Does Healthy Skin Break Out?
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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Skin Legend: A Key to Each Little Bump and Blemish on Your Face
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?
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AAD: What is Acne and what causes it?
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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Who Wants Eczema Help? Raise Your Hand
05/04/2009 In Skin Conditions by bien-être
Eczema is a systemic and topical skin imbalance that, in most cases, can be treated with topical medications prescribed by a physician. These medications may be in the form of topical steroids, anti-inflammatories and skin moisturizers. Some forms of Eczema can be minimized merely by avoiding common conditions and irritants that cause flare-ups. Most commonly, it is advised to refrain from synthetic fragrances, dyes, materials that do not breathe, cleaning chemicals, extreme heat and cold conditions, etc. Check also for any allergies (food allergies as well as ingredient allergies.) Learn more ways to avoid potential flare-ups at the American Academy of Dermatology.
Going beyond these preventative measures, certain dietary improvements can aid in the prevention of topical Eczema by maintaining balance and correcting deficiencies.
One deficiency in particular has been linked to several forms of skin irritations, hyper-sensitivity and dryness: FAT deficiency. Diets (like a raw food or Mediterranean diet) that are high in good fat provide better balance and nourishment to the skin, making it less vulnerable to irritation, sun damage, dryness, and much more.
I recommend that all my clients take a daily Omega supplement with 3A (flax seed oil), 3B (fish or algae oil), and 6 essential fatty acids.
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Eczema Explained
05/01/2009 In Skin Conditions by bien-être
The 7 Year Itch has nothing on this skin condition that affects millions of people. There are many different forms, and in some cases they go undiagnosed or unreported. With the help of The National Eczema Society, I will attempt to shed some light…and possibly some relief.
Some forms of Eczema are less common or seen later in life (past age 60-70) include Gravitational Eczema, Discoid Eczema, and Asteatotic Eczema. For the sake of keeping things simple, I will focus on some of the more common forms.
- Irritant Contact Dermatitis is caused mainly by known skin irritants: such as bleach, cleaning agents, fragrances, detergents, salts, synthetic skincare ingredients, and dyes. This is one reason why so many companies vow to exclude these irritating ingredients from their products. Symptoms can range from mild red patches to severely inflamed areas that crack, weep and itch. (My massage therapist friend used to get this form of Eczema every once in a while from too many sauna and Vichy shower treatments mixed with harsh salts used in body scrubs.)
- Allergic Contact Dermatitis, just like its name infers, is caused by allergies to certain topical ingredients that can be seen as non-irritating for most people. When this certain ingredient (or chemical) is introduced to the skin over and over, the skin builds up sensitivity to it and reacts in the form of mild to severe redness and sometimes even cracking or weeping skin. This form is less common than irritant contact dermatitis.
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