Beauty Tips For Body Care
This post is aimed at:People >30 years old who still have persistent acne and aging skin.Black people and white Southerners. Many of us have a first-degree relative with diabetes.People with fungal acne.Those for whom Accutane didn't work.I don't see this discussed a lot, so here we go. Diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism and/or insulin resistance often shows up in skin a decade before official diagnosis. I am going to gloss over the science a bit, but with these keywords, you can web search all day.One reason people see differences in their skin clarity when they eat low carb, go vegan, or cut dairy is because they reduced their insulin levels.If you are eating low carb and still deal with acne, consider a trial of cutting dairy because it is insulinogenic. Take a picture on the day you start and compare after one week. It doesn't take long to see an improvement if impaired glucose metabolism is the cause. If you are young, you can likely correct the underlying issue with diet, exercise, and a solid skincare routine.If you are older, have persistent acne, and/or fit the criteria listed above, consider diet, exercise, solid skincare, and a few of these things:Let's get the controversial one out of the way first. A low-dose of metformin. Ask your GP to check your fasting glucose, A1c, and fasting insulin. If your fasting glucose is over 90 mg/dl, your A1c is over 5.6%, or insulin is high normal, ask your doctor if they would be willing to start you on a 3-month trial. These levels are still in the normal range, but they may indicate you are headed for diabetes. Again, diabetes symptoms start a decade before diagnosis. Your doctor may want you to try dieting first and that's fine. If you don't see improvement after 3 months, re-request a trial. Metformin may cause gastrointestinal upset at first, so ask for the extended release version and stick with it through the first few weeks.Excess glucose results in advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Collagen glycation happens in everyone to an extent, but it can be ramped up in people with impaired glucose metabolism. AGEs are inflammatory mediators, so your skin becomes stiff and sensitive. Ever had a scar pop up out of nowhere? You need to baby your skin. I know it sounds crazy, but fixing the underlying issue will yield better results than anything else. Opt for gentle products and avoid physical exfoliation. That means not even rubbing with a washcloth, just blot gently.Here's the messed up thing, AGEs also make your cells and sebum stickier than normal, so your skin doesn't exfoliate like it should. If you tried Stridex, BHAs, Clarisonic, etc. and your skin ended up a shiny, red, overexfoliated mess, this may be why. If you choose a chemical exfoliant, it needs to be extremely gentle and used no more than once per week.Guess what loves to feed on all that yummy sugar and sticky lipids? Fungus! There has been much written about fungal acne, so I won't rehash it. Just know that diabetes makes you more prone to fungal infections and fungus even feeds on ketones, so you will have to remain vigilant. Consider your skin when deciding whether to have a cheat day. If given fuel, fungus grows fast and out of control.SPF is probably the most important thing you can do for existing hyperpigmentation (black don't crack, but it does scar). Impaired glucose and AGEs make your skin prone to inflammation; inflammation leads to scarring. Being in the sun is damaging to your skin, but the damage is more obvious when your skin is already inflamed and doesn't turnover normally. If you have acne and wrinkles, this is doubly true.If you are prone to hyperpigmentation, also look at the folds of your skin. If you notice that the skin on your elbows, neck, under arms, knees, inner thighs, butt, ankles, and under-boob are also darker and thicker than the rest of you, then you need to be a bit more serious. This is Ancanthosis nigricans and is usually associated with insulin resistance. Unfortunately, once it develops, it becomes independent of insulin level and may not fully resolve even with treatment. Body skin takes longer to resolve, take pictures and review for slight improvements in a month. If it doesn't fully resolve, you can try retin-a and hydroquinone.Enough gloom and doom. The upside of this is, if you get this under control, you will start to look younger. People report their fine lines and wrinkles going away with their acne. Your skin will also be softer and less brittle because of fewer AGEs, normal exfoliation, and easier sebum flow.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by treesofgreenredroses
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