Everyone who has pimples on their face knows how overwhelming this state can be. Acne is not only a health issue, but it can also affect your confidence, because you are always worried about the way you look. There are days when you admire the glow on your face, but there are also days when acne is running across your face, and you simply do not know what treatment to use in order to get rid of it. If you watch TV then you may have noticed that different brands promote different products, but the fact is that not all of them are effective. There are some things you can do without seeing a doctor, and they will help you get the results that you want, and prevent experiencing acne in the future.
You should wash your face daily
It is not enough to wash your face only during morning, it is advisable to wash it twice a day if you suffer from acne. You should never go to sleep without taking off your makeup, because clogged pores lead to pimples. Identify the type of face you have and use a cleanser designed for your condition.
Sunscreen products are life
It does not matter if there is summer or winter, you should always wear sunscreen. During the hot season make sure you use a product with higher SPF. Your face can experience great damage because of sun rays, so make sure to protect it, especially if you are using acne products. Sunscreen products will block the harmful effects of the sun on your skin.
Have a healthy diet and drink water
If you want to get rid of pimples then your diet is one of the essential factors. Young people have the tendency to eat a lot of sugar, and sugar is one of the aliments that facilitates acne. You should try to lower the sugar amount from your diet if you want to have a clean face. Also, there are studies that show that dairy products can cause pimples, and you should switch to almond milk if you think this is the case for you.
Use Concentrated Hemp Oil
Acne is the result of multiple factors, and there are very few the cases when a dermatologist is able to tell you exactly what the cause in your case was. There can be bacteria, genetics, or oil secretion. Recent studies show that if you use Concentrated Hemp Oil you can reduce pimples. This oil has anti-inflammatory properties and it can reduce the sebum production. Ask your doctor how to use the oil, because it will definitely help you have a clean face.
Change your sheets often
Pillowcases and sheets can be one of the causes why you experience periodic pimples. They collect oil, and considering that you sleep many hours lying on them, your skin can become congested. If you want to prevent this issue you should change them often and try to lie on your back when you sleep. One strategy is to put a pillow under your knees, because it will prevent you during nighttime to turn on your side.
This week, we’re sharing an inspirational video from my dear friend Marieke, a certified life coach and founder of Your Novel Life, whose own daughter had severe eczema as an infant. If you’re feeling particularly low or depressed due to living with eczema or dealing with your child’s eczema, then please watch this beautiful video. I’m sure you will find it’s message of trust and acceptance enriching for both your body and mind.
Jennifer
(begin transcript)
Hi everybody! I’m a life coach from Your Novel Life. I’m here today to share some tips with you about what I wish I knew then when I was handling my baby’s eczema before I became a life coach.
My daughter is now 7-years-old and she’s dairy intolerant. Our journey with her eczema started right as she was about 4 months old and I had noticed that her cradle cap started migrating to her face. She had small patches on her body but nothing too major. It was really when it started migrating to her face that I freaked out and I didn’t know what to do. I had never seen cradle cap like that. I started to think maybe it was eczema, so I started researching. And what I found was that it was probably really bad eczema.
Because I tend to go more of a natural route, I discovered that it was probably related to food, but I wasn’t really sure. So I visited my doctor with Fira (my daughter) and I described what was happening. My doctor actually told me that there is no conclusive evidence between eczema and food issues and I just felt that couldn’t be right, something seemed off. I’m a big believer that food is medicine.
1. Trust Your Gut & Intuition
Here’s where my first tip comes in to play: trust your own gut and intuition. I consulted with some naturopaths that told me the biggest allergen I was consuming was dairy. When I eliminated it from my own and my daughter’s diet at six months of age, I noticed a difference in my daughter’s skin every two weeks (I was still breastfeeding at this time) and a change in my health as well. Her skin just started clearing up and by the time she was a year-old she was basically eczema-free. So, I trusted my gut and my gut was right.
One of the other ways we handled her painful eczema (she would just cry for hours from the pain and I could sense her internal frustration) was by soothing her with a pacifier. I had never been big on the pacifier before then, but for some reason I had one laying around during one particularly bad moment where I couldn’t settle her. I gave her the pacifier and she took it immediately. It’s like all her frustrations went out into the pacifier. She found an outlet for herself. She found a way to soothe herself. Nothing else had worked for us, so I trusted my gut, that the little plastic device would do something. I had tried everything to soothe her and I was at my wits end. So, that pacifier become her go-to self-soother very quickly. Even after her eczema was gone and she was a little bit older, she would still use the pacifier to calm herself.
So my first tip I want to share with you is: Trust your gut. Trust yourself that you know how to care for your child.
2. Find Acceptance
My next tip is acceptance. I know how hard it can be to accept that your baby has some kind skin condition or intestinal issue or allergy or intolerance, that they are living with eczema. I personally found that challenging. I also found the fact that I was going to have to give up cheese or cream in my coffee really, really scary. I didn’t feel like doing it. I felt like I had just going through pregnancy where I’d given up alcohol and I felt like I was just getting my body back and I just wanted to do whatever I wanted to do. But I realized that wasn’t going to happen when I discovered that the issue with my daughter’s eczema was dairy. So acceptance is my next tip I want to share with you, my lesson learned. Suffering stems from not accepting what is. At the time my daughter was suffering form eczema and I had this intuition that it was dairy and I didn’t want to accept that. But once I did decide to move forward with that, once I accepted it, MAN things got easier. So, that’s my tip, accept what is. Accept what you’re willing to do or not do (because not doing anything is okay too).
3. Feel Your Feelings
The next tip I would suggest for anyone watching this video is to feel ALL the feelings. When I was dealing with my daughter’s eczema I had grief, frustration, resentment, fear and I struggled to come to terms with everything. I struggled to give myself the permission to let myself feel those things. Especially grief, that was a big one. So let yourself feel sad for what you’re giving up, for that fact that your baby’s eczema makes them look different. Let yourself feel sad. It’s important to let yourself feel frustrated that you or your child is living with eczema, then move on. When we resist our feelings, things just persist. Give yourself the freedom and the grace to really FEEL what you’re feeling. Write them in a journal. Talk about them with somebody. But don’t stay there and get stuck. Because when we get stuck, we don’t make progress and move forward. It’s when we don’t heal. And healing is what this is ultimately about.
4. Be Empowered
My next tip is about feeling empowered and knowing that you can DO something. There is ALWAYS something you can do. Let go of the shoulds and realize you have a choice in the way you handle this. Don’t think about it as I need or should cut out dairy, but instead as I’m choosing to cut dairy because I’m willing to see if it makes a difference in my or my child’s health. I’m choosing to not eat eggs or soy or use certain creams. It’s a choice that we make on how we care for ourselves or our children. It’s a choice. We have other choices. But when we say should, it takes away our power. When we say I’m willing to do this, I’m choosing to do this, we’re standing in our power because we realize we have a choice. Making your own decisions for you and your family is actually really powerful and I invite you to feel into the power while you navigate these waters.
5. Talk About It
My next tip is to get support, share your story, reach out and connect with others. As soon as I started talking about my own frustrations, my own fears, my own experiences with my daughter’s eczema WOW, people started coming out of the woodwork so to speak. When you show that vulnerability, sharing bits of yourself like that, people open up as well and we connect and create community. We can inspire each other.When I cut out dairy, I shared my daughter’s story with so many people because it ultimately changed her life and mine. Which leads me to my last tip…
6. Find the Blessing
This is a beautiful way to BE in life, especially when we’re faced with hardship. Think how could this be happening for me, not too me. One of the wonderful things that has come out of my daughter’s having eczema was her healing, but also how my own health improved ten-fold. It was such a blessing for me to go through the experience because I’m actually a healthier mom, I get less agitated. I had constipation for years that went away when I went dairy free. I didn’t realize I had any sort of dairy sensitivity until I went through this with my daughter. Another blessing is also that we’re much more aware of other people’s sensitivities and intolerances. Also, about the power of food. I always had this intuition that food was powerful, but now I saw it with my own eyes and that’s amazing! It’s an amazing gift to pass on to our children and families.
Accept everything as a blessing. Think about how changing your child’s life is a true blessing that you can pass onto your family or others you know. I’ve shared my story with our neighbors and other friends who have seen improvements in their own children’s health after cutting out dairy.
That’s my story. I hope that this has been helpful! To recap…..
Trust your gut. Follow your intuition. And if you don’t feel like you have one, get quiet with yourself – think and feel into what could be the issue. If you have a gut feeling, trust it.
Acceptance, accepting what is. We can ease our suffering when we release our resistance to what is.
Feel all your feelings. Give yourself permission to to feel everything that you feel.
Feel empowered by realizing you have choices in how you handle things. You don’t have to DO anything. Chose how you want to do it and know you are making a choice instead of being forced into something.
Get support, reach out, connect with other people, share your story. Don’t live this by yourself because there are so many people living it. That’s what we’re here for, to support each other.
Find the blessing and remember that this is happening for me, not to me. With that perspective, what can I do with it, what does it mean? What do I want to make this mean for myself or my child? How can this be a blessing for my family?
Please contact me if you want to know more about my daughter’s journey with eczema. I didn’t want to go too much into my own story, but I hope what I’ve shared has given you some take-aways. I would love to hear from you! I wish you well and your little ones well or whoever is struggling with eczema. I know it’s hard, but I also know there are ways to deal with it and a lot of it has to do with self care. So I hope that you find that for yourself.
First of all, you are not alone. The first thing you need to do, if you have a diagnosis for a serious life threatening allergy is to arm yourself with all the information you can. Get the best help, get tests done, see a specialist. Easier said than done I know, but don’t give up, if you are not happy with the advice you’ve been given keep on searching.
Find out exactly what you need to know to stay safe. Understand it’s OK to feel like this. It’s alright to feel fear, anxiety and anger. Helplessness, hopelessness and a total lost of control. But you get one chance at this life. Don’t let the fear consume you. Right now I’m not the best advert for that myself but I’m working my through the emotional assault. Don’t suffer in silence.
Here are my tips, the things that have helped me.
Speak to people – Tell your friends and family. Do you know anyone with a similar medical condition? I have found recent allergy focused events, including The Anaphylaxis Campaign Conference and Food Matters Live encouraged me to share and talk to my fellow bloggers, parents of allergic kids and people in the allergy community. It was tough at times and I didn’t hold it together as much as I’d hoped but I came away from both events knowing that it had helps, I was making progress just by sharing.
Contact professional organisations – I have also spoken to Allergy UK and The Anaphylaxis Campaign who both have free helplines which you can phone and also loads of advice and resources. They also have local support groups so you may find one local to you which will help you to attend. The Anaphylaxis Campaign also offer one free referral to a counsellor but do be aware, she is busy. I wasn’t able to get an appointment until 2018 but it’s worth considering as it could help you.
Writing about it – this might not work for everyone, but as a writer and blogger, writing about my recent experience, how it makes me feel and how I plan to use these emotions positively is really helping me. I appreciate that it might not work for others but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. So basically guys, you are my therapy. Whether you like it or not, this blog will be following my journey dealing with this. It’s already helping. And it’s already tough. Bottling it up, my earlier preferred coping mechanism wasn’t working and ultimately you have to deal with emotions and move forward.
Update your Action Plan – One thing I realised after my recent allergic reaction was that my Allergy Action Plan needs updating. It has literally disintegrated with overuse. Having a strict plan and protocol in place can really help you and those who may need to care for you if you have a reaction know what to do. If you don’t have one, write one!
Anger management – Feeling angry isn’t an emotion I’m used to dealing with. I’m far less tolerant and quick to rise, where before I rarely felt anger. It’s almost like a rage building in me Taming a Powerful Emotion by Gary Chapman
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)– If you think counselling might help you to deal with fear and anxiety then CBT is probably the most useful kind of treatment available. There are loads of organisations who can help, from the NHS, Mind and private counsellors. Research what’s available and find a solution that works for you.
Health Minds referral scheme – you can self refer yourself for counselling using the NHS Healthy Minds Self Referral scheme. I have already had the initial assessment and have my first session scheduled for next week. I already feel calmer after just having organised this. The first assessment was gruelling enough and I know this will be tough, but I really think it will help me to talk about how I feel with a neutral person, someone who does not know me and is qualified to help me work through this and find ways of coping with how I’m feeling. This is the most convenient solution for me at the moment because they arrange a phone call with you on a weekly basis at a time convenient to you, which is easier to fit into my life at the moment.
I am, I am, I am by Maggie O’Farrell
I am, I am, I am by Maggie O’Farrell – this book is beautifully written and covers Maggie’s memoirs; seventeen brushes with death. This may sound macabre and something you definitely shouldn’t be reading when faced with your own near death experiences, but I challenge you. You will finish reading this feeling newly conscious, and determined to make every heart beat count. The final chapter recounts an experience when Maggie’s own daughter has an anaphylactic attack and has to be rushed to hospital. Read this book, if you have allergies or are a mother of allergic kids – I am, I am, I am, by Maggie O’Farrell – it will help you.
Run, Run, Run – Again this might not be for everyone but the sentiment is the same. Find something that you can do that completely takes you out of how you’re feeling. Something that clears your mind. This is running for me. I’m running my brain back to normal. Well maybe not normal, but back to stable. This could be something creative, fundraising, volunteer for a local charity. Anything that gives you new perspective. The latter being something I may look into when I can find more time. Giving something back can really help you feel your worth in society, because you are worth so much.
Wear your Medicalert bracelet – This is really important. In my recent allergic reaction I was unconscious and couldn’t tell anyone what had happened. I had been wearing my Medicalert bracelet but when the reaction took place, that morning I had slipped it into my purse because it was irritating the eczema on my wrist. No one knew this and I was told that the paramedics were searching or one. It has made my realise I need to have more than one option of how to wear mine. I have a necklace too but need to find something softer for when my skin is sensitive. Writing this I realise I have not resolved this one yet!
I hope this helps. It’s not an exhaustive list and I may add to it as I think of other things. But as you can see, there are so many practical steps you take to help you cope.
One thing I am doing a lot of is sleeping. Emotions are exhausting. Be kind to yourself. Let your mind and body heal. Stay safe allergy warriors. Be prepared, never take risks and always, always carry your adrenaline injectors #takethekit
I will leave you with this video. If you know someone with anaphylaxis who does not carry their adrenaline, or even worse, has not been prescribed any, ask them to watch this short but very moving video
nb>If you feel really depressed or have any thoughts that make you really scared, don’t know what to do and just need to speak to someone any time of day, call the Samaritans 116 123 from any phone any time of day or night. Someone will speak to you and just the act of talking could help.
Buying presents is pretty stressful. What if your loved one has eczema, what can you get them? Here are 5 tips to giving eczema friendly Christmas gifts Eczema Blog
Over 1 in 5 children have eczema or a dry skin condition. Winter is often worse with wind-chill, cold, and central heating triggering flare ups. The associated itching, irritation and poor sleep can really spoil little ones fun, so dry skin treatment for children, Epaderm Junior, has a few tips to help.
Wrap up! Hands and the back of the neck are particularly vulnerable to drying out, so cotton gloves and scarves are an essential skincare kit – as well as keeping them snug during adventures.
Hydrate – A cold drink is less appetising, so many children drink less in winter. Keeping them hydrated can help their skin, so try warming up drinks like apple juice to make them enticing.
Apply emollients – Some moisturisers can contribute to skin dryness. Oil-rich emollients such as Epaderm Junior help stop water from leaving the skin which is great during winter. The ointment is a thick effective barrier, often used at night, where the cream is absorbed easily for use during the day.
Avoid washing – Many children would be delighted, but we don’t mean avoid bath time altogether! Hot water and soap can also dry children’s skin. Try replacing soap with Epaderm Junior Ointment, it won’t foam up, but cleans and helps lock moisture into the skin at bath time too.
Here are 5 tips for an eczema friendly Thanksgiving that are great for the eczema sufferer in your life…some of them are eczema-friendly and fun! Eczema Blog
My eczema survival tips shared on NEA, experience gained from caring for my daughter
Here’s another article that I shared on National Eczema Association website which is a great resource. Read my 8 survival tips for caring for eczema baby, and the many more by other eczema friends around the world.
Looking for resorts or resort hotels that are just overlooking the beach?Yearning to take refuge somewhere romantic?Booking in Tortuga Bay, top listed among the Punta Cana hotels and resorts, is an exquisite abode that will definitely realize this dream. This breathtaking place is designed with impeccable taste that adds to its elegance and beauty. Punta Cana has its own small but busy airport where tourists and natives alike are provided free transportation to the resort, as part of its services. As a guest, you are also entitled access to the Bamboo Restaurant, La Cana Golf Club House, and the relaxing Six Senses Spa. And though you may not be that much of a naturalist, you will undoubtedly appreciate nature at its purest form when you get to see the ecological park and, of course, the emerald waters of the Caribbean just a few feet from your bedroom suite. Tortuga Bay provides golf, wedding, and other special deals for guests who wish to make a booking ahead or online.
High Class Punta Cana hotels
Scheduling a voyage to Punta Cana to work or just for pleasure is the best way to commence the year and trying out one of the high class Punta Cana hotels is the best way to spend an enjoyable vacation in the Caribbean. Theyre usually easy to find, as they are situated alongside the vast beachfronts of the eastern Dominican Republic. The Tortuga Bay, Paradisus, and the Sivory Punta Cana are the most popularly known hotels that spell luxury and offer exceptional quality of service. All designed carefully and with elegant style, these five-star resorts have spacious suites and villas that overlook the striking blue oceans. The food is also special and represents a combination of cultures and you can find it in the restaurant. Exclusive conveniences like Jacuzzis, swimming pools, or steam baths are easily enticing the tourists. You can never go wrong with these resorts, truly refuge and time well spent.
Summertime break out Summer Escape at Punta Cana Hotels
Planning a summer getaway to the exotic Punta Cana is 100% fun and satisfaction guaranteed. Punta Cana hotel rates may not be low or discounted at this time of the year, as summer is the most popular season to visit this breathtaking tourist destination. But definitely, itll all be worth it. The Grand Flamenco is the most wanted destination for most of the lovebirds and vacationers who wish to lay down on the soft white sands. Theres also a pool for children and a playground that makes this resort great even for families. The Oasis Canoa Hotel is another appreciated destination. It is within the vicinity of the legendary Parque Nacional Del Este and other tourist spots that tell many things about the Dominicans Republic colorful history. Theres also an archeological museum and a rural fishing community that are truly eye-catching because of the numerous fishing boats in brilliant colors. These two world class resorts will certainly make a perfect summer vacation.
Staying in Punta Cana Hotels
If youre looking for a pleasant vacation in the Dominican Republic, living in the Punta Cana resorts for a few days wont fail you. Punta Cana is located in the eastern end of the Republic and is facing the Caribbean white beaches, truly breathtaking. You will get first-rate accommodation in four or five star resorts that will certainly deserve every penny that you spend. Most luxury hotels are enclosed with grass and coconut trees that add to the relaxing environment. Most hotels are placed close to the airport so theres no problem about traveling back and forth. The Excellence Hotel is one of the most exquisite resorts in Punta Cana. It offers great food in its seven restaurants and some great night parties in its ten clubs and KTVs. Another much appreciated hotel is the Majestic Colonial. It is ideal for couples and families. Settling in one of these hotels is what makes your vacation in Punta Cana unforgettable.
Check out these tips on booking punta cana hotels. Get great discounts on mexico vacations and a lot more.
Jennifer
