Skincare Sunday | How to get acne free skin

Unfortunately, I think there is a large degree of stigma attached to acne and people often associate it with an extremely poor diet. Now, I'm not saying that it will necessarily help matters if you avoid your greens, but did you know that everybody's acne can be triggered/exacerbated by different foods? My advice would be to try an 'elimination' diet with the following food groups, and each week cut out a food to see whether your symptoms improve.

Reduce your Candida
We often hear a lot of talk about 'good bacteria' in the gut, and it's really important to maintain a good balance. An over-production of yeast in the gut, 'Candida' can often lead to a whole host of symptoms, one of which is acne flare-up. To achieve a balance in your gut, you should avoid foods that contain yeast, these are: Marmite, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, stock cubes, cheese. Foods that are high in sugar 'feed' the bacteria, which admittedly is quite a disgusting thought; so ease up on the sugary foods too. There's no need to cut these out of your life forever, but certainly reduce them until your symptoms clear up.

Take a load off your Liver
Your liver may have become somewhat overloaded and your liver doesn't function as it should, your body can become very toxic. You can rectify this by staying hydrated and taking regular sauna’s or steams which help to flush these toxins out of the skin. Limit your intake of processed foods and, the ever-so- obvious, alcohol.

Balance your hormones
It's not really a secret that us women tend to get acne around 'that' time of the month. The reason for this is because of the increase in Testosterone, where the hormonal shift gives us those extra little 'gifts' - oh the joy! Limit caffeine and avoid caffeinated soft drinks. Don’t skip meals, start your day with a good breakfast containing protein and complex carbohydrate.

What foods irritate your skin?

L x