Can Lifestyle Changes Really help to Manage Inflammatory skin conditions?

Absolutely!

External and internal factors are both strongly linked to inflammatory skin flare ups. Understanding WHY your skin is flaring up, is key, to preventing flare ups in the future and getting control back over your skin and its behaviour!

• Avoid Known irritant Triggers:
  Stay away from allergens and irritants that worsen your condition. Common triggers are: fabric softener, soaps and detergents - including shampoos, fluoride
  
  
• Avoid harsh external environments:
  Often, extreme hot or cold weather or going from indoor artificial environments (heating/cooling) to outdoor environments, pollen rich areas or seasons (such as spring) can trigger skin flare ups
  
  
• Maintain a Skin-Friendly Diet:
  Feed the skin from within, by opting for foods high in -
• Omega-3s such as: salmon, tuna, flaxseed nuts, chia seeds, walnuts & using omega rich oils such as flaxseed oil, canola oil or soybean oil in your cooking. -antioxidants such as: applies, avocado, blueberries, mushrooms, nuts and cruciferous vegetables
  
  
• Alkaline foods such as: broccoli, vegetables, almonds,, avocado, kale, lemon, walnuts, banana, beans, quinoa, sweet potato, spinach and tomato
  
  
• Supplement where you can: Unfortunately, in this day and age, it is impossible to get everything our skin and body needs from food and water consumption alone. Giving your body extra internal support, in way of supplementation, will ensure that you are consuming the adequate amount of nutrition needed, to support your skin from the inside out.
  
  Our high quality, top picks to assist with healthy cells, skin cell function and gut/inflammation support:
  
  
• Cell charge -  Created by an Australian Naturopath and clinical nutritionist, this micronutrient concentrate works at a cellular level, to deliver the essential nutrients that your cells need to function optimally, every day.

• Omega 3 - Essential fatty acids are essential, when it comes to nourishing your skin from the inside out; ensuring that your skin barrier is supported at all times, maintaining optimal skin hydration; ensuring that our cells are retaining water effectively - allowing your skin to function at its best, while also allowing optimal nutrition and oxygen to be delivered to the cells via our blood - ensuring that our skin cells have all they need to function at their best.

When it comes to choosing an omega 3 - choosing an omega 3 supplement that is high quality and ethically sourced, is essential, to ensure that you are receiving a high quality does of omega 3 per serving, for optimal results, while ensuring that the omega in which you are digesting has not been farmed and thereof does not contain traces of antibiotics, pesticides, chemicals (used to control disease when farming fish) or high amounts of omega 6 - which is inflammatory for the skin - not what our skin needs!

Our top-picks for high quality, ethically sourced omega 3 is:

• Nordic naturals 
• A great algae-based, vegan alternative is - Mega Omega 
• Fem21 -  This Australian made and owned naturopath herbal blend supports liver function, gut health, stress levels, female hormone levels, while also helping to alkalise internal inflammation - ensuring that internal factors don’t cause an external skin flare up.
  
  All 3, also available in-salon.

Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration is crucial for skin health and barrier function. Aiming to drink 2 litres of filtered water daily is a great start and taking a high quality omega 3 supplement daily, alongside this water intake, will allow your cells to maintain the hydration that you are feeding your body.

I hope this helps in some way. The more knowledge we have when it comes to our skin, the more power we have over preventing and treating these frustrating inflammatory skin conditions that are common to flare up during the cooler months.