Human beings are attracted to beauty.? We strive to be beautiful ourselves.? Many of us spend a lot of time and money on products and treatments to enhance our physical beauty.? And there is nothing wrong with this.? Even though it is a warm and fuzzy thought to think that people will not judge you until they have taken the time to get to know you, it simply isn’t reality.? More often than not, a person?s first impression of you is based on your physical appearance.? That’s just the way it is.? Unless you are a hermit or live under a rock.
So we all understand and can relate to the frustration that occurs when we wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and find a big old zit staring back.? Or a few zits.? Or redness, broken capillaries, a large freckle or wrinkle that wasn?t there yesterday, puffiness, etc.? The problem?? You have a high school reunion this weekend.? You can’t show up there in front of all those people who haven’t seen you since you were a teenager (who likely had some form of acne) looking like this.
So what do you do?
You go into panic mode.? You already use a high quality skin care regimen (I hope) regularly, but clearly it isn’t enough.? You want to bring in the big guns.? So you go online, ask around, and get a list of referrals for dermatologists, medical aestheticians, laser technicians, cosmetic doctors, etc. who will launch the battle against these unattractive invaders by sticking, poking, zapping, abrading, or burning them into submission.? Score: Big Guns 1, Unattractive Invaders 0.
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| Alright acne!? I command you to cease and desist! |
Slow down, Soldier.
Just because you win a battle or two does not mean you will win the war.? Many of these quick fixes actually cause more long-term damage to the physiology of the skin than that unsightly blemish or those capillaries.? This will result in a neverending cycle.? You have a problem, treat it aggressively enough that it seems to subside for the moment, but then comes back worse (often accompanied by other problems) after a couple of weeks.? So you go back to the Big Guns for more, and hence the cycle begins again.
These unattractive invaders are signs that something else is going on.
Nearly every skin concern can be traced to a specific internal or external cause.? For example, according to Ben Johnson, MD ?acne is 99% related to poor colon health?, which itself is caused by inflammation from poor diet (leading to Candida overgrowth) and stress.? Yet it is most frequently treated with antibiotics that lead to more colon problems.
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| Build-up of scar tissue from rosacea |
Rosacea is often indicated by redness and broken capillaries on the nose and cheeks, due to thinning of the dermis.? These capillaries are not really broken.? They have distended in an effort to increase circulation and deliver more nutrients in the skin, as a result of poor circulation due to lack of oxygen (from free radical damage caused by smoking, excessive alcohol intake, damaging UV rays and pollution), and lack of nourishment due to dehydration and poor nutrition.? Yet, instead of allowing these capillaries to do their jobs, we often want to zap them away with lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL).? Does this get rid of them?? Temporarily, yes.? But since it has not addressed the cause of why they showed up in the first place, they will return; most likely in larger numbers.? Furthermore, these treatments cause further thinning of the dermis in the long term, which will make the problem much worse, and could cause the even less attractive problem of phyma, or uneven thickening and build-up of scar tissue.
Time to cease fire.
Instead of launching a military offensive on your skin, take a step back and see what your skin is trying to tell you about your overall health.? It would be helpful to see a holistic skin care practitioner, or holistic or naturopathic doctor.? They will ask questions about your current skin care habits and diet, lifestyle, level of stress, family history, etc.? They will then prescribe a complete program to not only address your skin, but also to treat the underlying problem(s) that caused the skin to react in the first place.
Instead of fighting and working against your skin?s natural healing processes, work with the skin.? Help it do its job.? Use products that are natural, and that are recognized, accepted, and can be easily utilized by the skin.? Use products that hydrate, nourish, and increase circulation to the skin.? Drink enough water and eat less acidic and less inflammatory foods.
As for that quick fix?
I have a big family function this weekend, and of course I woke up with a big zit yesterday morning.? Did I run to the dermatologist for a cortisone injection?? Nope.? I drank a large pot of white tea (known for benefiting the skin) and followed my normal skin care routine with the addition of a spot treatment consisting of natural acne-fighting ingredients (willow herb, 1,3 beta glucan, mandelic acid, tea tree) last night and this morning and the blemish is already almost gone.? It will be long-gone by the time my I attend my function this weekend.
As for broken capillaries (and I have a few of those) that’s what makeup is for.
4 thoughts on “Your Skin is Not Your Enemy?Don’t Treat it as One.”
It might be unrealistic to think that people won’t judge us on our appearances, but it’s also a self-perpetuating problem. I for one don’t want to live in a world where we are judged on outside appearances. Currently, for the most part, that IS how it works. But going along with that so that people don’t judge us negatively isn’t going to help bring about any kind of change.
I’ve been pretty dependent on make-up since my pre-teens. I’ve still got a lot of scars, but I’ve just given it up. It’s possibly the most freeing thing I’ve ever done. I’m no longer happy to be a part of the society that contributes to this problem.
I agree it is a self-perpetuating problem…but I don’t see it ever changing. I would rather just see people focus on getting their bodies and skin healthy by making healthy choices rather than relying on expensive and most likely harmful quick fixes. Great comment though, thank you.
I completely agree with you that we need to focus on healthy bodies and skin! Not going against that in the slightest, but I don’t think that it has to contradict wanting to change society so that people are happy in their own skin. I’m not for a second suggesting it’s suddenly going to happen overnight that everyone’ll be happy to go out without make-up, and I’m not even asking anyone to do that. I just want to be part of a society that recognises and encourages natural beauty, rather than one that says “Skin not so great today? Eh, that’s okay, just slap on some make-up – that’ll make you look better.” I don’t see it every changing instantly, but I think the attitude of “it’ll never change at all” just won’t help. No harm in trying, right? 🙂
No harm at all :). It is an important message.