Skin & Acne
Acne. Characterised by red, white or black pimples protruding from the skin on the face and/or upper back & chest as a result of infected or inflamed sebaceous glands, (glands buried within the skin’s dermis layer which secrete sebum into hair follicles).
There are six different types of pimple associated with acne; blackheads, whiteheads (acne vulgaris), cysts, nodules, papules and pustules. Prevailing research suggests the occurrence of acne pimples is driven and mediated by hormones, although hormonal flux is not the only trigger … which is where Nutritional Therapy can help by asking a series of target and bespoke dietary, lifestyle and medical history questions entirely oriented around you and your skin.
Simplistically, the reason acne occurs is because the skin’s hair follicles become blocked by an overproduction of sebum, (liquid generated by sebaceous glands to keep the skin and hair moisturised and protected), bacteria (Cutibacterium acnes) and/or dead skin cells. If skin grows over an exacerbated, gunky sebum mixture the resulting pimples will manifest as whiteheads, and if the sebum becomes oxidised (exposed to oxygen) it turns a grey/black colour which manifests as blackheads.
Sebum is a natural presence on the skin, which has its own microbiome teaming with symbiotic bacteria which are not all bad. For example, the skin’s oily lubricants provide a layer of protection by ensnaring external environmental bacteria; after all, the skin is our only outward-facing organ therefore part of its role is to trap bacteria on the outside thus keeping it from penetrating our bloodstream and inner vital organs. If you recall from my Psoriasis blog post, skin cells are constantly multiplying & migrating to the epidermis (uppermost surface skin layer) therefore if there is a fault/anomaly in the production of sebum, the migrating skin cells will inevitably become engulfed in the oily sebum-surge; hence the risk of acne and inflammation … and it is the role of a Registered Nutritional Therapist to explore the root cause, initiating triggers and persisting mediators for these anomalies happening in the first instance.
As always, every person’s diet & lifestyle strategy for relieving symptoms of acne will be unique to them and therefore the support programme offered by Nutritional Therapy will be expertly tailored to personal circumstances. Amongst other things, Nutritional Therapy will explore any potentially detrimental impacts your sex hormones may be having on your skin, as well as siphoning-out other potential root causes of acne such as insulin resistance / blood sugar imbalances, microbial dysbiosis, and/or prevailing vitamin & mineral deficiencies or excesses which may be triggering or mediating symptoms or flares of acne. So each person’s Nutritional Therapy programme for acne – and indeed all skin conditions – will be bespoke to them.
Whilst you’re considering which package of Nutritional Therapy Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition® is right for you, three decent dietary starting points for promoting optimal skin health and helping to relieve the symptoms or likelihood of acne flares are:
Increase Polyphenols - those lovely colourful foods, mainly vegetables but also berries, oranges/mandarins, a pinch of ginger or turmeric, and green tea, (with this latter drink you must consult your GP first if you are taking prescribed medication). These antioxidant-rich foods also contain plentiful quantities of Vitamins A and C which help mop-up any inflammatory, structure-damaging Free Radicals which may be systemically lurking.
Increase omega fats and avoid trans-fats (i.e. processed foods & bakery products) - try to include a couple of portions of the following in your daily diet; oily fish, (sardines, mackerel, salmon), avocadoes, olives & olive oil, nuts (Walnuts are especially useful) and/or seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds).
Ensure your daily diet includes a zinc-rich food source - whilst you won’t necessarily know this until you begin your Nutritional Therapy programme, if your acne is hormonally-driven zinc is useful for regulating hormone balance and thus may help promote clearer skin. Zinc-rich food sources include meat (beef, chicken, lamb), egg yolks, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, chickpeas, or if you’re feeling fancy, oysters and lobster.
REMEMBER: if you are taking any medications always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist as well as your Doctor before making significant dietary or lifestyle changes. This blog post is written for educational purposes only and in reference to ‘food’. It is NOT advocating taking dietary supplements. It is very important to please always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist or your Doctor before introducing any dietary supplements into your health regime as these qualified professionals will be able to offer personalised recommendations.
If acne is something you are struggling with and you want to discover the inspiring and sustainable diet & lifestyle programmes offered by Nutritional Therapy, get in touch via the Contact Me page on this website, or directly on info@eatdrinkthinknutrition.co.uk for more information about 1:2:1 Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition®.
