12 Things to Keep in Mind If You’re Struggling With Bad Skin

From pollution, smoking and make-up mess to a bad diet and being dehydrated - here’s what to avoid for healthy skin.

Worried about your skin’s health? Struggling with acne? Here are some things to watch out for.

The Hormonal Connect

Acne has a close association with hormonal imbalance in the body, which could be triggered by irregular menstruation, PCOD syndrome, pregnancy, menopause, stress, severe fatigue. That is because higher levels of free circulating testosterone increase the sebum (oil) levels in the skin which lead to acne.

The Pill Box

Often some medicines like antibiotics, steroids or even an excessive dosage of Vitamin B can trigger acne. Steroids cause hormonal changes, and as the androgen hormones increase, so does the oil production which results in clogging of skin pores.

Cosmetics Mess

Excess use of cosmetics or their bad quality could lead to a slowdown in the skin’s cell-shedding capacity, build-up of bacteria in the skin’s pores or even irritation or extreme reactions, leading to acne. Chemicals like lanolin and petrolatum, are particularly known to cause acne.

Start picking up products labelled 'non-comedogenic' or ‘non-acnegenic' and be militant about your daily face (and cosmetics) cleaning routine. As simple as it sounds, washing your face twice helps you remove bacteria and prevent breakouts

Inflammation Impact

Acne prone people have higher levels of inflammation in their body as compared to those who aren’t prone to zits. So, eat an anti inflammatory diet high in antioxidants (read: more vegetables and fruits). Top zit-fighters include carrots, celery, apples and ginger.

The Food Devils

Watch out for caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates as these can activate the hormones that direct your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, thus more acne. Too much of these can also spike blood sugar levels and create inflammation, worsening conditions such as acne.

Drinking too much can also dry out your skin, causing that much-dreaded over-production of oil that creates zits. So, watch your alcohol intake.

Gut Affect

There is a direct connect between your gut’s health and the number of breakouts on your skin. In fact indigestion, constipation and other GI distresses often show up as acne. Increase your intake of fibre consciously.

Dehydration

Though dehydration doesn't directly cause breakouts, it can exacerbate your skincare woes. Give your body’s ability to flush out toxins (often a major reason for acne) a boost by drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily.

Weight Watch

Watching your weight is important for your skin’s health, among other things. It is now increasingly getting clear that the risk of developing acne increases in people with a higher BMI, or those who are overweight.

The Stress Factor

Stress can increase the oil production in your skin and promote inflammation. When we are stressed, our body secretes stress hormones that travel through the blood stream, causing high blood pressure, which ultimately affects the immune system and causes inflammation in the body. This inflammation shows up on the skin too, often as hives and acne. Meditation, Yoga and calming music all help relieve stress and can thus help avert breakouts.

Sleep Debt

One of the signs of sleep deprivation can be acne. Not getting enough sleep can mess with your body's ability to increase blood flow to the skin and create new collagen overnight. Plus, the less sleep you get, the more your body releases glucocorticoid - a steroid that can exacerbate breakouts. Get your beauty sleep religiously to keep acne away.

Smoking

Every time you smoke, you decrease the amount of oxygen that goes to your face. This leads to a breakdown of collagen and elastin which causes early wrinkles and increases the pore size of the skin. Smoking also dries out the skin, triggering more sebum (oil) production and thus more breakouts.

Pollution

Finally, regular exposure to air pollution, be it from vehicular exhausts during your travel time or passive cigarette smoke, can also have really nasty long-term effects on your skin’s health, and acne is often a symptom of this.

(The writer is a nutritionist, weight management consultant and health writer based in Delhi. She is the author of Don't Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico) and Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You (Rupa).)