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Diagnosing Your Breakouts

Though we may think of hot and humid months as breakout season, winter can bring along acne issues of its own.

Dry skin, stress, irregular diet, and lack of exercise all contribute to breakouts.  And while it is important to take a look at how you are treating your skin from the outside, what’s going on on the inside plays a big role too.

Inflammation is the main cause of acne and breakouts.  Whether from the wrong skin care products, an unhealthy diet or stress, getting to the source of inflammation will help you to properly curtail further zits.

Sugar, dairy and gluten can cause inflammation.  Cutting back on foods that contain these may help to reduce breakouts.   Reducing this inflammation will also help to ward off fine lines and keep skin plumped.

Taking an Eastern approach to dealing with acne may also be beneficial.  How bodily organs correspond to areas of the face can help to pin point imbalances.  Check out this diagram from Beautylish to zone in on your trouble zones.

We all overindulge a little or a lot during holiday season.  Whether your weakness is sweets, fatty foods or holiday cocktails, these all create toxins in the body which can result in spots on the skin.  Try this detoxifying drink each morning for a week to rid your body of toxins and excess water weight:  1 cup ginger tea with 2 tablespoons of cranberry juice and a squeeze of lemon juice.

And don’t forget to get moving.  Even if it is just a walk around the block or 1/2 an hour spent with your kids on that new Wii game, everything counts. Getting sweaty increases blood flow and rids the body of toxins. 

Along with catching enough zzzzz’s and getting back into a regular (hopefully less stressful) routine, these tips should balance your system and your skin.  Here’s to a clearer outlook.

[Girl with mirror image via Shutterstock]

Written by Liz Thompson

I am an organic beauty expert, writer, and mom of two young environmentalists who can already spot a toxic product when they see one. Read more about me at Organic Beauty Source.com, and find me on , Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

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