Dear Helga
I am 30 years old and when I was a teenager I had very bad skin that then improved with age. Since I came to Dubai I have been facing the same problems as when I was a teenager, my skin is covered with pimples that seem to pump out without a reason. I don’t eat too unhealthy, I would say that my diet is pretty balanced. Pls can you help me with this problem?
Best regards Anna
Dear Anna
Thank you for your email. Even though I am not a dermatologist and therefore the skin is not my specialty I have been able to help many of my clients that have skin problems. Pimples or rushes on the skin can be caused by excess accumulation of toxins in your body and it can be caused by allergy. One way for the body to clear out those toxins is through your skin. There are many reasons why you could be taking in more toxins today than your body is capable of eliminating, one being your diet or excess pollution in the environment you live in. Allergy towards certain food or beauty products can also be the reason for your skin problems. And so can hormonal or emotional imbalances.
Below are suggestions on how you can improve your condition. If you don’t see any difference in 2 weeks I suggest you see a dermatologist.
- Detoxify your body and base your diet on fresh food, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and good sources of protein like fish, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds.
- Have a vegetable juice in the morning on an empty stomach. I found that the juice in the morning makes a huge difference to the skin. It gives the skin a glow, makes it soft and helps clearing out toxins. Beside detoxifying the body, the juice will provide you with energy and nutrients that can only add to your health. My favorite recipe is:
1 carrot
1 small cucumber
1/3 broccoli
1 small beetroot
½ lemon
1-2 cm of ginger root fresh
2 celery sticks
To give the juice an additional sweet taste you can add 1 green apple to the recipe. The juice you get from the vegetables will fill a big 300ml glass. There is no need to add water or anything else into the juice. By drinking the juice on an empty stomach you assure the maximum absorption of nutrients. If you have a sensitive stomach and you feel nauseous after drinking it, I suggest you have it as a snack in the afternoon between your lunch and dinner.
- Drink plenty of water as water is the mean of clearing toxins out of your body. Water also assists in transporting nutrients and is the second most important factor behind optimum health, oxygen being the number one factor.
- Avoid processed food and food stripped of its nutrients containing preservatives, additives and trans fats. When you go shopping look at the label and avoid the products that have any of the E’s, on its list like E951 or E123. Names you don’t recognize are also often preservatives in disguise. Often the longer the ingredients list the worse the product.
- Avoid food that contains hormones like meat, poultry and milk products. You can buy organic meat and chicken which are a much better options. I recommend that you avoid milk-products and red meat completely until your skin has cleared up, after that you should limit your consumption of those products.
- Avoid all refined products like white bread, biscuits and cereals. There are plenty of whole grain sources you can choose from. Spelt bread, sourdough bread, rye, buckwheat, oats and millet are few examples.
- Include healthy fats in your diet. Olive oil, Omega 3 oil (like linseed oil) and coconut oil are all good sources of healthy fat. Nuts, seeds, avocado and fish high in fat are also good sources of fat. Use olive oil as a dressing on your salad and consume 1-2 Tbsp of flaxseed oil as well every day. You might have been told to stay away from fat but the unsaturated fat has the opposite effect of the saturated fat and is essential for the skin and your health.
- Detoxification of the body is essential for optimum results and for that special supplements can be of great help. Jean Penny from DHTC recommends Liv52 Cool blue and Polari tea to aid with the detoxification of the body. He also recommends good antioxidants with alkalizing properties like Microhydrin. Once detox is completed he recommends vitamin and chelated mineral supplements like Vitamineral and DIM 150 to regulate hormones, a product called Clear skin and fatty acids.
- Spend some time outside every day away from pollution. The best place here in Dubai is the beach or any of the parks that have plenty of trees and grass. There is energy in the nature that you need for your health and wellbeing. Human beings are made to spend some time outside in the nature and in the fresh air. Depriving your body from that can have serious health consequences.
- Avoid using skin product that contain ButylParaben. Butylparaben, also called butyl paraben, butyl parahydroxybenzoate or butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, is a chemical compound that is used as an antifungal preservative in various cosmetic products. There is much debate surrounding the wide use of parabens. They are considered safe because of a long history of supposedly-safe use, but their safety is recently questioned. Studies conducted in the early 2000s located traces of parabens in breast tumors. Some scientists claim that parabens in deodorants and body sprays could be responsible for enhancing cancerous cells.
- Finally become aware of your emotions. Stress, depression, anxiety and other negative emotions have all great impact on your skin. I am sure that you have noticed that when you become stressed or anxious your skin reacts to it as well as your whole body. When you experience an emotion chemicals are released into the body. Some of those chemicals especially coming from negative emotions greatly impact your general health and well being and thereby your skin as well.
Helga Marin