Our advice on how to reduce and heal blemished skin

Everyone experiences blemishes on their skin now and then. An occasional pimple, a little pigmentation, a sunspot, or maybe you have blackheads, whiteheads or long-term spots. Do you regularly have uneven skin and do you see your skin changing all the time? Maybe its time to take the bull by the horns and minimise or even tackle your blemished skin. Lets find a way to controle it! With the right skincare routine and some extra knowledge you can prevent and/ or minimise blemishes and have a more even-looking skin. 

How do you get blemished skin? 

Often we think that blemished skin and acne are symptoms we experience mostly during puberty but it is of all ages. For women the pregnancy period can be a turbulent time for their skin. Blemishes can appear on your face, neck, décolleté, chest and back. How do these imperfections arise? This can have different causes depending on the person. Often a combination of bacteria, excess oil and clogged pores are a start, this mixed with dead skin cells can clog your pores. The blockage of your pores allows bacteria to multiply, causing inflammation, redness, pimples, white- and or blackheads. 

A few other causes & factors that can cause blemished skin are: 

+ hormones: there they are again. We can't live without them but sometimes you would wish they control the body a little less ;). The male hormones, androgens, both present in male and female bodies are causing the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. The imbalance of hormones causes the blemishes, pimpels and acne to appear. That is why in hormonal periods like, pregnancy, puberty and menstruation your skin can be a little unstable. 

+ stress: can be a big influence on your skin. Your stress hormones testosteron and cortisol can cause increased sebum production. 

+ you are not cleansing correctly: what...?! Yes this is absolutely possible. When you wear makeup during the day, touch your face a lot, work in an industry with a lot of pollution or live in a city that is very polluted it is important to cleanse your skin correctly. At Nourished we have cleansers for every skin type and we can help you to cleanser your skin correctly. Read: Why you want to double cleanse your face. 

+ your skin doesn't love the makeup and/ or skincare products you are using. This can be a serious problem. Are you using foundation every single day? Have you checked the ingredients in your foundation, are you applying makeup with a clean makeup brush? Things to think about. When choosing skincare make sure you know what kind of skin you have, acne prone, oily, mature, dry, sensitive or normal and match this with the right ingredients and products for you. Are you not sure? We can help you. Sent us a DM on instagram or a message via webchat. 

What to do to tackle blemished skin  

We can help you with your skincare routine, here your read about the best products we can advice you for blemishes skin, acne and spots. To counteract the increased sebum production we advise to use light skincare products that are not too heavy for your skin and do not clog your pores. Do not use skincare with synthetic perfume or toxic ingredients. (p.s. you are at the right address at Nourished)

+ Products that promote the skin's natural exfoliation proces are a great choice for blemished skin. Ingredients to look for are salicylic acid, papaya enzymes and vitamine C. Other ingredients that would improve the look of your skin and reduce pigmentation and redness is retinol, also known as vitamin A. 

We listed a few products below that are a good start when looking into a new skincare routine. 

Eco Tan - Serum of Clear

Biologi - Bd Luminosity Face Serum 

Biologi - Bk Vitamin C Face & Eye Serum

Sans [ceuticals] - Activator 7 Oil 

100% Pure - Anti-Acne Sheet Mask 

Native Hibiscus - Active Enzyme Polish 

Sans [ceuticals] - Superdose Sleep Infusion Mask 

+ When experiencing oily skin or acne we naturally want to stay away from greasy products as mentioned above. Hydrating your skin is still important. To do this with confidence we have a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid without any oils. Another light weight moisturizer is the Moringa all Beauty Cream from Ere Perez, a loved product by many. 

+ Wear sunscreen to protect your skin and give sun-spots, pigmentation and blemishes no chance. A well formulated non-comedogenic sunscreen can help to protect blemish-prone skin from UV rays without clogging pores. 

+ Choose the right makeup for your skin. We have foundations with oat kernel extract to calm the skin, but also with SPF to protect your skin from the sun. Make sure that your makeup is non-comedogenic. 

+ Cleanse, cleanse, double cleanse! One of the causes of blemished skin is the built up of bacteria. Make sure you clean your skin correctly. THE cleanser you can't miss in your life is the Acne Skin Cleanse Bar. This cleanse bar is formulated with green clay to remove dirt & impurities from the skin's surface and to draw oil, grease and congestion from deep in the pores, without drying the skin. Added tea tree & rosemary are your first line defence soldiers, combating acne-causing bacteria from the skin's surface, whilst oat oil calms inflamed & irritated skin. 

Lifestyle advise for blemished skin?

There are also other things in life you can do to help your skin glow and radiate. 

- vitamin D is an antioxidant and is good for your immune system but it is possibly also good for your skin. Research suggest that vitamin D has a positive impact on acne prone skin. We advice to catch the natural sunlight on a daily basis AND in winter use a good vitamin D supplement to support your immunesystem and your skin. 

- drink lots of water, keep those cells filled an round. Think of a grape versus a raisin, when you drink enough water your cells look more plum. Water cleanses your body and flushes toxins away. It's a win win! 

- reduce stress, we all know this! Stress is causing ageing of our body. Everyone has seen that happen around them. People who experience a lot of stress or pressure age quicker/ have an older appearance. Stress is also a trigger for the production of sebum which is not ideal for any skin but definitely not for blemished skin. 

- check your gut! Your gut is very important when it comes to skin health. We have written a blog for you to explain you why. Have a look at this article: Want great skin, go with your gut. 

- hygiene is key! You can relate to this for a number of aspects: stop touching your face during the day. When you live your life you touch all kinds of things, clean & dirty. When you have blemished skin you do not want to touch your face and infect your skin even more. Use clean makeup brushes, ALWAYS. Clean them regularly but also make sure to store your makeup brushes in a clean makeup bag especially for your brushes. 

Change your pillowcase every week and preferably use a silk pillowcase. Discover the ones from Dore & Rose with silver technology. Silk pillowcase are great for blemished skin and the silver technology is anti-bacterial. 

- shower with lukewarm water, better for the planet and your skin. Try to not shower with water that is warmer than your body temperature. Showering with lukewarm water is said to stimulate blood flow in the body which is good for your skin. 

These tips should be a great start to tackle blemishes skin. Discover more tips and information about skincare in our skincare section in the Nourished journal. 

References: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31868550/