Welcome to the second installment of our Skin Climate Series.

If you’ve ever been sick and had a fever, you’ve experienced acute inflammation, which is the body’s initial response to an injury or illness. This short-term immune response is beneficial, and typically starts the healing process and helps fight off infections in your body. However, increasingly in today’s world of abundant health and wellness information, we’re hearing about a different kind of inflammation – chronic inflammation. 

According to mindbodygreen, chronic inflammation may occur when your immune system gets set to “on” for a longer time period, like months or even years. As a result, it constantly releases a flood of damaging chemicals that could sicken your cells. It’s like a forest fire that never goes out.

Research shows that chronic inflammation is likely at the root of almost every major chronic disease including cardiovascular disease which  may contribute to both heart attack and stroke, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. The association of chronic inflammation with these age-related diseases has prompted use of the term “inflammaging” to describe this low-grade, chronic, systemic inflammation in aging, that occurs in the absence of infection, and is a highly significant risk factor for both sickness and death in aging people. 

Chronic inflammation is reflected in your Skin Climate, through a variety of conditions including dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and acne, even thinning hair.

If you’re experiencing any of these conditions, don’t worry – there are changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle to ease chronic inflammation in your body.

One of the most beneficial ways to fight chronic inflammation is to adopt a healthy diet to help reduce inflammation. One of the key ingredients of an anti-inflammatory diet is omega-3s, like those found in Renew + Protect. Other foods to incorporate into an anti-inflammatory diet include olive oil, tomatoes, leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts like almonds and walnuts and fruits like strawberries, blueberries and cherries. 

Stress management is another important aspect of keeping chronic inflammation at bay – incorporating exercise like yoga, and meditation and mindfulness into your daily routine. This helps manage stress hormones (cortisol) levels, which positively impacts inflammation levels in your body. 

Another great tip- take a look at the skincare and makeup products you’re using, along with household cleaning products, and make the switch to natural whenever possible. Reducing your exposure to toxic chemicals, by being more discerning about the personal care and household products you use, may help minimize an inflammatory response in your body. 

A healthy Skin Climate can be achieved through a balanced diet, stress management and generally being more aware of what we’re putting in and around our bodies. Do you have questions about Skin Climate and ways to help improve your skin health? We would love to hear from you.