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Skin care can be a pain in the butt. Many understand it to be topical for the most part and there are countless products claiming to remedy your skin problems. They are partially correct. Effective skin care includes care inside your body too.
Have you ever faced a skin care issue then an advertisement or product catches your eye? Were claims made to address your skin care issue but came up short? External skin care is needed and it's definitely an art but there’s more. Additional factors include diet, protecting against the weather elements, managing stress, regulating sleep patterns, and fitness.
In my blog about sensitive skin (Understanding Sensitive Skin), different symptoms may occur from different causes. Some may be genetic and some may be from your diet and habits. Take sugar for instance. Dessert is a common and delicious tradition for post-dinner, especially in a social setting. Sugar can cause an increase in oily skin which in turn can cause sensitivity in different forms. Sugar may also be hidden in foods that are subtle like breads and packaged foods. This trickle effect creates outcomes which varies from person to person. The same trickle effect applies to saturated fats, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, unnatural ingredients, alcohol, and so on.
It's quite possible when your body has an imbalance of required nutrients or minerals, or is overpowered with foreign influences, your skin is often one of the first areas to show a symptom. Consult with a dermatologist or family practitioner if this occurs and advice is needed. When you are able to pin down a sensitivity or a much needed vitamin or mineral deficit, examine your diet and habits. You may discover the source of your problem is manageable.
Remember, to handle skin care effectively, you must care for your skin externally as well. It's a multi-faceted approach and this is the challenge. It takes awareness, discipline, and focus. We are human and discipline can be an unnatural behaviour but with the help of motivation, knowledge, and the right tools, you can build momentum and healthy habits. It's never too late to start.
Let’s start there and start building better habits. It took years, perhaps decades, to build the habits you have today so it will take time to build new habits. This is only possible if you are the one to start and continue it. Where do you start? A couple suggestions that really helped me were 1) I needed to be honest with myself if I wanted this change and 2) consulted with a nutritionist.
I really needed to want this. It is a lifestyle change and will require battling old habits I built over the years. A certain level of mental preparedness is required to handle the many obstacles that will land in your path. When an obstacle interrupted my progress, I couldn’t quit. Instead get back up and start again. Be prepared to embrace the failure, learn from it, incorporate ways to reduce the obstacle from happening again. This is life right? Build new habits.
We humans are naturally creatures
of habit. Once we get comfortable, habits are easy to adopt and become automated to a certain degree. Try raising your awareness of your habits and understand yourself better. Two starting points were proposed but find your own way. Try anything to gain a little progress or momentum. What works for one doesn’t always work for another but always strive to be the best version of yourself. This is only the beginning to your healthy inside, beautiful outside habits.