How To Tackle Maskne From The Inside Out
Bazaar shares a few practical tips on how to avoid the dreaded mask-induced acne during the hotter months of the year
Face masks have become the latest necessity and accessory over the past few months, but while they’ve played an essential role in tackling the on-going coronavirus pandemic, many have started to suffer from ‘maskne’. These pesky breakouts often occur along the jawline, or anywhere where the mask makes contact with the face, trapping bacteria and dirt within our pores.
While preventing maskne can be a challenge, there are a few small changes you can make within your lifestyle to reduce your chances of breaking out. Bazaar shares some ways you can keep your complexion healthy and glowing all while wearing a mask.
It All Starts In The Gut…
A poor diet shows on your face before it shows anywhere else on your body; a healthy gut is key to keeping your skin glowing and flawless. So… what exactly can you do to maintain a happy, healthy tummy and beautiful, clear skin? Probiotics and prebiotics!
These live micro-organisms improve our gut flora, which in turn contributes to multiple bodily functions such as brain health, sleep and immune system, all of which assist with skin regeneration. Avoid probiotics that can be found in drinks – such as kombucha with flavoring – as many companies will add sugar.
Top probiotic foods:
1. Kimchi
2. Fermented coconut yogurt
3. Miso
4. Sourdough bread
Prebiotics are compounds found in foods that are beneficial for the microorganisms and good bacteria in our gut. We need both pre and probiotics to help maintain a healthy gut and we recommend incorporating both into your diet.
Top prebiotic foods:
1. Cauliflower
2. Artichoke
3. Oats
4. Bananas
Avoid Sugar
Cutting out refined sugar is a great way to maintain healthy skin, as sugar has a huge effect on our bodies with inflammation leading to skin break outs. Swap sugar in your cooking and baking with stevia, monk fruit sugar or coconut sugar, all of which can be found at your local Waitrose. Whilst cutting refined sugar as much as possible is important, we like to live, so leading an 80/20 lifestyle is the way to go: remember this is a lifestyle change, not a restrictive diet.
Check the Label
We are loving non-toxic beauty and skincare products and checking the label is a great way to start. Although the label can be riddled with chemicals that you may have never heard of, start by avoiding anything with alcohol as it is drying and harsh for the skin.
The Think Dirty website and app is a wonderful tool to help you to check your products’ toxicity before buying them. You’d be surprised with what you can find; often products that are labeled “acne prone” or “blemish fighting” are highly toxic and can actually dry out the skin further.
Many brands that are fragranced and colourful tend to have high toxicity levels which can be problematic for not only your skin, but also for your overall health. Checking the label is a huge step to ensuring that you’re careful about what goes into your skin!
Recommendations
Start slowly – there’s no need to throw out all your products immediately. Go through your makeup and toiletries, check if there’s anything that may be toxic, and replace with non-toxic alternatives once you’ve finished them.
Top 5 Non-Toxic brands:
1. Cocokind
2. Juice Beauty
3. Osea
4. Tatar Harper
5. Aesop
Top 5 Non-Toxic Facemasks:
1. Juice Beauty Enzyme Peel
2. Tatar Harper Clarifying mask
3. Aesop Blemish clearing
4. Natropathica Sweet Cherry Enzyme peel
Top 5 Non-Toxic Makeup Products:
1. Juice Beauty Tinted Moisturizer
2. Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation
3. Ilia Beauty Multi Stick
4. Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara
5. Honest Beauty Lip Crayon
Lead image courtesy of instagram/@riovn