At some point, most of us suffer from blemishes, which is a broad term for markings on the skin. They can be caused by a variety of factors, both internal & external and the most common type of blemish is acne which affects up to 80% of Australian’s.
If you suffer from marks, spots or acne, it can be a challenging to get rid of them.
If you are wanting help managing your condition and are looking to improve your skin health, the first thing is to try and understand what is causing your breakouts.
What Causes Breakouts?
There are several factors that can trigger spots, acne and markings, with the following being most common:
Clogged Pores
Pores are all those small openings you can see on your skin. They are connected to your hair follicles and release oils and sweat. They can easily become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. When they become blocked, whiteheads, blackheads or pimples can then start to appear on the face, chest, upper back and shoulders.
Overactive Sebum
If your oil glands are overactive, they can contribute to breakouts.
Sebum production can be stimulated by hormones which can trigger more oil and result in hormonal breakouts. For this reason, you can be more prone to blemishes during certain life-stages such as puberty or pregnancy, or when you are stressed, and your body releases more cortisol.
Bacteria Overload
Your microbiome is home to good and bad bacteria. P.Acnes is a bacteria that feeds on the oil and dead skin cells that become trapped in pores. If there is an overload of this bacteria it can tip the delicate balance of your microbiome and result in breakouts.
Diet & Gut Health
Both the gut and the skin play a key role in defending our bodies against pathogens from the outside environment. Furthermore, our gut is in constant conversation with our skin via the microbiome and it is suspected that this connection, named the the gut-skin axis has a critical role to play in our skin health. Whilst your gut does not directly cause bad skin, there is certainly a strong association between poor gut health and skin conditions. It is believed that when there is an imbalance in gut bacteria (when bad bacteria overrule) our immune system fights back which contributes to inflammatory skin conditions such as acne. Additionally, a poor diet and food allergies may cause certain proteins to leak out of the gut and irritate the skin.
Kiri, the founder of AMPERNA® used an anti-inflammatory diet to help her pustular acne. If you are struggling with acne and pimples you may like to eat more anti-inflammatory foods.
Who to Turn to?
If you suffer from blemishes, you may have tried several ways to get help. This can include:
Seeing a medical professional - Doctors, Dermatologists, Pharmacists, Dieticians
Doctors can help you confirm the symptoms and prescribe medication such as antibiotics or refer you to a dermatologist. Time is normally limited to a quick consultation. A dermatologist is a doctor who specialises in the treatment of skin conditions such as acne. They have an in-depth knowledge to help you find suitable treatment options.
Trying new products & seeing beauticians
A beautician can provide relevant treatments such as extractions and scarring treatment for acne.
Seeking holistic help – naturopaths, skin care coaches
Naturopaths and skin care coaches are likely to take a holistic/whole body approach to skincare, so will work with you on your diet, lifestyle and stress levels in conjunction with topical treatments. They may also look into what vitamins and supplements you can take to help your skin.
Holistic Help for Blemishes
More and more people are turning to holistic help for skin conditions.
The advantage of seeing a naturopath or skincare coach, is they can work with you on an ongoing basis to help you identify the triggers of your blemishes and work together on how to help tackle them.
Topics for discussion will be your diet & lifestyle, stress levels, sleep pattern, sun exposure and skin care routine.
In 2019, Kiri Yanchenko, founder of AMPERNA®, launched the AMPERNA® Holistic Skin Coaching Service. The service gives you the opportunity to discuss your skin concerns and develop a tailored plan to work towards healthy skin. This is also a way for you to understand what the AMPERNA® products contain and how they can be used to help your skin.
AMPERNA® is the first Australian brand to bring you a full range of probiotic skincare products. The hero ingredient, the active probiotic complex Lactococcus Ferment Lysate helps to support the skin barrier and is gentle enough to use on even the most sensitive skin. Probiotics work in a similar way to antibiotics in helping acne, with the advantage of not killing off the “good bacteria”. When applied directly to the skin they create a “bacterial interference" and their antimicrobial properties mean they can help kill the bad bacteria that is responsible for triggering inflammation. AMPERNA® has just extended the range with three new Pro+ Bio products, each containing a Bioferment Oligopeptide Complex. This is a Yeast Ferment Extract & Soy Amino Acid which helps to stimulate skin renewal and actively help refine & restore skin texture and radiance safely.
If you want to find out more on how you can use a holistic approach to your skin health, get in touch with Kiri today.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-blemishes
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327503
https://www.modernholistichealth.com/best-holistic-skincare-routine/
