I want to start off be saying that I just love meeting amazing people via the internet. Obviously as long as they're safe and cool and not creepy. So I met Kristina through a brand that we both are ambassadors for and we decided to connect with each other. She's stunning, super smart and is so down to earth. We started chatting intensely one day about skincare and guts health and all that good jazz, because I'm currently going through a terrible time with my skin. Any who, I'm going to get into the good stuff now because I can go on forever. Kristina agreed to partner with me and let me interview her on some important questions and thoughts that both myself and my friends had. I know this is going to help so many people, as it's surely already helped me out a lot.
Before we get into this, please note that these tips may not work for everyone. Everyone is Unique and we are not all the same. Feel free to do your own research if you'd like. Kristina also wanted me to note that she is "NOT a skin expert! This is what has worked for me. It is so important to talk to a skin care expert if you are having serious issues. I do believe that a lot of skin issues comes from your diet, lifestyle, gut health, and hormonal balance (basically what is going on in the inside → any inflammation or imbalances in the body). "
Here's a summary about Kristina:
My name is Kristina Telhami and I am a P3 at KGI School of Pharmacy in Claremont, California. I have a passion for health and wellness and love working out, going on walks, and cooking. In the future, I want to be an integrative pharmacist, which means I want to incorporate both western and eastern medicine in my future practice. I think there is a time and place for medication and believe we should be getting to the root cause of issues rather than mask the symptoms. The number one thing I tell people to look at when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle is managing stress and eating real whole, unprocessed foods. People underestimate how these two things can impact one’s health. What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I dealt with a variety of health issues throughout college and found holistic medicine to fix my underlying issues. A lot of people think that I’m anti-medication because of my holistic views, but this is completely false. I went to pharmacy school to learn more about medications and their appropriate time and place in treatment. I want to create a treatment approach that can utilize both views and knowledge of medicine for optimal health.
She's the coolest. You can find her on Instagram @krissyt_pharmd. FOLLOW HER!
I asked her to name a few skincare myths. we know there are many but here are a few.
The more expensive product the better
That you need to wash your face often
Anything that is organic and vegan is good to use on your skin
Biotin and VitaminB12 is good for your skin
The more you know! I'm telling you! I continue to hear almost all of these like every single day.
Then I said "spf. mineral or chemical.. tell the people how important it is"
We need to protect our skin from the sun - yes!
This does NOT mean the sun is bad! We need the sun exposure for our mood, sleep, and overall health.
However, we need to be protecting our skin with a PHYSICAL sunscreen (make sure it contains Zinc or Titanium because they are anti-inflammatory).
A lot of chemical sunscreens can be irritating to the skin and can even cause skin pigmentation. ⇒ Avoid these
I then asked about Psoriasis. This one is for a friend. But I know that many people have a hard time with this as well.
Psoriasis is actually an inflammatory response. This means it is important to look at your diet and lifestyle. I really recommend focusing on your diet and lifestyle when it comes to psoriasis. A huge cause of this can be gluten and dairy.
This one was for me because I really need to know and I really want to step up my skincare game. I asked what are 5 skincare must haves that you need in your routine. Obviously we are all different and some of us like and prefer to have shorter routine. This is also another reason why I asked. These need to all be NON TOXIC products!
Face wash
Vitamin C serum
Moisturizer
Exfoliator (once a week to remove the dead skin cells ⇒ in return, our body will produce healthier new skin cells!)
Physical sunscreen
Now for the good stuff! Take notes people. I asked her to dive into gut health and how it affects not only your skin but your entire body.
Whatever is happening on the inside, will reflect on the outside of our bodies. Our gut is crucial not only for optimal health, but also skin health. When we have leaky gut and having digestive issues, this can throw off your hormonal balance. This can then lead to acne. It is so crucial to be optimizing our gut health with our diet and lifestyle.
The diet and our skin is crucial in working together. When we are eating foods that don’t agree with our body and that we are unable to digest, we can get inflammation. This leads to acne, psoriasis, and other skin issues. We want to eat a diet that is comprised of real, whole foods. We want to limit sugar and eat as organic as possible. When it comes to packaged food: look at the ingredients. If you can make it at home and it has 5 or less ingredients, it can be okay to eat.
Eat ORGANIC MEAT. Look for things like: wild caught fish, organic pasture raised eggs, organic pastured chicken / poultry, and 100% grass-fed meet. This is important because non-organic meat contain antibiotics and a higher amount of Omega-6 fatty acids (which can be inflammatory in our body). When we consume these animals with antibiotics, it throws off our good gut bacteria and can increase breakouts.
When should you see a dermatologist? I especially wanted to know this because my issue has been going on for months but, I do know what one of my main underlying cause is. Which is hormonal issues from coming off birth control. The people still need to know regardless and some may not think that they need to see a dermatologist and some may simply not know when.
If you have tried all of these: removing foods such as gluten, dairy, and eggs, if you have balanced hormones, if you are sleeping well and managing stress, and if your gut health is good… It is time to see a dermatologist. I will say that many dermatologists will just prescribe you topical ointments WITHOUT getting to the root cause of your acne. We are all so different and we want to make sure we figure out WHAT is going on inside your body. Whatever is happening on the inside, will reflect on the outside of your body.
When do we start using anti aging products? This one I've always wondered because it seems to be a trend to start young. However, I've always felt like I should let me skin do it's thing until I really get up there in age. I believe in the saying "If it ain't broke... don't fix it"!
I don’t really see a need for these products. If we are taking care of our skin through our diet, managing stress, balancing our gut and hormones, then I don’t see that this is necessary. This is just my personal opinion!
I'm going to have to agree there. However, the google says that you should start in your 20's, so please proceed at your own discretion. The next thing I wanted to talk about is "the more expensive the product is, or you have to invest in your skin" sayin that everyone likes to live by.
No! Not at all! In fact, some of the most expensive and “famous brands” on the market actually contain AWFUL ingredients. Not only are these ingredients toxic and harmful to your health, but they can actually even cause acne.
Here is a list of some of ingredients to avoid in your skin care that might be clogging your pores:
Now the final and most important part. What causes acne?
Food sensitivities (gluten, dairy, eggs)
Dairy contains something called Insulin-Like Growth Factors which can actually trigger inflammation in the body. This actually causes an increase in your facial oil and in return causes breakouts!
The dairy you may be consuming can also contain antibiotics due to the cow’s diet. This will throw off that good gut bacteria again.
Using toxic personal care and cleaning products
Stress and inflammation
Hormonal imbalance
Blood sugar imbalance → avoid too much sugar! This will lead to inflammation and blood sugar spikes = acne
Lack of sleep
Alcohol
Gut imbalances / leaky gut
Some supplements can cause acne ⇒ especially when it is one our body does not need.
Avoid multivitamins because you could be getting a vitamin you already have an abundance of (I recommend figuring out what you might be deficient in and go from there)
Too much Vitamin B12 can cause acne, especially if you are already getting enough in your diet.
Biotin can also cause acne! I know this may be marketed as good for our hair, skin, and nails. However, biotin is already made in the body and having too much of it can cause acne!
Thank you so much Kristina! I wanted to share these two apps with you all that Kristina shared with me. I think they will help you so much when you are wondering about any kind of products. These apps inform you on the good and bad ingredients in products (especially the ones that says organic). The first one is called "Think Dirty" and the other one is called "Healthy Living". Now excuse me while I go get my life together. Just about every single thing on this list of things that can cause acne, I partake in. I hope this was helpful to so many of you. Take care.
Please feel free to leave questions or comments.