Diet and your skin

Change your diet. Change your skin.

You are what you eat.  It’s an age old cliche that is unfortunately, true.   Many professional Estheticians focus on the products you put ON your skin to combat your skin care concerns, especially acne.   While I fully agree that the products, you’re using are VERY important, there is another component to skin care treatment plans that should not be overlooked and that’s diet!

I hear it from new clients all the time.

  • “I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on products and nothing is working.”
  • “I’ve been to several acne specialists and none of them have been able to clear up my acne.”

Sound familiar?  If so, you’re in the right place, cause I’m not like every other Esthetician.  Skin care is a whole-body effort in my studio.  If you want to clear up your acne, we’re going to talk products BUT we’re also going to talk diet.  Let’s get into it.

It’s Not Just Junk Food You Need to Worry About

Your diet will play a role in how your skin responds to acne treatments.  With that in mind, it’s important to identify which foods are causing a problem, so we can eliminate them AND start to improve your skin.  You may already avoid foods known to cause issues like junk food, sugar and chocolate.  But here’s where it gets tricky. There are many foods that are otherwise “good for you” that can also contribute to skin issues.

For example, did you know oatmeal can be an issue for some people?  Oatmeal contains avenacosides which lowers levels of the Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG).  This can throw off your testosterone levels and cause acne. Any time your hormones are out of whack, you can experience skin issues.

Other “Good for You” Foods to Watch Out For

Not everyone has an issue with oatmeal.  When we work together, I will help you through the process of identifying which foods might be causing you problems.  Here’s a few other “good for you” foods that we’ll need to talk about:

  • Bananas
  • Pineapple
  • Dairy
  • Gluten
  • Juice
  • Berries
  • Cruciferous Vegetables
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Leafy Greens
  • Seeds
  • Nuts
  • Raw Sauerkraut
  • Lemons
  • Red Bell Peppers
  • Wild Pacific Salmon
  • Avocado

To learn more about why these foods might be an issue and what to substitute them for, ask about my eBook on Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed

This looks like a lot, I know.  Before you panic, understand I’m not telling you can’t eat all these things ever again.  I’m saying these are the foods we need to look at, determine how much you’re eating them and possibly try eliminating them to see if it improves your acne.  For most people, many of these aren’t an issue.  They may find they need to avoid dairy, or gluten and that does the trick.  Others find they’ve been quietly eating a banana every morning with breakfast thinking they are doing a good thing when they actually just need to switch to an apple because bananas are an issue for them.

What’s Next

We’ll work together to sort this out.  We’ll get a handle on your diet, while getting to work on your skin care routine and in-studio treatments.  But remember, if you want to be treated by Luxe, you have to be willing to commit to using our products AND to making the necessary changes I suggest.  In studio treatments will only go so far if you’re not doing what you need to do at home which may include changing your diet!