By Sitara Hewitt

From my perspective, treating acne is both an outside AND an inside job. In this article we’ll tackle how to topically treat the skin to limit acne, while finding ways to end acne at it’s root: inside the body.

I myself suffered with cystic acne for around 5 years, and I tried every cream, facial, spot treatment and mask you can think of. It was frustrating because while I live a very healthy lifestyle (and am a wellness expert!) you certainly couldn’t tell by looking at my red, inflamed skin.

It wasn’t until I started to make some simple changes to my diet, lifestyle and added a couple of supplements that I got permanent and complete relief from cystic acne.

Lifestyle

Diet and Digestion: When our digestion is functioning well and our colons are eliminating waste regularly the toxins don’t build up in our system. Acne isn’t your body’s way of torturing you – I promise – it’s actually your body’s way of getting toxins out of your system that aren’t being properly eliminated by the intestines and liver. So we want to start eating more vegetables and fruit – celery and apples and kale are my favorite – so that the fibre and live vibrancy of the raw foods can start clearing our digestive systems. The bonus is that you have more energy and a flatter tummy when you start eating 3-5 servings of fresh veggies and fruits a day. I like the whole veggie as opposed to juicing it because we really need that fibre to get in there and clear out the intestines. Making a smoothie with frozen berries, banana, a vegan protein and some fresh spinach is a tasty way to get more greens and fruits in each day. Foods that aggravate acne should be cut out or greatly decreased: all white processed sugar, white flour, alcohol and dairy products. There are so many great alternatives on the market that you can still enjoy a satisfying and hearty diet while eliminating these foods that cause inflammation in the skin – and throughout the body.

*Drink lots and lots of pure water: this flushes toxins out of the body that could turn into acne.

Stress

Stress is a major cause for acne. It affects digestion and hormones, both of which need to be functioning well to keep your skin clear. When we stress out too much it takes a toll on the liver, whose primary function is processing toxins out of the body and keeping the hormones balanced. If the liver is overburdened then the toxins have to find other ways out… like through your skin. Try deep breathing techniques a few times a day, get out for a brisk walk, set aside time to unwind, and remind yourself that excess worry never serves you. It’s better to relax, decide on a proactive solution, and move on to enjoying your day, kids, friends or whatever else brings you joy.

Supplements

I have found Neem to be the most powerful supplement to heal my acne. It gets rid of excess bacteria in our intestines like strep and staph. I also recommend some kind of colon cleansing herbs to get the impacted material out of the colon so it can eliminate toxins properly and not have them build up and need to escape through your skin. I drink pure Aloe juice every day too (not the sweetened kind) as it heals both the intestines and skin and really brings that even glow back. If you feel your liver is stressed it will show in your skin, so add a milk thistle or dandelion supplement. Taking a good quality probiotic is also key to gut health – which is then reflected in healthy, clear skin.

Topical Solutions

Once you’ve implemented some of the lifestyle steps the topical applications really start to work!

Exfoliate gently – not on open acne but anywhere blackheads or clogged pores develop. This gets rid of dead skin that could be trapping bacteria underneath. I like those round ‘buff puff’ type exfoliating pads for the face. I love a bentonite clay type mask once a week to pull out toxins. A witch hazel toner is very soothing and non irritating, just be sure it doesn’t contain alcohol. Make sure you change pillow cases regularly and keep your phone clean with a little alcohol so you’re not adding bacteria. I love to apply aloe gel from the inside of an aloe plant leaf topically at night! It soothes, heals and moisturizes gently.

The good news is that acne is curable and can be a good reason to start eating better and taking on less stress. Your health and life can benefit from these changes too! Wishing you smooth and even skin this winter.