Jane's Acne Philosophy
Chances are, you’ve probably struggled with acne at some point in your life. And if you haven’t, you’re very lucky! Breakouts and/or recurring acne can be frustrating and it’s not always easy to know the right way to treat it, especially if you don’t know what’s causing it. So, if you have acne-prone skin or struggle with occasional breakouts, this blog is for you. I am going to share my acne philosophy with you and my best advice to achieve clear, healthy skin.
The Gut-Skin Connection
When treating acne, I always look at diet first. In Traditional Chinese medicine, your face is direct a window into your digestive system. Any breakouts, blemishes, and/or rashes are a cry for help. If an imbalance exists in your gut, it can be reflected in the health of your skin.
The digestive system provides our cells with nutrition from the food we eat. When the liver is overloaded with toxins the liver distributes these toxins through the elimination channels of the body, however, when these are overloaded it will push them out through the skin.
This is why I firmly believe that you cannot ignore the state of your digestive system. To achieve lasting results, you must work with the correct skincare rituals and balance the digestive system in tandem. If you don’t focus on both, you are simply putting a bandaid on the problem. You must be aware of the foods you’re choosing to fuel your body with. You cannot treat the surface of the skin and ignore what you are putting into your body. Keeping your gut healthy and balanced is key.
Common Dietary Triggers
Certain foods/beverages like dairy, sugar, gluten, and alcohol can all cause various problems to arise on the skin. If you struggle with a specific type of acne or notice that it always appears in a specific location, I’d suggest looking at the dietary trigger face maps below. Here you will see common ways that these dietary triggers affect the skin. The location of pustules, blackheads, wrinkles, and the color of your skin can tell a story about the digestive system.
Taking Proper Care of Your Skin
While a clean diet can make a world of a difference in the health of your skin, you must also be using good, clean products to care for your skin. Using the wrong products can irritate the skin, damage the acid mantle, strip the natural oils, and change the pH of the skin. This can cause more acne, early signs of aging, and health issues. Here are a few tips to help you on your way…
What NOT to do:
- Use scrubs, peels, or exfoliants - These products will strip the oil in your skin, stretch your pores, break capillaries, and cause your skin to lose elasticity and age quicker. You will just end up causing unnecessary stress and sensitivities on your skin. As I always say…scrub the floor, not your face!
- Use surfactants on your skin - Surfactants strip your skin and cause an overproduction of oil.
- Dry the skin out by using witch hazel or alcohol - Do NOT do this!
- Skip moisturizing - A common misconception is that if you have oily skin you don’t need to moisturize… wrong!
What to do:
- Eat a clean, healthy diet-increase fruits and vegetables focusing on greens
- Take your makeup off every night
- Use an oil cleanser - A good natural oil cleanser will actually balance sebum production, kill bacteria, and hydrate your skin.
- Detox the skin regularly with a natural clay mask. This is imperative! When you add water to natural mineral clay you effectively electrically charge it. When you place a clay mask on your skin it will draw out and attract the pollutants in your skin.
- See one of our talented skin therapists - If you would like more personalized and direct guidance, we suggest booking a Discovery Consultation with one of our knowledgeable skincare professionals. Through this consultation, we can help determine the cause of the acne or irritations, as well as create a custom routine of products and practices for at home use.
Product Recommendations:
Here at janegee, we choose to keep all products and treatments gentle, so they can work with the skin and not against it. There is no quick fix when it comes to skin health. The skin has a language and once you learn to read it, acne can be relatively easy to remedy.
The following products are great for acne-prone skin. They will help treat your acne and balance your skin to prevent future breakouts. My approach with acne is to cleanse without drying, maintain the acid mantle, hydrate, and detox. These products will make a world of difference in the health and appearance of your skin!
Clear Skin is a gentle and effective cleanser, treatment, and moisturizer all in one. I actually developed this product specifically for a young client who had suffered with acne and problematic skin for years. After seeing the incredible results it had on her skin, it became a permanent addition to the range (and one of our best-selling products!). Clear Skin works to not only balance oil production, refine, and moisturize the skin, but to also leave your skin feeling the softest, smoothest, and healthiest it has ever been.
Tomate Creme is a lightweight daily moisturizer that will hydrate your skin and balance the pH to restore radiance. Exceptionally clarifying, it is truly a powerhouse product with its high concentration of Tomato Lycopene Extract, Vitamin C, and herbal infusions that naturally correct and smooth the skin.
Yang Oil is great to use right when you start to feel a breakout forming. It stimulates the blood to the cells (this is where the nutrition is) and the lymph to take away and drain waste from the cells. This will help enhance skin texture and reduce congestion.
If you’re someone who gets blackheads often, you need this product. Our Blackhead Remover works wonders in dissolving clogged pores, whiteheads, and blackheads. The easy roll-on application also makes it fantastic for spot-treating.
Our face oils grew out of the need to supply different skin types with specific ingredients to support and boost the health of the skin. Face Oil No. 4 is the go-to oil for those with acne-prone skin, oily, and congested skin. It helps to balance, decongest, and promote clear skin while keeping the skin hydrated and healthy.
Our Olive Clay is phenomenal for acne-prone and oily skin. This clay works to cleanse and purify the skin by removing dirt and oil. It also contains minerals that help balance the oiliness of the skin and assist in smoothing the appearance of the skin. We recommend incorporating our Olive Clay Mask into your nighttime skincare routine 1-3x a week.
Acne is such a big subject, but not as scary as you might imagine once you learn the right steps to take care of your skin. Getting your skin to look clear and beautiful naturally doesn’t have to be difficult. With a simple daily routine and an understanding of your diet, you can be on your way to smooth, glowing skin!
Be kind to your skin, work with it, and will do the work for you!
Let’s become better together!
