Skin is the largest organ on your body and mirrors your overall health. If something in your body is out of balance, chances are your skin will show it.
Protecting Your Skin
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Wear sunscreen in the sun
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Don’t smoke. Besides the obvious cancer risks, smoking breaks down the collagen and elastin in your skin causing your skin to age prematurely and wrinkle more easily
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Hydrate inside and out; drink lots of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Moisturise your skin.
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Avoid harsh, abrasive cleansers
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Look out for moles or freckles that have irregular borders, bleed easily or are new and increasing in size. See a dermatologist to be sure.
Cleansing & Topical Treatments for Your Skin
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While every skin type (oily, dry, combo, normal) may require slightly different skincare every skin deserves GENTLE care
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Harsh over cleansing or over aggressive treatments can damage the skin barrier leading to further complications. Easy does it!
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Choose a gentle non reactive cleanser- there are many to choose from. Something like Cerave or a squalane based cleanser helps to remove makeup as well.
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Treatment- do you have spots- use a salicylic or benzoyl peroxide. If you have significant cystic acne- those red, enlarged bumps- some with pus, some without, both require a visit to the dermatologist who might prescribe oral antibiotics, or Isotretinoin/ Roaccutane.
Moisturise!
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Even if you have oily skin you need to protect your skin’s transdermal epidermal water loss (TEWL)
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If you have dry flaky skin you may need to exfoliate with an AHA, or Salycylic or Lactic acid toner. This clears the surface dead skin layers to help it absorb your moisturiser better
Nutrition For Your Skin Health
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There’s no point spending a fortune on lotions and potions if you don’t look after your diet. Eat plenty of nutrient dense foods and hydrate with water! Foods rich in Omega-3 such as oily fish, nuts, soybeans and leafy greens help support your skin from within. Good quality supplements containing Vitamins A, C and E plus functional mushrooms like Reishi can help you get the extra boost your skin needs if your diet and lifestyle is under pressure!
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Are you eating on the run and stressed? Stress and sleep deprivation also play havoc on our skin health. Make sure to get your Z’s.
