With Halloween right around the corner and the holidays following right after, it’s hard not to think of all the sugary delicacies readily available to us. But the truth behind clear, glowing skin is not so sweet.
What sugar does to your skin.
If you’re struggling with acne, dark circles, dull skin tone and uneven texture, sugar may be the culprit. Our body’s response to sugar causes inflammation across your body, including skin. It also feeds bad bacteria, spikes your insulin overall wreaks havoc on your body.
When your blood sugar levels spike, your body goes to fight inflammation and damages elastin and collagen in the process. This results in skin concerns like fine lines, breakouts, wrinkles, flakiness and other visible signs of aging.
Sugar addiction is real.
Sugar has the same level of addictiveness as cocaine because it signals the same parts of the brain that then release feel-good hormones. It’s easy to get addicted to sugar and a tad more difficult to keep away from it.
How to repair a ‘sugar face’ quickly.
While we believe in a well-balanced lifestyle, the quickest way to repair the appearance of a ‘sugar face’ is to keep away from sugar completely for 72 hours. That includes both processed and natural sugars such as those found in fruit. Within 72-96 hours, you may see better skin tone, less oily skin and even a lightening of dark circles.
After the initial 72 hours, re-introduce natural sugars found in fruit and vegetables, while keeping refined sugars out of your diet for 14 days. Refined sugars are found in packaged foods, bakery items and even some frozen fruit! Be sure to read the labels.
Start slow and continue to monitor your skin and how it reacts to the addition of sugar.
Replacement options.
To make the process easier, consider replacements for some of your favorite sugary snacks. Seeds and nuts, Greek yogurt, whole grain bread (some bread has a lot of hidden sugar – read the labels!), and dark chocolate are some replacements you can consider.
You can also try sugar alternatives such as Stevia.
Skin care routine for clear skin.
To help reach your goal of clear skin, make sure you set up a routine with clinic-grade products that nourish and heal it.
Morning & Night
Step 1: Start your routine by washing your face with a gentle, but thorough cleanser. CLR Foam Cleanser is a blend of skin clarifying natural amino acids, salts, honey, herbal and fruit extracts, which not only helps regulate oil production and aid in killing p-acne bacteria, but also helps to calm and soothe inflammation.
Step 2: Follow up with the Antioxidant Cocktail, which repairs and shields your skin against free radicals that speed up the aging process and cause inflammation. If you have pigment concerns, you can also apply Brite Lite. It is a versatile serum designed to battle pigmentation, as well as normalize melanocyte function prior to resurfacing treatments. The formulation is also very effective for acne-prone skin, with ingredients like kojic acid, which has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, and licorice root, which also has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Step 3: Seal up your routine with the CLR Lotion which aims to clear the appearance of problematic skin, all the while hydrating, balancing oil production, and reducing the potential for future breakouts.