HEATHER ASKS …
“How can I treat my dry skin, and why does my face itch?”
DAHLIA SAYS …
Dry or scaly skin is no fun, especially when it’s on a visible areas of the body including the face. Dry skin happens for various reasons. To learn more about the common reasons why you may be experiencing dry skin, check out my blog article, ‘Why is my skin dry?”
Itchy skin is a different issue and a little trickier to figure out. Often times skin releases a histamine as a defense mechanism for some sort of allergy whether food-induced or environmental. Itchy skin can also be evidence if chronic dry skin or even skin conditions such as eczema, contact dermatitis, psoriasis or other skin conditions related to auto immune disorders. Sometimes people will experience intense itching in one particular area of the body and not in others, this is likely to be an external exposure to some substance, whether that be a bite, plant, chemical allergen or fabric allergen with repetitive contact.
Itching solely on the face is usually caused by a pH imbalance. Our skin is slightly acidic and it needs to stay that way; 5.5 pH is ideal for homeostasis and optimum skin health. Not cleaning makeup brushes will apply bacteria and dirt into the skin may cause irritation and clog pores. Sometimes mineral or vitamin deficiencies can trigger skin problems, check with your doctor to know for sure.
Around the mouth, itching and red tenderness can also be from a food allergy or lipstick.. Lipstick has all kinds of gross ingredients, and if you have an allergy to wheat, most lipsticks have wheat! Often times, people who are exposed to flour from baking, or excessive wheat consumption can also develop an itchy face, this is a direct result from candida (yeast) growth from excessive exposure to the skin.
Have you recently taken antibiotics? Another way to have excessive candida in the body is from antibiotics which kill not only the yucky germs, but also the good bacteria in the body that MUST exist. Excessive antibiotic use increases candida growth in the body. There are various herbal supplements you can take to help mitigate that growth, as well as various foods you should avoid that doesn’t feed the yeast, e.g. dried fruit and sugar, etc.
Yeast on the face sounds gross, but it’s completely curable and temporary! It looks like dermatitis or appear with red irritated areas, sometimes with dry flaky patches. Not only can wheat cause facial candida, other skin care products can cause yeast, especially if alternating various products/brands, sharing makeup brushes, not cleaning brushes or using expired products. Look for products that have a 4.5-5.5 pH balance.
I’ve seen doctors prescribe cortisone cream to treat what they think is dermatitis on the face, but it won’t do anything if it’s really candida (which I bet you $ it is!) BUT, itching can be a sign of a more serious problem, so please see a doctor if antihistamines don’t work or if you can’t find the source of the reaction.
Some simple and healthy ways to control facial candida include any combination of the following: apple cider vinegar as a toner (wait 5 minutes and rinse with cool water, avoid eyes), hydrate with an emollient antifungal oil such as our neem, melaleuca or Perfect Skin Serum & Primer which is packed with vitamins that heal and protect the skin cells, or any of our face and body oils that will protect and recover your skin from this stress. Keeping the skin hydrated is very important to fixing the pH of the skin. I would also recommend avoiding makeup until this gets better.
-Dahlia
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to cure, prevent or treat any disease. Please use common sense and always talk to your doctor before starting any new treatment or application for a health condition.
Written by Dahlia Kelada
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