Five Questions to Clearer Skin
Okay, so maybe you can chalk up an occasional pimple to a fluke, but when is it time to get serious about your skin, or get serious again? When you feel like breakouts keep coming at you like Tetris blocks, odds are there is more than one thing you may be doing wrong. Get a pen and paper and answer these questions – once you see all the possible acne triggers, it will become more clear why you aren’t.
Do you take any daily medications or vitamins?
Make a list of every medication you are taking. This includes birth control pills, birth control implants, supplements, antibiotics, anti-anxiety meds, and anything else you apply topically, take orally, or have to insert.
First, if there is an ingredient label look for biotin, B12, iodine, algae, kelp, or seaweed. If you see any of those ingredients, they are pore-clogging – so discontinue usage if the amounts are high and the item is not recommended to you to take for necessary medical reasons. If you take birth control, find out if it is testosterone-blocking or testosterone-producing. If it is high in progesterone versus estrogen, then it is likely to trigger breakouts. From there, it’s hard to say if specific medications are breaking you out, but everything we put into our bodies has an effect. Think have these medications caused diet or hormonal changes? Just by listing them and the date you started taking them can help you to pinpoint possible connections.
Have you washed your pillowcases and makeup brushes lately?
Wash your pillowcases and makeup brushes once per week and twice per week for extra credit. Take this one step further and check laundry soap, brush cleaners, and hair products for coconut oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, ethyhexical palmitate, isopropyl myristate/palmitate, and other pore-cloggers.
When was the last time you did your four-step regimen (or even washed your face)?
Write down everything going on your skin morning and night for skincare. If this isn’t at least a four-step system (cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer/SPF) of Skin MPLS curated products, you may not be seeing enough results with what you are using. It’s very common for people to use the products to clear their skin and then fall off their routine. This can look like stopping your twice-per-day washes, impulse buying beauty store products, or ending up back on drugstore products once again. Don’t make those common beauty mistakes!
Do you play sports or work out?
It’s not necessarily that sweating or “dirty” skin causes acne, but we all have acne bacteria in our pores. If you are acne-prone, this bacteria has more potential of causing breakouts. This is because your skin is making more oil and dead skin than non-acne-prone people. Things like sweat and friction from sports gear and tight clothing create a really good environment for acne bacteria to flourish (hello pimple!). It is important to cleanse (or at least tone) skin before working out and thoroughly perform your regimen after. Also, log any pre and post-workout drinks or supplements you are using because those can be full of acne triggers like B12 and Creatine.
What are you eating?
This is supposed to be a simple reboot, so we aren’t going to tackle all things food and skin. Elimination diets are stressful. Write down how many “white” foods you eat. This is white bread, pasta, white rice, ramen, and anything with refined sugar. Yes, sugar is inflammatory and simple carbs and processed food foods are basically sugar. Also, acne-scary white foods are milk, ice cream, and cheese. Now that you have your list, are you consuming these white foods daily? If so, make changes (not drastic) so they become weekly foods. From there you may find it easier to cut back even more!