OPINION PIECE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Her Campus Agnes Scott.
Acne vulgaris is a skin condition that appears on the skin when skin cells and oil are clogging hair follicles. Most people who have acne will have blackheads, pimples, oily skin, scarring, and small bumps. Scientists and dermatologists have done so much research on this condition but in my opinion, they’re just writing prescriptions! Even aestheticians are making millions off people, by giving them chemical peels, laser treatments, and products made by their companies.
Here’s the billion dollar question: How can you get rid of acne for good?
The first thing you need to learn is what type of skin you have. The most common skin types are sensitive, dry, oily, and combination. Click here to take your skin type quiz if you’re curious.
The second thing you need to do is take note of where your acne is occurring, because our faces are the maps of our internal health. Lauren Sharkey mentioned that face mapping can improve your skin’s health and she gave examples of several types of face mapping. We have to pay more attention to our skin because we could be ignoring an internal illness! Here’s the correlation between the areas of acne and the internal health systems: forehead (digestive system), temples (kidneys & bladder), eyebrows (liver), eyes (bodily fluids), nose (heart), cheeks (stomach, spleen, & respiratory system), mouth (stomach & colon), and chin (hormonal & reproductive system). To elaborate, if you’re experiencing blackheads and redness on your nose those are signs of heart blockage. Also, blood pressure and cholesterol problems show up in forms or oiliness and breakouts on the nose. The common areas for acne and breakouts are the cheeks, which are signs of stomach inflammation in addition to allergies and sinuses. If you’re noticing mouth ulcers that’s a huge sign of stomach ulcers caused by eating lots of raw food.
ACNE FACE MAPPING GUIDE
• Forehead & Nose
◦ Stress
◦ Improper digestion
◦ Irregular sleep
◦ Poor diet
◦ Hair conditions (dandruff or hair products)
◦ Touching your face with dirty hands
• Eyebrow
◦ Hair care products
◦ Makeup
◦ Ingrown hair
◦ Diet
◦ Water intake
◦ Gallbladder issues
• Cheeks
◦ Dirty pillowcase
◦ Makeup brushes
◦ Cellphone
• Hairline
◦ Pomades
• Ears
◦ Stress
◦ Bacteria
◦ Hormonal imbalance
◦ Allergic reaction
• Jawline & Chin
◦ Hormonal imbalance
◦ Diet
Now that we have discussed the causes of acne in certain areas of the face, and how your internal health plays a part,think about your lifestyle. If you absorbed the information above, you must have realized that what you’re eating and applying to your skin is very important. If you want to pay to see a dermatologist to make the pharmaceutical industry richer, you’ll never be happy with your skin. Why? Because you’ll depend on the topical creams and pills they’ll prescribe to calm your acne. Why not just change your lifestyle and cure acne for good? You’re probably thinking “this girl must be crazy!!” I’m not. I have beat acne and I’m going to tell you how I did it.
I stopped consuming DAIRY and started drinking more water. During my first year in high school I started to notice that my face was breaking out and my digestive health wasn’t right. Every morning before school I was eating waffles with a cup of 2% dairy milk or a bowl of cereal. After consuming those foods, my stomach would cramp and hurt,in addition to red pimples appearing on my cheeks. I loved milk, yogurt, and sour cream but I had to stop eating those dairy products, after watching a video on the dairy industry which was very graphic. The fact that cows are injected with hormones and antibiotics while living in cruel environments is sick. I’ll never forget hearing that about 60% of milk is cow pus due to cows having infections. Of course scientists will debunk the facts and write articles claiming that there can be a correlation but I believe this cannot be trusted because they have to make their money at the cost of our health.
Another thing I cut out my diet were greasy foods like fried chicken, fries, and anything cooked in grease. Since those foods are cooked in oil and are producing oil as they’re being prepared, your body will absorb those oils. Our skin cells naturally produce oil, it’s very common for our skin to overproduce oils as well causing clogged pores.
Changing your diet can really help improve your acne! Jillian Kubala’s article explains how you can improve your acne without drastically changing your diet. I’m sure you have friends or family members who have great skin and as soon as they drink a soda or have a few sugary snacks, they have a breakout or pimple appear on their skin. This is because sodas, white bread, candy, ice creams etc have a high glycemic index which increases your sugar levels in your bloodstream. The more sugar you consume, the more your body will produce excess sebum and keratin, which will worsen your acne. Jilian also mentioned that consuming dairy and whey protein promotes insulin secretion and the production of hormones (IGF-1), a major acne hormone. It is recommended that you eat whole and nutrient-dense foods which are anti-inflammatory. Foods like fish, chia seeds, and colorful fruits and vegetables will provide your body with omega-3, omega-6,vitamin c etc. Feel free to read Jilian’s article, she provides certain fruits and vegetables you can consume to better your health and acne!
More Resources
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Check your product ingredients on Cosdna.com before purchasing/using skin products to learn more about the safety of the ingredients.
Read Foreo’s article for more information on what foods to avoid when clearing your skin!