Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions
Clear skin and aging beautifully conversations, trainings and challenges by Dr. Stacey Shillington ND.
Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions
Summer Skin Solutions for Acne-Free Radiance
How can you enjoy the summer sun without fretting about acne flare-ups? Discover our expert strategies for maintaining radiant, clear skin during the hottest months of the year. I'm Dr. Stacey Shillington ND, and in this episode of Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions, we tackle the unique skincare challenges that come with summer. We dive into how heat, humidity, and sweating can lead to increased acne problems, including the often frustrating fungal acne. Learn how to counteract these issues with practical techniques like cooling your skin with ice water, using cool washcloths, and keeping your internal environment balanced.
Summer skincare doesn't have to be a battle! Join us as we share essential tips for protecting your skin's moisture barrier without over-exfoliating or over-cleansing. For those struggling with fungal acne, find out why incorporating mandelic acid into your routine can be a game-changer. We also discuss the benefits of lighter skincare products, clay masks, and antioxidants from dark berries, tomatoes, and green tea to fight lipid peroxidation. Plus, get the lowdown on why mineral-based sunscreens are a must and practical advice for managing sweat with hydrochlorous acid sprays. Tune in for a comprehensive guide to keeping your skin clear and healthy all summer long!
Check out my new FREE Training: Clear Skin Mastery, where I share the different types of acne and how to treat each one. Click here to watch it now.
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Welcome to Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions, where we heal your acne from the inside out. Hello, beauties, and welcome to the Naturopathic Beauty Clear Skin Sessions. This podcast is all about helping you expedite your clear skin journey. I'm Dr Stacey Shillington. I'm a naturopathic doctor. For the last 18 years, I've been helping women heal their chronic acne by balancing their bodies from the inside out. We have to look at what's going on within our body in order to fully, completely and finally heal your acne. It's impossible to heal your acne just by addressing it topically or by using medications that are only a band-aid solution. We've got to go within, and that's what this podcast is about. I'm sharing my wisdom, I'm sharing my experience and I'm helping you understand how you can really heal your acne for good.
Speaker 1:So this particular podcast is about summer skincare. So I know in the summertime acne can get worse and there's reasons why that happens, and I'm going to share those reasons with you and I I'm going to share those reasons with you and I'm also going to share some really simple solutions to help counteract the effect of summer on your skin. So let's get started. I understand what can happen to your skin in the summer and there's a couple of reasons why acne can flare. So I'm going to go through them one by one and then I'm going to give you some solutions to these problems so that you can just sail through summer feeling wonderful, looking wonderful, and if you're combining these tips and tricks along with some inner healing, your skin is going to do so well this summer. So let's talk about why summer acne flares. So probably the number one reason is heat. When we're exposed to high temperatures, our skin actually can increase in temperature, and when this happens, this is going to increase sweating and it's also going to increase oil production and, as we know, increased sebum production is one of the main causes of acne on the skin. So that's one of the things that's actually happening at the skin level that can lead to more acne, more oil production, and along with this increased oil production comes more sweating. Heat is going to induce sweating as well, and we're going to talk a little bit more about sweating later on in the podcast.
Speaker 1:The other thing that can really exacerbate acne is humidity, especially when it's combined with heat. Heat and humidity can really exacerbate a condition called fungal acne. Now, fungal acne is a little bit different than regular acne. It tends to look more like texture on the skin. So, like many, many little flesh colored bumps all over the skin, this tends to be fungal acne. Little flesh colored bumps all over the skin this tends to be fungal acne. It is caused by a microbiome imbalance on the skin and in the gut and often it can be connected to candida infections within.
Speaker 1:And then of course, there's sweat, and I mentioned that earlier. But when we sweat more in the summer and we do sweat, sweat can be very beneficial for acne because it can be very cleansing to the pore. But if sweat is left on the skin, it can really increase irritation and it can also increase the formation of acne. And the other thing that can really exacerbate acne in the summer is lipid peroxidation. So, as you know, with acne patients we tend to have a lot more oil on the skin and when this oil is subjected to UV light and the environment, oxidation can occur. And when oxidation of the oils on our skin occurs, it can produce a comedogenic called squalene peroxidase. It can also lead to inflammation and this leads to increased cutobacterium acnes, which is the bacteria that causes acne. So we really have to pay attention to lipid peroxidation as a potential cause of increased acne in the summer and take some actions to counteract it. So these four things increased heat, increased humidity, increased sweating and increased lipid peroxidation these are all the reasons why summertime acne can be so much more prevalent. Then, of course, there's other situational factors, such as traveling, being outside your comfort zone, having your schedules messed up a little bit, eating foods that you wouldn't normally eat. These are also components that can increase acne in the summer. But I want to focus on the real environmental issues that we experience that we don't necessarily have a lot of control over.
Speaker 1:Okay, so how do we manage acne in the summer? So, because heat is one of the primary things that leads to increased oil production and increased sweating, it makes so much sense to really take some action to keep the skin cool. When we keep the skin cool, this prevents excess sebum production and fungal acne formation. So there's a few tips and tricks that I'm going to share with you to keep your skin cool in the summer. Number one when you feel as though you're really overheated, dunk your face in a bowl of ice water, and not only does this cool the skin almost immediately, it reduces inflammation, it reduces oil production, but it also helps you transition into your parasympathetic nervous system, which means it's very relaxing. It relaxes the body. So whenever the summer is just getting to you, the heat is irritating you, putting your face in a bowl of ice water for even 10 to 30 seconds is going to make a difference, and you can do this a few times during the day if you're really living through a very hot day.
Speaker 1:The other thing that you can do is you can place a cool washcloth on the back of your neck. So this is a very key area to help regulate your body temperature. The back of the neck. There's key receptors there. It's also the space of a very important acupuncture point on the governing vessel, and by putting a cloth on the back of your neck a cool cloth this is just going to bring the temperature of your face down and you're going to be able to feel it after a few minutes. If you're really hot, you may have to change the cloth a few times, but give this a try. It actually does work.
Speaker 1:Another thing that you can do is place some aloe vera gel in the fridge and when you're feeling really overwhelmed and really hot, put the aloe vera gel over your face as a mask and take some cold spoons that have also been in the refrigerator and just massage your face with the cold spoons, with the aloe vera mask on. This is incredibly soothing for the skin. It's also incredibly cooling. Now, be careful with aloe vera formulations. Some of them have a lot of different preservatives in them. I love badger aloe vera gel and I also love the aloe vera gel that's sold by rose Mountain Herbs. It's very pure. Those are my two favorite aloe vera gels. The other thing you can do is have a hydrosol spray on hand. Lavender tends to be really cooling. You can even keep the hydrosol spray in your refrigerator. Spray it as needed. And also eating cooling foods also really helps keep your temperature stabilized as much as possible Foods such as cucumber, foods such as watermelon.
Speaker 1:So having some of these strategies on hand throughout the summer, especially if you're going through a really hot period, is going to help you keep your acne under control Because, like I said, when we have really hot periods, the skin gets warm. That increases oil production and it can increase acne. All right. So the other thing that we want to do is we really want to protect the skin's moisture barrier, and this is because during the summer it's very hot and if the moisture barrier is not intact, we are going to lose a lot of moisture from our skin. That is going to cause dryness and when the skin is very dry, it's going to produce more oil in response to it.
Speaker 1:So do not over exfoliate. As always, you want to pay attention to how your skin is responding to certain treatments. So if you're exfoliating every single day and you are noticing that your skin is dry and oily it's back and forth. It's not comfortable. You may need to adjust the amount that you use your exfoliating products. Now in the summer, it is important to do some exfoliation, especially if you're prone to fungal acne. If you're prone to fungal acne, using some mandelic acid on your skin once or twice a week is really going to help. If your skin is really robust, you may be able to handle it even more.
Speaker 1:Do not over cleanse. Again, you're going to be feeling greasy in the summer. You could be feeling oily in the summer. You could be feeling oily in the summer. And some people they just tend to cleanse their skin more and more in response to this. That is not the right move because that can potentially damage and aggravate your moisture barrier. So cleanse maximum two times per day, and if you can get away with it just once at night is great and in the morning you can simply spray a it just once at night is great, and in the morning you can simply spray a hydrosol and use a cotton pad to just lightly cleanse the skin, and you may want to switch to a lighter serum, especially if you're using your sunscreen as a moisturizer. We want to use lighter products in the summer and if you're part of my program, you can take a look at the skincare guides that we've put together for you, and there's more. We have heavier moisturizers. We've also identified lighter moisturizers to help you select the skincare that's really going to work for you.
Speaker 1:In the summer of the heat, you may want to try a clay mask once a week. So the clay masks are really good because they tend to absorb the oil, they mop up excess oil and, when you use them regularly, they help to keep your pores relatively clear. If you have very oily skin, you may want to try a green clay mask, and if you have more sensitive skin, you can try a white clay mask. The other thing that we want to consider is antioxidants, so this is what we use to combat lipid peroxidation in the summer. So in the summer we are exposed to more UV radiation, we're usually out in the environment more, and this is when lipid peroxidation can really happen, and that's when the oils that are on your skin are oxidized and they form a compound called squalene peroxidase, and this can be comedogenic, meaning it can lead to acne. So a couple of things that we can do to counteract this.
Speaker 1:Number one consume foods that are really high in antioxidants, such as dark berries Blueberries are my favorite, blackberries are great. Tomatoes are also really important because tomatoes contain a compound called lycopene, and lycopene has been shown in studies to help mitigate UV damage on the face, so that's a really nice thing to eat. You can also drink matcha green tea. That's a really great antioxidant. If you don't experience anxiety, if caffeine does not affect you, you can also add matcha green tea powder to your clay masks. That's a really great way to apply antioxidants topically. You can also use a green tea hydrosol to keep the skin cool, and basically what this is is just making a very strong green tea. Usually, I recommend four tea bags to one cup of water. Allow it to steep for 10 to 15 minutes and then you can bottle it in a spray bottle and use it on your face as you go through your day. There has been a lot of research on green tea used topically and it can really reduce the amount of blemishes that you experience, so that's a really great tip. Just having a cool green tea hydrosol on hand can help cool your face and provide your skin with those antioxidants. So sunscreen Sunscreen is important, and I talk a little bit more about the sun and how much we should be exposed to the sun in a previous podcast episode, my episode all about light.
Speaker 1:Check that out for more information, because I do a deeper dive on how we need to expose ourselves to the sun and usually when I need to expose my skin to the sun to get enough natural vitamin D production, I will expose my body parts to the sun. I always wear sunscreen on my face because I do not want UV damage on my face, so I suggest you always use a mineral-based sunscreen. It protects against lipid peroxidation and UV damage. There's a lot of great mineral-based sunscreens out there. We go through a few of them in my program. We have a list of all our favorite sunscreens my favorite one that I want to share with you today is Clear Stem, ur Sunshine. I'm going to link that in my show notes because I can't stop using it and I actually use it as a moisturizer slash, sunscreen slash primer on my face in the summer and I really enjoy it. So if you haven't tried that one yet, I really highly suggest it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's talk a little bit about sweating. So when you sweat, two things happen. Number one sweat is released through the pores of the skin, and the pores are also where acne is formed. So if we're sweating on a regular basis, this can be a very cleansing action for the pores. However, when you sweat and sweat remains on the skin, this can be very irritating to the skin and this can actually make acne worse. So when you're out and about, if you're sweating and you don't have access to a shower to wash that sweat off right away because we don't always do that, we are busy in the summer. We have things to do other than attend to our skin Use a spray that contains hydrochlorous acid and one of my very favorite one is the active skin repair, and hydrochlorous acid is a really strong antimicrobial, yet it's very gentle on the skin.
Speaker 1:It helps the skin to heal. So just simply spraying that as you go through your day whenever you notice you're sweating, is going to help prevent breakouts that are caused by sweating. Okay, so hopefully those tips have helped. If you can implement those tips during the summer, your skin is going to not have that summer flair. Probably the most important thing I've mentioned is to keep your skin cool. If you can keep your skin cool, you are going to prevent that excess sebum production. And the other thing is to use a hydrochloric spray when you're sweating to help mitigate the effects of sweat irritating your skin and causing more acne.
Speaker 1:So if you want more information on how to heal your acne, check out my Clear Skin Group program. The link is in the show notes. And if you want to know more about my four pillars of clear skin and the strategy that I've used to help heal acne for years, check out my free clear skin masterclass. Again, the link is in the show notes. So thank you so much for listening to this podcast If you've enjoyed it. If some of this information has been helpful, please leave a review. This is how we get this information out to women all around the world that are suffering with acne. So many women are suffering with acne. They don't know how to heal it, they don't know that there is a solution. So please leave your comments, please leave a review and thank you so much. Have a beautiful week and I'll see you in the next podcast.