If we’re getting technical, acne is caused by a buildup of dirt and oil beneath the skin. The pores of our skin are openings that allow lubricating oil to keep the skin soft and supple. The pore doorway, however, works both ways, so dirt can get under the skin just as easily as oil gets out. These two substances often work against each other and get trapped beneath the skin. Oil buildup mixed with dirt can cause irritation, and irritation often leads to infection. The real cause of acne, however, can often be linked to other factors like diet.
External Causes of Poor Skin
Poor skin quality is almost always just a symptom of a bigger problem. Your skin is an organ, just like the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver. The great thing about the skin, however, is that it is an organ that is visible every day. You can use your skin as an indicator to a deeper, underlying problem. Issues with skin cannot all be assigned to external factors, but most of the time a lifestyle choice is responsible for bad skin. Diet is the most common lifestyle choice that needs improvement in humans. We are surrounded by foods that are loaded with fillers, preservatives, genetically enhanced proteins, and empty carbohydrates like sugar. These foods have been scientifically proven to negatively affect the quality of human skin.
What’s Your Diet Like?
Diet is a huge factor in the overall health of your body. This is pretty self-evident. The foods that we eat represent one of the only sources of fuel that our body has to survive. If you are eating foods that don’t provide the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs to be efficient and productive, your body will react in a variety of ways. Signs of poor nutrition can include acne, dull and lifeless hair, brittle fingernails, headaches, dull or dim eyes, frequent illness, or constipation and other bowel problems. So many people have bad skin and pay no attention to the foods that they are eating. Foods that have a high fat content can cause oil buildup beneath the skin. When oil builds up in your pores, it can quickly become inflamed and infected. This infection is what’s lying beneath every pimple on your face.
Ten Foods You Should Be Eating
If you’ve struggled with bad skin your entire life and have never really paid attention to the foods that you’re eating, it may be time to give your diet a once-over. There are a few things that you should and shouldn’t be eating that can help to improve your overall health. When your overall health improves, the various aspects of your health will also improve. This translates to shinier, healthier skin and hair, less oil production to compensate for dry skin, and fewer red bumps and rashes. Here are ten foods that might help with excessive acne. Try eating these foods more frequently for a single month, and keep a journal that describes the quality of your skin and the foods you’ve eaten.
- Baby Spinach
- Broccoli
- Green Tea
- Oranges
- Pomegranate
- Salmon
- Tilapia
- Soy Beans
- Whole Grain Oatmeal
- Turkey or Chicken
These foods are considered “superfoods.” In other words, these foods have intense concentrations of helpful nutrients without all the added by-products that your body sometimes rejects. If you can concentrate on eating more of these foods and cutting fatty, sugary, carbohydrate-loaded foods from your diet, you will likely see a dramatic improvement in your skin in a few short weeks. Remember, everybody’s skin is different, so if you eat a food and your skin reacts badly, cut that food out of your diet. Keeping a food and skin journal will help you discover the link between your diet and the quality of your skin.
David Greenville is a writer for BestAcneTreatment.org, where you can find information on the best acne treatment, skin care, and more.



