Raise your hand if you are far from your teens but still suffer from 17-year-old breakouts? The truth is, it’s not as uncommon as it sounds. 20, 30, even 40-year-olds are still suffering from bumpy, red, irritated skin and cystic acne. If you’re one of them, strap in! It’s time to break down the most common causes of your skin woes and how to get them under control.

 

Cause:  Hormonal Ups and Downs

For most of us women, we might experience a bit of irritation or break-out prone skin depending on the time of the month. Hormones cue our bodies to produce excess oil.  Oil, stress, poor diet, dead skin build-up create the perfect storm.  For women with irregular cycles and hormonal imbalances, you’ll see breakouts and cystic acne around your chin and jawline throughout the month.

Solution:  Focus on Food

 

Hormone-related issues can be quite daunting to tackle. The best place to start – and possibly the most effective – is what you eat. What you choose to eat (or avoid!) can dramatically affect your hormone levels. High glycemic foods, anything processed that contains refined sugar, spike insulin and alters how you metabolize estrogen as well as rise cortisol (your stress hormone). These fluctuating hormones don’t do your skin any favors. To start, try experimenting with limiting or cutting out dairy and sugar.

That leaves us to what we should be eating. Our skin craves the vitamins and minerals found in dark leafy greens – think kale, spinach, swiss chard, and watercress. Vitamin A will help regulate your skin’s oil production while quercetin helps reduce cell activity and reduce inflammation. Another essential for good skin and balanced hormones: essential fatty acids (EFA’s) like flaxseed, olive oil, and wild-caught salmon. The more the merrier as they repair your protective skin barrier and provide anti-inflammatory activity.

 

Cause:  Don’t Be Harsh

Any time we deal with a breakout, our first reaction is to either scrub it off or practically burn it off. Both should be avoided (especially if you suffer frequent breakouts). Harsh solutions only further irritate the skin and exacerbate breakouts. What about the products you use? Poorly matched products and ingredients can also cause added breakouts. So, how can we organize our routine?

Solution:  Friendly Ingredients & a Good Routine

An effective skincare routine is only as good as the order you apply it. How you layer your products will give you optimal effectiveness. Start with a gentle cleanser. Our favorites include Tata Harper’s Clarifying Cleanser and True Botanicals Clear Nourishing Cleanser. Next, toner. Toners that include AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acid) help clear away any residual dead skin cells, dirt, and oil and prepare the skin for the next product. Once a week you can use a stronger, chemical exfoliation – a 5% formula of AHA’s or BHA’s can help with texture, scars, and hyperpigmentation. Start small and work your way up – a cult favorite is the T.L.C. Babyfacial. Now that you’re squeaky clean, it’s time to layer your “nutrient-dense” serums. Anti-pollution serums, peptide serums, and Vitamin C serums are just a few. Last but not least, seal it in with oil-based serums such as Vitner’s Daughter Botanical Serum or a moisturizer/sunscreen hybrid (depending on the time of day).

 

Cause:  Not Enough “Friends”

How many of us forget to take our probiotics? Let alone have probiotics? Our lives are busy and remembering to take a supplement first thing in the a.m. is not always on the top of our list. But let’s talk about why good bacteria really is a priority for good skin (and overall health). Our gut and its flora are involved in every aspect of our bodies – healthy, balanced hormones, nutrient absorption, having a good mood, cardiovascular health, and, of course, skin health. With a lack of good bacteria, you are unable to fully nurture your intestinal microbiome – allowing bad bacteria to overpopulate and wreak havoc. But is it just probiotics that help our out the good bacteria?

 

Solution:  Probiotics & Fermentation

Not all probiotics come in pill form. As mentioned earlier, a diet full of fruits and vegetables is not only nutrient-rich, it’s probiotic-rich! Plant fiber nourishes and strengthens good bacteria. Fermented foods like miso, sauerkraut, and kimchi also act as probiotics and grow your population of beneficial bacteria. The more whole foods you eat, the stronger your good bacteria become. Avoid foods that cause inflammation in your gut and destroy your microbiome. Gluten, sugar, and highly processed food are some of the biggest culprits!

Probiotics and prebiotics have increased in popularity. Unfortunately, this can cause confusion when trying to find the right one for you. Three things to look for are strain, species, and number. My personal favorite is Seed –  it contains over 24 different strains totaling 53 billion good bacteria catering to every part of my body. The key to probiotics is to take them regularly because they don’t live very long after you’ve taken them. If need be, set an alarm or keep them close by.

 

“I Think I Need More Help” 

Skin issues don’t tend to go away overnight, and at times, more help is needed. Izzy’s Wellness is happy to offer the perfect reboot to the most common (and most persistent) skin dilemmas via The Healthy Beauty Project.

 We truly believe that healthy skin starts with a healthy gut. By means of healing, strengthening, and maintaining a healthy gut, you will experience a complete overhaul in your skin and wellness. Visit HBP for more information.

 

 

 

 

With flu season in full swing and the addition of Coronavirus, we are reminded of how important it is to take care of our immune systems. We can improve our immunity naturally by focusing on both the mind and body. Here are my top 6 tips for staying healthy all year long:

 

Reduce Stress

Stress affects every part of our body from brain fog to weight changes, but especially our immunity. When cortisol levels are high, our body’s ability to heal itself is disrupted, making you more suspectable to infection and even diminishing the protective effects of vaccines. Clean up your diet, move your body and actively relax to lower your stress levels.

 

Use Food as Medicine

What we eat directly affects our body’s ability to heal. The best way to build up our immunity is by real, whole, nutrient-dense foods. Eat multiple servings of colorful fruits and vegetables high in vitamins C, A, and phytonutrients. Up your intake of dark, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower. For added antimicrobial support add garlic, onions, ginger and other spices into your meals.

Additional Supplement Support: Natural Anti-Viral/Anti-Bacterial Herbs:  astragalus, echinacea, green tea extract, elderberry, andrographis, goldenseal, monolaurin, various immune-enhancing mushrooms, and beta 1-3 glucan. 

Cordyceps and Mushrooms Extracts: Cook with medicinal mushrooms like shitake. 

 

Sleep (Actual Sleep)

You can be doing everything right and still get sick. Why? Because you are not getting enough sleep! Sleep restores and heals the body. Without good, restful sleep our bodies are not able to support a strong immune system. Your goal should be 7 or 8 hours a night. Seem out of reach? Try exercising during the day (35 to 40 minutes also boosts immune function) and mindful relaxation to help prepare your body for sleep.

For exercise: Mild to moderate exercise daily improves immune system function. AVOID overexertion when feeling run down; this will your lower immune defenses. 

 

Keep Drinking!

Drinking lots of fluids, especially warmer fluids, is vital for staying hydrated and supporting all your body’s functions – including immune functions. Flush out toxins and detox with water (or warm lemon water) and nourish with soups, bone broth, and ginger and echinacea tea. If you prefer green juices, make sure they are without fruit juice and other added sugars – sugar stresses our immune system. YIKES!

Try a daily saline flush: Using a neti pot or plastic bottle filled with saline solution gently flushes out your sinuses while keeping mucus membranes moist, protecting against microbes. Limit using a saline flush once or twice daily. 

 

Be Balanced With Sanitizing

I know it might seem weird, but exposure to some germs is good for us, especially in terms of building up immunity. If you live in a sterile environment you are actually more susceptible to infections when exposed.  Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer when appropriate, but avoid anything excessive.

 

It All Goes Back to the Gut

A healthy gut supports a healthy body – healthy gut flora supports a healthy gut and protects against pathogens and is vital for a strong immune system. Take probiotics daily that include several species of good bacteria and contain at least 5 to 10 billion organisms per capsule.

When taking antibiotics: Sometimes antibiotics are needed when sick. During your round of antibiotics, you kill both bad and good bacteria. Be sure to include probiotics and probiotic-rich food in your diet to counteract the effects. 

The Whole-30 Diet has been super popular since it came out in 2009, and especially during New Year’s as many people make it their New Year’s Resolution to kick the year off with a Whole-30 Diet. However, there are also people who strive to follow this diet throughout the year. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of this diet so you can better understand why someone would be interested in this way of eating.

What is The Whole-30 Diet?

The Whole-30 Diet is often described as a life-changing diet that removes sugar, grains, dairy, as well as legumes from the diet. It’s about eliminating the foods that are known to damage the gut, cause inflammation, and cause an imbalance in blood sugar levels. The Whole-30 Diet helps your body recover from the inflammation that may be going on, while also helping you build new habits with healthier foods that will support overall wellness. Read more →