G OOD
Beauty
Acne Care BY SAARA LABIB
As someone who had acne, I would have tried anything to get rid of it. In my career as a makeup artist, I faced so much low self-esteem and resentment because my skin wasn’t flawless, and my kit was filled with of a range of full-coverage products. And although I knew how to brighten a teenager’s day by covering her acne on prom day, it was short-lived when she washed off her cover-up that evening.
I
wanted to do more, and began to look deeper into the root causes of acne—into skin, the body, and the holistic connection between them. I also switched from mainstream products to clean cosmetic and skin care lines and am now a passionate, holistic beautician who wants to share what I’ve learned.
A Deeper Skin Dive In our hair follicles are tiny sebaceous glands that secrete sebum, an oily substance that lubricates our skin and hair. When the follicles get plugged with oil and dead skin cells, they cause inflammation and bacteria growth, causing whiteheads, blackheads, or pimples to form. Acne is persistent and can cause scarring and emotional stress.
gut bacteria. But, I’ll talk about the three most common causes, along with their remedies. CAUSE #1: Hormone Imbalance Androgens (male sex hormones): Testosterone (the most well-known) and its by-product DHT (dihydrotesterone) play a big role in regulating oil levels in the skin of both men and women. When the balance is off, more sebum is produced in the sebaceous glands, which clogs the hair follicles and causes breakouts. Increases in the size of the sebaceous glands and oil production can also come from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder common among reproductive women), which I believe is related to excess insulin. Insulin resistance is the real cause.
Causes
Counteract Androgens Imbalance
Acne inflammation is an immune system response that can be triggered by a variety of things such as stress, poor sleep quality, infections, poor digestion, and overgrowth of
• Vitamin A (virgin cod liver oil) • Vitamin B5 • Zinc
SAARA LABIB is a freelance Holistic Makeup Artist and Beautician based in Kelowna, BC. She is a passionate and active advocate for clean beauty and does regular educational workshops where she helps her clients make a safe transition to clean and toxin-free beauty and cosmetic products. Saara believes everyone can and should give themselves self-love every day by simply using their clean and toxin-free products as a small part of that love and care giving.
27 | May/June 2021