Acne Torture

I'm not a teen anymore, so why am I still getting breakouts you ask? You're not alone, you have 50 million people in the U.S. who can empathize.  If you haven't suffered from acne, count your blessings, seriously. We've all wanted to hide our face when we get that North Star on our nose or chin that we swear everyone sees first before they see the rest of you...you know what I mean. I often ask myself, when is this going to stop! Shouldn't gravity taking over my entire body without an ounce of mercy be sufficient torture. Apparently not, adding insult to injury with cystic like acne that takes a week to go away, just in time for the next one...unless, we stay on top of it.  This week on our Instagram @nature21blvd and Facebook posts, we'll share with you which products we think work best to prevent or reduce your acne.

Have you visited your dermatologist and noted what the write-up or diagnosis says?  Mine said acne vulgaris, sounds...well vulgar, like I have a yeast infection on my face or something. If you're trying to resolve your acne, it's important to understand the underlying causes of acne, which are predominately 4 things:  

1) too many dead skin cells wanting to share the same hair follicle space

2) over production of sebum or oil, which is essentially food for bacteria

3) bacterial growth

4) our body's effort to heal itself causes an inflammatory response - your pimple

In my experience, hormones are the biggest trigger for my acne and I am extra vigilant around that time of the month. Other triggers can include stress, eating too much sugar, not drinking enough water, not enough sleep, touching my face a lot throughout the day, waiting too long to wash my face after I work out and when I don't control the oily T-Zone on my face.  While these are my triggers, your triggers may be different.  It's helpful to keep a journal of what you're eating and what's going on in your life when you breakout.  Armed with information, you'll be able to take some preventive measures. 

While Nature:21 Blvd is an advocate for finding natural products to address acne, we recognize that some people with severe acne need medical intervention.  There are excellent medications out there that treat the bacterial growth and when used consistently, it can be effective. Just do your homework on the potential side effects so you're not trading one issue for another.

I don't believe treating acne is an exact science, whether you're trying out different skincare products or prescriptions, it's a bit of trial and error because your skin is unique. Don't give up!