It may surprise you to find that some of the foods you are eating are both preventing you from and helping to cure your acne. To know exactly which ones, it will be helpful to know what causes acne.
Generally speaking, Acne Vulgaris, or acne for short, is caused by a buildup of sebum underneath the skin. Simply put, Sebum is oil. This oil collects on your skin and clogs your face and thus causing acne. It can be mild enough to cause a few pimples and severe enough to develop cysts. Knowing this, you can figure out what foods to eat to get rid of acne – foods that reduce the oil on your skin.
There are lots of different foods, but here are a few to get you started.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A has anti-oxidant properties as well as helps to regulate the immune system. The better your immune system works, the better it will fight the bacteria and reduce the inflammation on your skin. You can find vitamin A in foods like fish liver oils, any liver from animals, broccoli, carrots, pumpkin and others.
Fiber
Your body needs to clean itself out effectively if it wants to be rid of the toxins inside of it. Eating foods rich in fiber are going to help this process along. Having a healthy colon means that most, if not all toxins that could stay in your body and do damage are cleaned out before they get the chance. You can find fiber easily in foods such as whole wheal products.
Sea Food
Sea food is rich in selenium and zinc. Selenium, in combination with Vitamin E, can aid the expulsion of free radicals from your skin. These free radicals can damage your skin, so anything that is considered an anti-oxidant (selenium) will prevent that damage. Zinc helps to regulate the hormones, including your sebum gland, if it is at optimum levels in your skin. Eating a diet rich in sea food will ensure that you get the required amount of zinc.
Anti-Oxidants
Speaking of anti-oxidants, it would be helpful for you to know a list of foods that are rich in anti-oxidants so you can fight acne as best you can. As well as damaging your skin’s surface, free radicals can cause you to age faster, damage collagen and lose elasticity in your skin. Anti-oxidants will help you get rid of those free radicals in your body.
There are so many anti-oxidant rich foods out there that you could do a few days worth of research to find them all out. Generally speaking, fruit has wonderful amounts of anti-oxidants. So eat as much as you possibly can. Omega-3 fatty acids are another source of anti-oxidants, commonly found in flax seed oil, walnuts and soybean oil among others.
Summary
By simply changing a little of your diet, you can maximize your fight against acne. While you are eating the proper foods that help to cure and prevent acne, you also need to be sure that you are cutting back on the foods that give acne more ammunition to spread. Acne is created through the overproduction of oil, so that should be the best clue to choosing what not to eat. You’ll have a clear smooth face in no time.
