For the last year or so I have been dealing with the constant battle of "adult acne". Urgh! You would think that as a reward for getting through puberty you'd be able to throw away all of those 'spot treatments' and relish the moment of having clear, unblemished skin - clearly not! I was pretty lucky as a teenager, I only suffered from the occasional hormonal breakout, which only worried me due its tendency to cause scarring and pigmentation on my skin. I decided to go on Roaccutane, prescribed to me by a dermatologist who assured me that by eliminating the breakouts it would allow my skin to heal and the scarring would go away. As promised, it was a godsend. Whilst it did cause my skin to dry out, it was skin was flawless - but it didn't last forever.
It has now been about five years since I stopped the medication. The first two years was the "honeymoon" stage; I never had to worry about my skin; any breakout I had would be gone within 24 hours. However, it gradually got worse, the acne had come back with a vengeance! I tried all of the products on the market, some seemed to work for a while, but my skin would continue to break out. I decided to shift my focus on clearing my skin from the inside out. I was already eating healthy and drinking plenty of water, and had seen some herbal teas that promoted clearer skin, so I gave them a shot, and believe it or not, they actually WORK! I have been drinking 1 - 2 cups of tea a day, and have seen such a huge improvement in the appearance of my skin. (Note: I'm not a huge fan of the taste of herbal teas, so I add a squeeze of lemon juice to help make them more palatable.)
These are the herbal teas I swear by:
Traditional Medicinals Organic Spearmint
Spearmint tea has been shown to reduce excess levels of androgens, which are responsible for increased sebum production, inflammation and stimulating the growth of skin cells, which creates the perfect conditions for the skin to breakout. Spearmint helps to reduce the levels of free testosterone in the body, preventing a hormonal imbalance that is known to trigger acne breakouts. Buy here
Dr Stuart's Skin Purify
This tea contains red clover, nettle leaves and dandelion leaves, which offer skin cleansing, soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Dandelion leaves also support the liver function and digestion, which is essential for clear, blemish-free skin. It also contains chamomile, which helps to calm and soothe skin prone to inflammation. Buy here
Pure Tea Co. Pure Skin
This tea, created by Aussie naturopath Emma Jane, contains peppermint, spearmint, calendula, echinacea, burdock and nettle leaves. Whilst the burdock root helps to detoxify the body, the nettle, which contains zinc, selenium and vitamins B and K, helps to purify the blood and support skin health. Buy here
If you have your own secret weapons for conquering acne, let me know in the comments below!
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