Our skin is our biggest organ and our first line of defense. The skin of the average adult weighs over 8 lbs, serving many purposes including protecting the body from germs, microbes and infectious organisms (such as parasites, bacteria or viruses) that cause disease. But that is not all, your skin also alerts the immune system to the presence of harmful organisms; produces and excretes antibacterial substances; while supporting the growth of “healthy” bacteria and providing protection from the sun and UV rays.
Providing a sound basis for improved skin health even before you start treating a specific condition is paramount – specifically what you eat and drink. If you are consuming processed foods, refined sugars, too much dairy, poor quality animal proteins, sodas or refined salt, your skin will be suffering a damaged skin barrier. This where the lipids bonding the skin cells dry up leaving cracks for potential infection.
The majority of your diet should be high quality, alkaline-forming whole foods. A fresh vegetable juice can be a wonderful tonic for your skin. Another important item to address is whether you have started using a new external product that could be irritating your skin. Examples include a new face cream or laundry liquid.
Here are five such conditions and how they can be combated with the right treatment
1. Warts
Commonly caused by the Human Papillomavirus or HPV, warts can affect people in many different ways. If you can imagine these numbers, there are over 100 different types of warts that people can develop. Treatment takes dedication and time but will succeed. You can help speed up the treatment of plantar warts also known as or verrucas by soaking the wart in water and using a pumice board to rub away at the dead skin before adding a natural treatment.
2. Skin tags
Skin tags develop anywhere where there are folds of skin and friction from clothing, like along the neck or armpits. Obesity can also be a cause because there is more friction and extra skin folds. Skin tags are more usual in the middle aged while other contributing factors are diabetes and pregnancy. The good news is that skin tags are benign (non cancerous) and are not infectious. The easiest time to remove them is when skin tags are small.
3. Moles
While most moles are not harmful, many people will find them to be unsightly when very visible. Moles can develop throughout our lives as we age while some 1% of people are born with moles and it is these congenital moles that might cause problems and even become suspect in time. Moles are normally small and visible as brown or dark spots in the skin but they can be flesh-colored or yellow-brown. They can be flat or raised or they may contain dark hairs. Special cells that contain the pigment melanin cause the brown color of most moles. While most people will go through life without giving them a second thought, some will want to be rid of them.
4. Blackheads
The key to getting rid of blackheads is to get your pores as clean as possible and the most effective way is to first open them up with steam. All you need to do is get a few cups of water up to a quick boil, and pour the hot water into a bowl. Place the bowl on a sturdy level surface, and place your face close to the water while covering your head with a towel to trap the steam from the water. Let your face get the benefit of the steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Just be careful not to scald your face in the steam. Once you are done, pat your face dry and apply a natural astringent like apple cider vinegar and a moisturizer such as coconut oil. Exfoliation is also important and best achieved with a dry brush made from natural fibers.
5. Age Spots
After the age of 40, the skin is unable to regenerate as rapidly as it did and age spots can start to appear. They can be light brown, reddish brown or black and are normally flat. While age spots are not usually anything serious, they can be very annoying because they point to the fact that we are aging. At the same time, any irregular dark spots that increase in size, or change in color or texture, should be checked by a doctor to rule out anything suspect. While the sun can be a risk, it is not the only culprit. As we age, our metabolism changes and the liver can become overwhelmed with toxins. If the liver cannot rid the body of these toxins, age spots (often known as liver spots) can begin to develop. Oxidation within the body and a lack of antioxidants in your diet can also play an important role in the development of age spots.
The Benefits of Natural Treatment
Natural remedies have existed for centuries and have been used to treat many conditions. Even recent research supports the use of herbs in the treatment of various medical problems. Learning to manage conditions in a more natural way without relying on drugs and over-the-counter medications can also improve your general health too – physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually – and you save on doctor visits. No matter what kind of skin condition you suffer from – whether it’s acne, skin tags, moles, warts, age spots and so many more – there is always a way to treat them naturally and even get rid of the condition entirely.
