The Secrets to Perfect Skin

In my experience, your skin’s health is affected by 5 main factors, genetics, what you eat, sleep, exercise, and the environment.

Out of the 5 factors, Genetics is what determines how much each category affects you. Some people have genes that make sleep a minor factor while others have genes which make sleep a major factor, how much each factor affects you is determined by your genetics.

First of, in order to solve a problem, we must first identify its cause. According to Dermnet NZ (http://dermnetnz.org/acne/acne-causes.html), acne is caused when sebum and dead skin cells block skin pores which may cause comedomes to develop. When these comedomes rupture, bacteria and debris causes inflammation which leads to the pimple. Acne is more common during teenage years because of the higher level of hormones during those years. However, some people continue to develop acne as adults.

Image via Wikipedia

Genetics- As I have stated above, genetics is what determines how much each of the other category affects you. In my case, my genetics make sleep and food the two main factors of my skin’s health.

Food- I have noticed that whenever I eat greasy food, my face tends to get oily a couple of hours later. For example, I ate a very greasy hamburger at a restaurant whose name starts with Mc and ends with Donalds. A couple of hours later, I noticed my face, especially my forehead, getting very oily. The very next day, I had a pimple. I have also noticed that when I eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables, my face never gets oily and the acne I currently have, if any, starts fading away or disappears completely. According to The Acne Resource Center, “a lack of certain nutrients causes acne, and sometimes the presence of certain food items worsen acne.” Fruits and vegetables contain a great variety of nutrients that can help fight acne. Not only that, but fruits and vegetables contain a great deal of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in your cells which slows down your aging process. In other words, you’ll look younger then you actually are.

Sleep- As a young child, my parents always made me go to bed at 8:00pm so I could sleep for 11 hours and 30 minutes until 7:30am. I always complained about this, but when I learned that sleep helps your body heal faster and improve your immune system, I realized that my good skin was thanks to their strictness. According too the Department of Physiology (http://websciences.org/cftemplate/NAPS/archives/indiv.cfm?ID=20044648),the more sleep you receive, the faster your body recovers. Not only this, sleep reduces stress which increases your immune system which allows your body to fight off acne causing bacteria and decrease the spread of acne. Not only that, it also makes you less cranky in the morning as well.

Exercise- When you exercise, you relieve stress from your body which strengthens your immune system. With a stronger immune system and a healthier body, the bacteria which causes acne are less likely to survive and spread therefore the chances of you getting acne will decrease.

Environment- Your skin is one of the largest organs in your body and its main duty is to protect you from outside harm. It is basically your body’s first line of defense against germs. The environment you live in, how germy it is has an affect on your skin. Not only that, but ultra violet radiation has been shown to age your skin and cause wrinkles. The pollution in the air also affects your skin in a harmful way, and some people may have allergic reactions to certain gasses found in polluted air.

Since I was born until I was 16 years old, I never had acne on my face. When I hit 17 and started taking Advanced placement classes in high school, my sleep time decreased dramtically, which was when I started breaking out. When I started sleeping more and eating vegetables, my forehead started clearing up and the acne did not come back. I hope this helps you or someone you know in the quest to get rid of acne.