to the world of skincare, I want to share some insider information with you to keep you in the know. Below is a link to a great article from the American Academy of Dermatology on Acne Vulgaris. It’s organized into sections, starting with the official definition of Acne, and the different forms it takes in the skin. The article also discusses the many topical and internal treatments that are commonly used in the skincare and dermatology industry and their proven efficacy. There are many great bits of information here, although the article doesn’t go very far into detail about any one area of discussion. For example, research does show that the link between dietary sugar and chocolate and Acne is inconclusive – but what about internal inflammation and protein deficiency? There’s no mention of other dietary and food allergy links.

If you have questions about your Acne condition, you may find it very helpful. Follow this link to more in-depth information on Acne and other inflammatory skin conditions.

–> AAD Article <–

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