What Is Your Skin Trying to Tell You

Photo by: rubyblossom

Before we proceed, I must state that the skin may react to triggers as a result of a variety of reasons (internal and external causes). Some of these additional factors can be attributed to drug/alcohol/prescription drug use, pregnancy, smoking, environment (i.e. exposure to toxins and hazardous debris), pre-existing disease, hormones, genetics, etc. That's not to say that the following list is any less useful, but it is to encourage you to become more active about your health and rule out some of the probable triggers causing skin reactions.

With that said, here are five common possible skin warning signs:



Acne: this is an indicator that it is time to eliminate and/or reduce some the following food culprits: fried food, processed food, soda and dairy. Eating too much fried food can cause clogged pores, creating toxic buildup that'll inevitably penetrate through the skin as acne. For some, stress also can trigger pimples, in which case this may give you a legitimate reason to chill out.

Puffy Under Eyes: Allergies and inflammation are just two possible causes. Solid rest, a good detox (do your due diligence and select the best detox that works best for you), drinking half your body weight in ounces of water to help flush under-eye poof. Click here to find out, exactly, how much water you should drink per day. Externally: a puffy eye reducing regimen would help, which can include: cucumbers, moisturizing or placing cold tea bags on your eyes.

Dark Circles: Because the skin around the eyes are so sensitive, dark circles can be an indicator of a variety of things, including: dilated blood vessels (busted capillaries) as a result of excessively rubbing the eyes, inadequate sleep, malnutrition, emotional distress, fatigue, vitamin deficiency, allergies. Some natural ways to restore brightness around the eyes including, using cucumbers, gentle under-eye massage, coffee grinds and of course sleep... you know what they say, "the best things in life are free!"

Dry Skin: In most instances dry skin (non-clinical of course) is a sign of dehydration, exposure to cold, dry winter weather, skipping the moisturizer, and/or using harsh body soap. Address this naturally by selecting the moisturizer most suitable to your skin type, bundle up during cold months so as not to strip the natural oils from your skin from chilly weather, use a gentle and/or natural body soap, drink plenty water and eat the proper nutrients -- especially those rich in water content like: cucumbers, honeydew, watermelons, iceberg lettuce, radish, celery and tomatoes.

Sun Damage: Just because the seasons are changing doesn't mean you can skip out on applying SPF protective moisturizers. So, whether it's hot and sunny, bright and snowy or some weather in between; apply a natural sun-screen enhanced moisturizer to protect your skin. Some possible signs of sun damaged skin, include: flakiness; inflamed skin or redness increasing sensitivity; wrinkles, liver/age spots, blotchiness and dullness. Some possible natural solutions include: drinking antioxidant-rich tea (green and black tea), staying hydrated and using natural sun-protective moisturizers.

In general, more overall rules of thumb for having clear skin include: using a natural gentle body and/or facial scrub to help deeply exfoliate your skin, which helps remove deep-set debris. Drink plenty water, (i.e. half your body weight in ounces of water), eat fresh fruits and veggies as much as possible (yes, what you eat does make a difference), have regular bowel movements and exercise.

Most importantly, get some shut eye, keep calm and carry on because stress will only create mild-to-severe reactions on the skin.