Body Acne Issues
Acne may not necessarily strike on the face. It can occur anywhere on your body too. Where ever there are over active sebaceous glands, expect acne to pop up. Be it your chest, your armpits, arms, neck, back and even your butt! When it does occur at these places, a person can only end up being frustrated and edgy. The condition gets worse when you wear tight clothes and are perspiring in the summer heat! The itch, the pain and the burning sensation is enough to have anyone go mad.
When you face body acne, you should try to change your wardrobe first of all. Wear soft cotton fabric rather than anything with silk or satin. Your body needs to breathe and stay cool, so if you wear anything too thick or too hot would make the skin condition get worse. Tight clothes do not let air pass through and the sweat gets stuck. This leads to clogging of the pores and the acne gets itchy. Even backpacks that you carry on your bag frequently could be a reason for back acne.
Take a morning shower and a night shower daily. Use mild soaps instead of fancy, perfumed soaps. Anti-bacterial soaps or body washes are considered best for body acne issues. After the shower, do not spray any perfume as it could create a burning sensation and would make the acne worse. Instead apply a anti-bacterial powder that would keep your body cool and at the same time prevent sweat from accumulating. There is special body soap for body acne sufferers, however, take this soap only if it suits your skin type.
If you want a natural home treatment, then try opting for Apple cider vinegar as they are good for removing nasty pimples, and also in killing the bacteria causing the acne. It also absorbs all excessive oil and is suitable for all skin types.
Food and Acne – What Goes Inside Shows on the Outside
The traditional method of acne treatment is to clean, exfoliate, and even bleach the skin with peroxides. This is a one-sided and often ineffective method. Some of the worst cases of adult acne are caused by what we eat and how we treat our bodies, and countless sufferers of acne have treated their condition not with chemicals but with dietary changes.
Your Skin’s Role in Digestion – Although the epidermis plays an (obviously) big role in the formation of acne, the condition begins inside the body. The skin may be the largest organ of your body but it is at the end of the system. It’s in fact an organ of elimination. What goes in the body therefore greatly affects – often adversely – what shows on the outside. An excess of toxins – refined sugar, fat, or any food eaten out of balance – affects the digestive system as well as the immune system. Even if one’s skin is clean and fresh, pores can become clogged and acne can form.
Your Skin versus Food Sensitivities – In many instances, acne is caused by food allergies, in tolerances, and sensitivities. In fact, acne caused by food can create some of the worst cases of acne.
Do you tend to break out after a night of drinking? Beer contains yeast, barley, and assorted grains including wheat. Do you break out after eating ice cream or cereal? Dairy is another common culprit. Even though you may not break out in hives all over your body, food sensitivities can cause mild allergic reactions when undigested food enters the bloodstream. Since your body doesn’t recognize these particles, it attacks them like it would bacteria or a virus. The immune system goes full-steam and may cause inflammation on your face. If you don’t know you have food sensitivities and eat the food in question every day or even at every meal, your skin is constantly undergoing a microscopic battle. Hormones can go haywire and your stomach can become upset.
Detecting Food Sensitivities – Figuring out what food sensitivities you have, however, is a bit like reading a detective novel, except the pages keep going and going and there’s no end in sight. If you strongly suspect food to be the culprit of your tireless acne, try visiting an allergy clinic. Instead of getting a skin test (which can be unhelpful for food allergies and are more for testing allergic reactions to latex and the like), ask your doctor for a blood test. Results will be slow but will eventually pinpoint what foods you should avoid.
In the meantime, try going two weeks up to a month without one or more of the following foods. These are the most common culprits of food sensitivities.
- Dairy (milk, yogurt, cream)
- Wheat
- Red meat
- Peanuts
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Chocolate
- Mushroom
Rather than just looking for worsening or improvement of your skin condition, keep a food diary and pay close attention to the rest of your body. Do you feel itchy, slow, or mildly nauseated after eating a certain food? Do you experience indigestion or overall intestinal discomfort after eating a specific food? Write it down and solve the mystery for good.
