Sensitive Skin? Maybe Not!

By the yearly sales of moisturizers in this country alone, you would never know that only 10% of the world's entire population actually has genetically dry skin. The rest of us with dryness issues all have **dehydrated** skin.  The problem is, the skincare industry often doesn't seem to understand this concept.  The result?  Genetically oily skin that's leaching water all day long gets lubricated with heavy, often pore-clogging, moisturizers instead of hydrated, and truly dry skin still doesn't get the replenishment of lipids, cholesterol or water that it loses all day long, either.  How does this relate to the possibility that your skin isn't actually sensitive?  If you have Adult Acne, or even just raw, irritated skin, it's actually not a safe assumption that breaking out from products means your skin is sensitive!

Scarf Attack! How Your Winter Breakouts Can Be Prevented

Do you have new jawline and neck breakouts that are bad enough to have you running to your doctor?  Don’t go making an appointment just yet… This winter is cold but the weather keeps fluctuating.  Sometimes it's humid with snow, sometimes bitter cold and dry. Nothing else bears the brunt of freezing cold like your skin. But you know what, while everyone is familiar with the drying and chapping effects of frigid winds, very few people take into account how the weather might affect adult acne.  What makes winter different, why would adult acne breakouts be any different than now?

The answer is friction.

Allergies and Adult Acne

What is the Allergy-Acne Connection?  If you have environmental allergies or even food sensitivities, they could provide clues to your persistent breakouts.  Sensitivity in one area can contribute to sensitivity in another area.

As part of my online skincare coaching service, Eval by Email^® Adult Acne Clearing Program, vital information about your skin’s history is gathered along with full names of all the products you use from head to toe. 

One section that may surprise you is dedicated to listing your allergies -- anything related to food, environment, cosmetics and even medication.  Why do I need such details about everything topical or ingested?  Is there a connection between allergies and acne breakouts?

What's The Connection Between Allergies And Acne?

If you have filled out my Eval by Email® Skincare Consultation Form, you may have noticed a section dedicated to listing your allergies -- anything related to food products, environmental allergens, metals, even medication. When it comes to tackling your skincare worries, it's better to be on the detailed side about everything you use topically or ingest. My new clients are often very surprised when I tell them about there possibly being a connection between acne breakouts and  allergies.

One client even submitted a Yelp review mentioning the difference in their skin after assessing their allergies and skincare product usage.

Melissa P. from Wisconsin:

I have been struggling with acne for a long time before I contacted Daniela. The damage was done (scars, red marks, self-confidence) and I figured there was no hope. I randomly found Daniela from a friend's FB post. I contacted Daniela and did her online survey. I noted the allergies I had along with the products I used.

Within 2 days, Daniela had assessed my problems over the internet to a T. Turns out I was allergic to everything in the facial products I had been using!!!! I tried Daniela's products she recommended over the last few months and doing everything she said.   

Here's where the story gets really good.....
My skin is gorgeous!!!! 50% (MAYBE MORE) of the red marks and scars are gone! My confidance has been restored. My friends and family compliment my skin vs. look at me with a pained look. 

Consider the following:

Allergen => Sensitivity => Inflammation => Immune Response

Are "All-Natural" Skincare Products Worth The Hype?

There is a very pervasive perception out there in Skincareland that "natural" is better because any products with chemical ingredients surely must be dangerous or unhealthy.  See a long sounding name on a label and all sorts of red flags go up.

The thinking goes like... If it goes into a car, it can't go on the face. If it has a bunch of long names you can't pronounce, put it back on the shelf. It's usually the ingredients that are derived from petroleum that cause the most trepidation. But petroleum does come from the ground. ...Is that not natural? Silicone also comes from the ground.  As does heroin...

There is a question in the minds of many as to what happens after something has penetrated the skin: Do these ingredients go anywhere else in the body? Do harmful chemicals enter the blood stream? 

Here's a really important fact that should give you pause:

Many medications that are used topically.  What many don't know is that the labs and drug companies that manufacture them have spent millions and millions of dollars figuring out how to get these drugs into the skin! How much more difficult must it be to get these into the blood stream from there??  As a colleague of mine said exasperatedly, "The skincare industry is not out to get everybody!!" 

In my opinion, there is more to worry about with bacterial or fungal laden kitchen ingredients in DIY home remedies than there is about whether or not you can pronounce everything on an ingredient list.

Diet & Acne: Is There a Connection?

"Does it really matter what I eat, and are there foods that can cause 

(or even cure) acne?"

I get asked this question ALL the time. The truth is, some foods will aggravate an already existing acne problem, but no foods will actually cause the issue from scratch. 

It's true that some foods are scientifically proven to be acne triggers, but other foods leave an impression of cause and effect when it's really timing that's at play. 

Is it really chocolate that's causing breakouts or is it the onset of a menstrual cycle causing an increase in the eating of chocolate??

Or....! 

Is it that the food contains a component that has been scientifically proven to provoke acne (rather than the entire food itself)??

Makeup Breakout Prevention Cheat Sheet

There is so much information out there for people who suffer from Adult Acne and general skin sensitivities and while you can have the best skincare product routine to clear up your breakouts, your makeup products can be causing more frustration than necessary! The underlying cause of most of my clients' breakout troubles actually comes from pore clogging ingredients in their makeup rather than from any junk foods in their diet or not washing their faces "enough."

Use this post as a handy reference the next time you go out shopping for makeup! :)

What to look for: