When sweet turns sour: sugar, your skin and some beauty solutions

It’s wrapped in gold foil and packed into a lovely box – but if you’re experiencing a bout of adult acne right now you might want to step away from that Easter egg!

Numerous scientific studies have tried to establish a link between acne and our consumption of sugar, but it wasn’t until more recently that 50 years of investigation were finally taken seriously.

So, is there really a link between sugar and spots? Yes! Here’s why – plus a solution to each problem:

Reason 1:

Eating sugary foods stimulates the pancreas. This releases insulin which lowers the body’s blood sugar level. As well as causing a sugar high/low situation, you could find it increases the production of sebum in your skin. This causes in a build-up of stickiness that blocks your pores, that leads to more frequent breakouts.

Solution 1: Tease out the sebum

If you’re experiencing excess sebum, why not make your skin care routine work for you around the clock with Dermalogica Medibac Overnight Clearing Gel? This lotion treatment works while you sleep, using its botanical and antiseptic properties to tackle the causes of your breakouts. Powerful Salicylic Acid, Caffeine and Tea Tree are just three of the wonder ingredients at work. See how here.

Reason 2:

Sugar has also be found to promote inflammation in the body – this depletes your skin of antioxidants too, making it more susceptible to spots. Intolerance to sugar in your diet may produce a physical, inflammatory reaction – one example being acne.

Solution 2: Slough away old cells

You can help to reduce a build-up of dead skin cells on your face by adding in a round of exfoliation to your daily routine. Worried that most products will be too harsh for use all the time? Think again! You might try Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant – one of our most popular lines – which is gentle and effective. Its rice-based enzyme powder lathers up into a foam filled with micro-particles that gently brighten your complexion at the same time as smoothing it down. See more here.

Reason 3:

Constantly chomping on chocs and cakes can aggravate acne that is caused by hormones – that pesky refined sugar helps to increase the size of your pores, making it easier for sebum to give spots a chance to thrive.

Solution 3: Pamper those pores

After exfoliation, you might think your work is done – but there is more! How about some added power for restoring tightness to your pores? Dermalogica’s Skin Refining Masque is perfect for this job. It’s made from a sophisticated blend of texture-refining and oil-absorbing Bentonite and Kaolin clays, with a dash of plant extracts and menthol to reduce oil even further. See it here – and also look out for the deeper Sebum Clearing Masque here.

Keeping sugar-related breakouts at bay isn’t easy – but with a bit of discipline, you’ll start to see real results. Happy Easter!