Did you know that 80% of people have suffered or suffer from acne? Yes, you are not alone. As much as you see perfect skins on social networks. Friend, realize, that is not the truth. Acne is a common skin condition and should not make us feel insecure or bad about ourselves. What we can do is try to control it with patience and a lot of love.
We spoke with Mercedes Marcos, pharmacist and founder of one of the star brands in All Yours, Five.
Hello Mercedes, first of all, and to have a clear definition from an expert, what is acne and what are its most common causes?
Acne is a common skin condition, sometimes considered a disease, and occurs when hair follicles become clogged due to the buildup of oil and dead cells. There are several types of acne, but they all have an inflammatory effect and a bacterial component. The Cutibacteriumacnes, formerly known as P. acnes, is one of the main causes of acne.
This bacterium is found in the sebaceous glands and is part of the skin microbiota. When this microbiota becomes unbalanced, some types of this bacteria predominate in the environment (microbiota), altering and favoring the proliferation of other bacteria that will help the appearance of blemishes. But actually, the exact cause of acne is still unknown. It is identified with stress, hormonal imbalances, a bad beauty routine or a lack of daily hygiene..
From your experience, is it possible to treat acne naturally?
From my point of view, there are certain daily gestures that help reduce acne as a good daily hygiene, sport, healthy eating, hormonal balance, etc.
But when the acne is severe and persists, when considering a disease, it is always advisable consult a professional to explore all treatment options. But it is evident that the Natural remedies can help us control the different factors that trigger acne.
Are there certain foods that can cause acne or make it worse? If so, should we avoid them?
Yes, there are many foods that can cause inflammation, such as high glycemic index foods. These foods rapidly increase blood sugar causing the body to produce more insulin, this stimulates the production of androgens and these in turn cause excessive sebum production, so the acne will get worse.
Dairy is also related to acne. It makes sense since mammals, including humans, produce hormones during pregnancy. There are studies that show that these hormones could stimulate the production of androgens in humans, thus stimulating the production of sebum.
How do high levels of stress affect the appearance of acne? It's related?
stress affects everything. Metabolism, sleep, digestion, and of course also the skin. Stress can manifest on the skin in the form of redness, blemishes, and even eczema.
Stress stimulates the production of hormones such as cortisol or androgens, as well as the proteins involved in inflammation, the cytokines. All this affects the behavior of the sebaceous glands having a direct relationship with acne.
Is it possible to prevent or treat the appearance of acne with the appropriate cosmetic routine?
Yeah, cosmetic routine is essential to prevent and treat acne.
It is important to understand that cleaning abuse is a common mistake when treating acne. This gesture dehydrates the skin, activating compensatory sebum production and favoring the appearance of pimples.
Also, when we have acne we usually do without hydration because we think it will give us oil. It's a very wrong thought, once again if we do not hydrate the skin, we will be activating the compensatory sebum production and consequently favoring the appearance of acne.
What are the best cosmetic active ingredients to improve acne?
no doubt the CBD, niacinamide, salicylic acid and moisturizing and emollient active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, panthenol, peptides and gluconolactone.
Quinque, your brand, uses CBD as one of the star ingredients to treat acne, why did you choose it and how can it help to improve it?
CBD is a cross-cutting molecule that treats multiple skin concerns at the same time. In the case of acne, CBD will treat blemishes thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties and at the same time it will prevent the appearance of new imperfections by controlling the activity of the sebaceous glands, since it is a seboregulatory molecule.
As we have seen before, acne also has a bacterial component, CBD is also considered a antibacterial molecule, so it will treat acne in all its aspects.
Finally, what are your top tips to treat or control acne effectively?
1. A routine adapted to the type of acne and skin
2. Hygiene of life and active lifestyle.
3. Adaptogenic plants to control stress, and the hormonal cycles.
Being a person who suffers from acne, with sensitive, mixed and dehydrated skin. Topical CBD and these changes in my lifestyle have made a radical change in my skin.
In summary: tips to improve acne
As Mercedes has told us, acne is an inflammatory skin disease, specifically of hair follicles. Some of the causes that can make it worse are poor daily hygiene, a diet based on foods with a high glycemic index such as sugars, saturated fats, etc., and an incorrect facial routine.
Healthy eating and active lifestyle
It is of little use to treat inflammation topically if we do not learn to improve it from within.
Try to base your daily diet on anti-inflammatory foods and avoid as much as possible those with a high glycemic index, which raise the amount of sugar in the blood very fast, which causes an exaggerated release of insulin to make the blood sugar levels return to normal, which triggers increased sebum production.
Learning to manage stress, a very effective way is through adaptogenic plants that are responsible for regulating high cortisol levels, such as Superlative Electra capsules.
Routine to treat acne with Quinque
Five, is the Mercedes brand, the special thing about its formulations is that they are focused on treating inflammation and calming the skin with ingredients such as CBD, which you told us about before, or emollients such as hyaluronic acid or panthenol.
1. Gentle and deep cleaning with the Cleansing Gelatin
There cleaning gelatin from Five Contains a concentrate of natural active ingredients that deeply cleanse the skin and pore.
Contains CBD, which helps regulate sebum production, one of the causes of acne, and soothe inflamed and irritated skin. Salicylic acid gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin.
Deeply cleanses impurities and makeup without drying the skin and respecting the natural barrier. It is the perfect cleanser for blemish-prone and irritated skin.
2. Detoxifying and purifying mask 2 times a week
There Purifying Mascarilla de Quinque cleanses by removing impurities from the skin without drying it out thanks to its rich and creamy texture, which does not dry out the skin.
Therefore, it will not give you the stretched effect that causes your skin to generate more sebum, but rather restores its balance thanks to the charcoal that helps to eliminate excess sebum and clean blackheads.
It contains small particles with which once you remove the mask you can perform a light mechanical exfoliation to remove dead cells and leave your skin radiant.
3. Anti-pollution moisturizer
Oily and blemished skin must also be hydrated! Quinque's anti-pollution cream hydrates and protects your skin against urban and digital pollution, as well as repairing the skin barrier.
Its light texture penetrates quickly, prevents accelerated aging and repairs the harmful effects of environmental aggressions.
As a final thought, although acne is a guest that we do not want to receive and often makes us feel insecure and less physically valid. What makes us special goes far beyond a few temporary facial imperfections. Others do not see what we perceive in the mirror. And it doesn't matter what others think or see, our essence goes inside, and we are valid for what we do and not for how we look.
Don't allow society to mark how you should feel. Take care of yourself, take care of your skin and give yourself lots of love every day of your life.
Cheers,
Sandra