You know how every love story has that super villain keeping the couple apart from their dreams? In my love story, acne drove a wedge between me and my glowing skin dreams. It took me some 20 acne busting face washes, 12 ‘overnight’ spot treatments, and a multitude of DIY face masks, for me to realise that this battle was internal! I was so mesmerised by the marketing gimmicks set out to make my acne ‘vanish’, that I completely ignored what my body was trying to tell me. Food was one of the biggest triggers for my acne –– and it only took me three years to realise. A 2016 survey actually found that 71% of its participants thought that unhealthy, greasy foods or foods deep fried in oil triggered their acne. So, clearly I wasn’t the only one! Watching these patterns, also made me notice the effect ‘healthier’ foods had on my skin. Which made me wonder, what was the connection?
You Are What You Eat 🍲
Simply put, acne occurs when your pores get clogged with excess oil combined with dirt, debris, or dead skin cells. The trapped ‘crap’, basically results in inflammation aka pimples, pustules, or acne. The reason why acne and puberty are so closely linked is because during puberty, your body produces an increased amount of insulin-growth factor, which is somehow connected to the oil levels of your skin. Swoop in superfoods –– foods that help reduce inflammation from within, preventing acne from popping up. These superfoods are multipurpose and actually improve the overall health of your skin from within.
What’s In A Diet? Anti-Acne Superfoods 👊
- Antioxidants:
You’ve probably heard this term being thrown around, especially when it comes to healthy skin. Antioxidants are natural vitamins and minerals that are present in certain foods. They are so talked about, mainly because of their ability to fight free radical damage within. What’s this? Well, your skin is exposed to a whole lot of pollutants that create a reaction in the layers of your skin. When you consume antioxidants, your body has the ability to fight these pollutants, preventing them from damaging your skin. Consuming more antioxidants in your diet can also help reverse any sort of damage!
You can look out for the following antioxidants in your food:
A) Vitamin A - Have you heard of retinol? Yes, that ingredient everyone seems to be talking about. Well, retinol is actually a derivative of vitamin A. It helps boost skin health and also fights away acne. Vitamin A aids in boosting your immune system, keeping inflammation and breakouts at bay.
Foods you can include:
- Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, and cantaloupes
- Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
- Oily fish such as salmon
- Eggs and dairy
Foods you can include:
- Fruits such as oranges, lemons, guavas, and berries
- Vegetables such as sweet yellow peppers and brussel sprouts
- Herbs and leafy vegetables such as parsley and kale
Foods you can include:
- Nuts and seeds such as hazelnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds
- Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, parsley, and kale
- Vegetable oils like sunflower oil, safflower oils, and soybean oil
- Low-GI:
Remember how I said your insulin growth factor is correlated to your skin’s oil supply? Well, a lot of foods can also trigger the IGF-1 hormone to go a little berserk –– and one of them is food that can trigger your blood sugar levels to shoot up high. Opting for foods with a low-gi will regulate your body’s blood sugar levels, in turn keeping sebum levels and inflammation at bay.
Foods you can include:
- Grains and starches such as rice bran, plain oats, and sweet potatoes
- Vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers
- Fruits such as grapefruits, apples, peaches, oranges, grapes, and bananas
- Acne-Healing Herbs:
a) Burdock Root - High in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, this herb helps detoxify your liver and also purifies your blood –– this in turn, keeps the acne at bay and prevents you from breaking out.
b) Centella - Popularly known as Gotu Kola, this herb works synonymously with burdock root to improve your skin’s blood circulation and speed up healing.
c) Brahmi - Contains medicinal actives that offer anti-inflammatory benefits, and also lends collagen support that helps improve the skin’s ability to heal and repair.
I can’t stress on this enough –– skincare is a holistic journey that needs a 360 degree approach, especially if you want your skin to heal from certain traumas of the past. Cosmix’s Feel Good Skin formula hosts a multitude of skin loving superfoods that help treat your acne internally, giving your skin a healthy boost from within. These superfoods help maintain your skin’s overall health, leaving it radiant, soft, and healthy –– and all of this works its way inside out! Take it from someone who learnt it the hard and long way –– superfoods can make a whirlwind of a difference to your skin’s quality and can actually help you put those acne woes to rest.
