As part of June Acne Awareness Month, I'm sharing these lifestyle, nutrition and skincare tips to prevent acne from Cosmetic Chemist and Celebrity Esthetician Elina Fedotova, who is also the founder of Elina Organics & Spas.

Nutrition

We start addressing inflammatory skin’s conditions like acne and rosacea with suggesting the dietary changes – reduce or eliminate soft drinks and processed foods, because they are packed with different synthetic additives like nitrates, artificial dyes and flavorings.

All those ingredients could stimulate inflammatory processes in the entire body including the skin. Most people see reductions of acne just after they eliminate dairy and sugary foods.

If indulging in a desert, I would suggest choosing dark chocolate, fruits, or baked goods made from whole grains like oatmeal cookies instead.

Vegetables & Fruits

In general, you should increase eating foods that help to clean your skin from the inside out, and those foods include all organically grown greens like celery, cucumber, broccoli, and spinach. Substitute these for pasta or potatoes with a clean source of protein.

One of the most beneficial skin purifying foods is artichoke. It has a high concentration of silymarin which helps to detoxify and calm our skin. The most beneficial way to eat an artichoke is to boil it for 10 minutes with your favorite spices and to use the broth daily at least a cup a day.

Organically grown watermelon also helps to purify the body and improve your complexion. Organic berries like red and black currant, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries: pineapple and papaya will help your skin as well.

Limit Stress

One of the main contributors of acne is stress. Cortisol and other stress hormones intoxicate our body and could be damaging for all aspects of our health including skin.

Sleep

Generally good sleep plays an important role in making sure the body is producing all necessary hormones for healthy cellular function. We need to make sure we are not going to bed too late and to make sure you are not sleeping in a room with working computer and TV screens and EMF emitting devices.

I also would suggest having a cup of relaxing herbal tea with rose, chamomile, or valerian root. It helps you to relax and calm down to have a restful sleep.

Skincare Routine

It is very important to have a healthy skin care regimen which will include cleansing products that can remove excessive amounts of oil and pollutants without damaging your skin’s protective barrier.

I would suggest avoiding ingredients with SLS and using sulfate free cleansing lotions. I also would not suggest people use bar soap for acne prone complexion.

If for some reason you cannot really find a natural and affective cleansing lotion you can simply substitute it with mixing organic kefir with a little bit of baking soda and cleanse your skin with that solution.

The baking soda will absorb excessive oil and impurities. Kefir will help to balance the skin's microbiome.

Skin Hydration

We all heard that the skin needs to be hydrated but a lot of the time people mistake hydration with emollience and use oil-based products on their skin as a moisturizer.

I would never suggest doing that for acne or rosace prone complexion, because it can contribute to more breakouts and redness.

It is very important to use special treatment serums with ingredients like salicylic acid extracted from willow bark, herbal extracts of burdock, dandelion, red clover, peppermint, and essential oils of turmeric, tea tree, yarrow. They are all helpful for problem complexion.

Makeup/Beauty Routine

It is very important to make sure that after using a healthy skin care regimen you do not poison it with a conventional makeup based on talcum and silicone.

My advice is that if you are using foundation, it should be water based with zinc oxide as main pigment that protects our skin from sun damage and has healing anti antimicrobial effects on the skin. Crashed pearls and Zinc oxide-based makeup powders would be the best choice.

Avoid silicone-based ingredients like dimethicone or cyclomethicone in your makeup because they act as a plastic wrap over your skin, not allowing it to breathe or absorb moisture from the air and can contribute to more inflammation.

Look for ingredients like pearl powder, sink oxide, sunflower phospholipids, herbal extracts, and essential oils.

Limit Sun Exposure

Many people with acne prone complexion are addicted to sun exposure and tanning. UV rays have antibacterial effects on the skin and help to dry up blemishes and reduce oil.

Tan also helps to hide scarring and redness, but it is a very temporary benefit, because continues sun exposure will lead to premature skin aging and discolorations, even skin cancer.

I can’t say that sun exposure contributes to acne -in fact, it does not. It can even help for a short time, but I do not suggest using it as an acne therapy because it is a dangerous habit.

Make sure your skin is protected with a zinc oxide-based sunscreen with also contains pearl powder, which helps to keep moisture in the skin and absorb excessive amounts of oil from the pores.

Elina Organics & Spas

Elina Fedotova is the Founder and Chief Formulator for Elina Organics, which since 1998, has offered award-winning organic formulations that naturally deliver clinical results.

Elina hand makes her professional skincare line in her laboratory, based in Michigan, in small batch production using holistic principles and organic ingredients from around the world.

Elina continues to offer her unique, holistic skincare treatments in her spas in Florida and West Michigan.

To learn more, visit - www.elinaorganics.com