We all see the TV commercials and advertisements, where some of the most beautiful people we’ve ever seen — who “supposedly” have skin problems — have radiant, glowing skin. Where are the breakouts, uneven skin tones and even chronic problems like eczema or rosacea? This is a perfect example of why we’ve been taught to hate our skin. Even the people talking about their skin challenges have nearly perfect skin! It makes it a little difficult to look in the mirror, doesn’t it?

The simple truth is that everyone can learn how to love the skin they’re in. But first, it’s both helpful and important to understand why it’s been pounded into our heads for so long that our skin just isn’t good enough. Let’s try to understand why.

 

Your Face Is Your First Impression

If you grew up in a normal, everyday household, you may have heard a time or two that a clean, smiling face can help you make your best first impression. Sure, everyone responds to a big smile at a meeting, a high-school reunion or when having lunch with friends. But, what does a “clean” face actually mean?

Of course, to overcome the most common skincare challenges, we all know that we have to observe the rule of the big three:

1. Clean
2. Tone
3. Moisturize 

But unfortunately, many people have confused the idea of cleanliness with a perfect, blemish-free complexion. Yet, we all know that if we’re suffering from some skin problems, no amount of scrubbing and exfoliating can help — at least, not consistently. 

So, when you look into the mirror and see a couple of pimples or a patch of dry skin, you may automatically feel ashamed. Will people think I’m dirty? Does it look like I haven’t washed my face all week? What will people think?

These thoughts happen at any age. It’s not just teenagers who experience these skin-related challenges and feelings of self-doubt. As we start to grow older and our bodies and skin both begin to change, that doesn’t mean that we say goodbye to pimples and blackheads forever. In fact, it often means that we learn to cope with a series of other skincare challenges, starting with fine lines and wrinkles.

The bottom line is that, due to years of negative thoughts, our skin can cause us to feel ashamed. However, we’re all dealing with challenges — even those models in the magazines. 

And while keeping your face “clean” is definitely an important ritual, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll never have the occasional breakout or even more significant challenges. After all, we’re all human.

 

Your Skin Is What Makes You Beautiful

It looks like we have a whole lot of reprogramming to do here, doesn’t it? Well, so many people — primarily women — feel as if the foundation of their beauty relies on their skin. If you haven’t figure this out already, that type of outlook can be exhausting! 

No one’s skin is blemish-free every day, so you can’t ride this emotional roller coaster, especially when stress can actually make your skin conditions worse! Many women judge whether or not they’ll have a good day by their skin when they wake up in the morning. Not only is this unhealthy, but it’s definitely no way to live.

Instead, you need to have a revolution from within! To turn around the relationship that you have with your skin, you can’t constantly judge it, or even be angry with it. After all, it’s not “turning against you,” and it’s not a punishment for eating too much chocolate. 

While your skin reacts negatively to numerous harmful lifestyle factors, and can definitely “act up” when you aren’t washing your face every morning and night, this isn’t in retribution. Create a balance with your skin — one that doesn’t affect how you feel the entire day, or make you angry when you look in the mirror. You are NOT your skincare challenges.

 

Your Face Is the First Thing to Go

As we grow older, we know that eventually we’re going to begin to show some signs of aging. And while we’d all like to keep our bodies from our 20s, a study shows that women really worry about their faces and how they may begin to wrinkle or shoe fine lines. In fact, these percentages of women regularly worry about their faces and skin aging:

• Under 25 – 28%
• 25-34 – 42%
• 35-45 – 54% 

But, when women hit 55, the percentage begins to decrease. So, what does that tell us? 

With the sage transformation also comes wisdom, and women grow to understand that growing older is a natural process, but they can still have healthy, beautiful skin — as long as they care for it. It isn’t “the end.”

 

Turn the Tables

Once you can begin to understand why we’ve been taught to hate our skin, then the faster you can begin to provide a healthier balance, filled with nurturing skincare and image-positive thoughts. It’s never too late to turn the tables on your skin, and to appreciate it for the all-important organ that it is.

 

 

 As you go about your daily life, you may not always give that much thought to your skin — until something happens that causes you to take notice. This can include any type of unhealthy skin condition or common skincare challenges. They can range from a severe sunburn to skin challenges like rosacea, eczema and more. It can also include the signs of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles and discolorations. As long as your skin radiates a beautiful glow, you may neglect the care that it needs to retain that image. This also means you may start to avoid lifestyle choices that can lead to unhealthy skin.

However, having beautiful skin is more about just appearances. Lifestyle choices can greatly determine whether you have healthy skin. They can also be a factor in how you feel about the “skin you’re in.”

Let’s take a look at five factors that can lead to some common skin challenges. That way, you can begin to build a better relationship with your body and how you care for it.

1. Poor Sun Protection

Okay, so it’s the 21st century, and whether or not the sun damages your skin is no longer a mystery. In fact, the chances are good that you know someone who is even battling skin cancer at this exact moment. After all, over 5 million new cases are diagnosed every year.

Now, these aren’t scare tactics, but just basic facts about how you need to care for your skin. Even running errands out in the sun all day can cause sun damage to your exposed skin. This is why many are opting to use foundation or moisturizers with an SPF.

And when it comes to having a beach day, always wear a wide-brimmed hat. Remember, your scalp is also made of skin, and it can burn easily in the direct sunlight. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that you wear an SPF 30, which should block around 97% of the sun’s rays. If you really don’t want to take any chances, there are even swimsuits and other pieces of clothing made from fabric that blocks harmful UV rays.

 

2. Smoking

There are numerous reasons that smoking is bad for your overall health. But, when it comes to your skin, it’s the nicotine that really creates the worst problems. Nicotine can inhibit the flow of oxygen and blood — even to the skin. When this happens, the skin doesn’t receive the nutrients and the oxygen that it needs to stay healthy.

And you’ve probably heard about all of those other toxic chemicals in tobacco-related products, right? Well, those can be problematic, too. They can reduce the collagen and elasticity in the skin, leading to a less-than-youthful appearance. Smoking is definitely one of the primary lifestyle choices that leads to unhealthy skin. So, taking steps to stop smoking as soon as possible is a good skincare must!

 

3. Stress

We all know by now that stress can cause all sorts of health problems. They can range from high blood pressure to strokes and heart disease. But, stress isn’t exactly great for your skin, either. Plain and simple — stress can wreak havoc on your skin. It can manifest in the form of unexpected breakouts and flare ups of any skin disorder that you may battle. 

Stress can increase inflammation, cause hormonal changes and release little spikes in adrenaline. These are all factors that can be terrible for your skin. Plus, you may even pick up stressful habits that can impact the condition of your skin. This can include rubbing your face and transferring oil and other debris.

4. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Our bodies (and our minds) need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day to function. Many even suggest an ample 8-10. If you find that you’re barely scraping by on 5 hours of sleep, then you may be creating a cycle that will have serious ramifications for your entire body — your skin included.

It’s important to understand that, when you aren’t suffering from sleep deprivation, your body secretes certain hormones that can ensure it produces enough collagen. This will keep the skin healthy and supple. However, if your body is lacking the proper requirements for healthy sleep, then it can produce too much cortisol. This can lead to serious breakouts and inflammation.

 

5. Lack of Hydration

For some reason, many people find it difficult to get in those 8 glasses of water every day. Yet, not being properly hydrated can create problematic situations for many different body parts and processes. And you guessed it, that also includes your skin!

Not drinking enough water can make your skin dry and flaky. It may also present a dull appearance. Some people also experience itchiness and discoloration. And since water helps flush out toxins from the entire body, it definitely makes sense that being dehydrated (or close to it) can also create acne breakouts and other blemishes.

 

6. Neglecting Your Skincare Regimen

We all lead very busy lives, so it’s understandable that spending 10 minutes in front of the mirror at the end of a long day may not be that appealing. However, to combat breakouts, premature aging and inflammation, the extra effort is totally worth it.

Wash your face with a gentle cleanser of your choice, and be sure to remove all remnants of the day’s makeup. Pat your face dry and top it all off with a hydrating moisturizer. Also, add any other specialty products that you like to use.

If you’re in a rush, you can always use a facial wipe. However, actually taking the time to wash your face is always preferred. Just always be sure to try any new products on a small section of skin to make sure that you don’t have an adverse reaction.

Taking care of your skin is an investment, and not one to be taken lightly. Often, a change has to come as a revolution from within, as you decide that the appearance — and the health — of your skin is important to you.

No one has perfect skin. But, the way in which we care for our skin can greatly reduce the chances of breakouts, fine lines and wrinkles, uneven textures and more serious, chronic skin conditions. Make the conscious decision to make caring for your skin a priority today. Avoid those lifestyle choices that can lead to unhealthy skin for good!

 

 

 

 

We’ve all had those days when we experience skin breakouts, causing us to feel ashamed, and often resorting to thick concealers and other solutions that can clog our pores and make our skin challenges even worse. So, first of all, know that you’re not alone. This can happen to anyone — of any age or walk of life. Why? Well, stress can wreak havoc on your skin!

When we think about stress, it’s usually regarding the mental and spiritual toll that it can have on our lives. However, it’s important to keep in mind that stress can also create outbreaks, or worsen a number of skincare challenges, including:

• Acne
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea
• Eczema
• Hives

But, how does stress manifest in such a way that it affects your skin, the body’s largest organ? Let’s have a closer look at five of the most common ways.

 

1. Connection of the Mind and Skin

As mentioned, the first thing that pops into the mind when you’re having a breakout, probably isn’t why you’ve been anxious or stressed out lately. Can your skin challenges actually seem more psychologically, rather than medically, based? Is there really a connection of the mind and skin?

Well, the blanket answer is that not everyone experiences stress in the same ways, and not all skin challenges are caused by the same factors. However, the skin and the mind have the type of relationship that most people can’t possibly imagine.

Since the skin wraps around the body’s organs, the nerve endings that connect to the skin can play a big part in emotions manifesting through the skin. Just as stress can cause other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure or stomach-related problems, it can also be the root of temporary, unexpected breakouts, or even longer bouts of unhealthy skin.

 

2. Spikes in Adrenaline

To learn a little more about what happens in your body when you’re feeling especially stressed, think about the fight-or-flight response. Our minds begin to prepare a way to combat the feelings or, if that doesn’t work, a way to escape them. When this happens, you experience spikes in adrenaline, and with this rise, you begin to sweat more. 

Surely, we’ve all experienced that heavy perspiration when we think we’ve lost our keys in the grocery store, or we remember an important task that is now embarrassingly late. This is the body’s way of cooling itself down, quite like the steam that flows from an overheated car engine.

Yet, when this happens, we can become dehydrated, often never even realizing it. In this way, the skin can become dry, creating a trigger for a number of skin conditions. This can be especially prevalent in more mature skin.

 

3. Increased Inflammation

We touched briefly on how stress can affect the stomach — the gut, in particular. Did you know that being stressed can actually slow down your digestion? It can, creating a chain of events to follow, ending in increased inflammation.

One of the first things to occur is the growth of unhealthy bacteria. In essence, this basically disrupts the often-precarious balance of the gut, as stress makes digestion more and more of a challenge. This also explains why your stomach can hurt when you’re particularly anxious or worried. (No, it’s not all “in your mind!”)

As digestion is slowed, the gut can begin to leak, causing inflammation. And, as the inflammation increases, it can trigger noticeable skin conditions.

 

4. Hormonal Changes

When you experience stress, the body begins to prepare to combat those situations. It sends a signal to the brain to begin producing more cortisol, which in turn provides energy (in the form of glucose) for that fight-or-flight reaction that we’ve already discussed, resulting in temporary hormonal changes.

More energy sounds great, right? However, one drawback is that these hormones can cause the glands to produce more oil, which can block the pores. And, we all know what follows when we have pore blockages!

Plus, no one really wants the appearance of oily skin. That’s just one more reason not to allow stress to wreak havoc on your skin!

 

5. Stress-Reducing Habits

It seems that every person who experiences some level of stress may pick up little stress-reducing habits that will help them to calm down. Some of these are harmless, but others can inflict harm upon the body — most specifically the skin.

Have you ever been frustrated, and rubbed your face vigorously to try to regain your composure? Have you ever seen anyone scratching their head, trying to contemplate an answer to a problem?

These are both ways that we may try to calm our minds, but they can affect our skin in a similar way that lifestyle choices make an impact. Remember, when you touch your face, the oil and dirt on your hands will transfer, clogging the pores or causing irritations. Even scratching your head can damage the skin, sometimes ending in abrasions. It’s a skincare must to avoid touching your skin!

So, the bottom line is that we need to learn that “being mad” at your skin is no way to achieve positive results. Since we know that stress can cause problematic skin issues, this can create a circle of challenges. Stress affects the skin, which, in turn, can make you even more stressed. There has to be a better way, right?

Well, it’s definitely time for a revolution from within! Now that you know more about how stress can wreak havoc on your skin, you can begin to work at the root of the problem. Find the best way — for your particular needs — to manage your stress levels. Then, simply wait for your skin to adjust and begin to heal — from the inside out. It really can be that beautiful!