Everyone deals with acne at some point in their lives. Some cases may be more severe than others, but it may affect the way one feels about their skin and appearance. Acne is something I have been dealing with since I was about 14 years old and although it was never severe, it still caused me to feel insecure in my own skin. By the age of 18, once I started college, my acne was at its peak and worse than ever before. I used makeup to “cover” it and at one point, I got tired of hiding it and decided to start making a change. Here are a few things I did to help clear up my skin.
Natural Ways:
Exercise
I looked everywhere online and read articles on how to reduce acne in healthy and natural ways. The first thing I tried was exercise. Exercise helps reduce stress levels which leads to a decrease in acne. In addition to reducing stress levels, exercise increases blood circulation, which sends more oxygen to the skin cells and carries cell waste away. The sweat resulting from physical activity also helps remove toxins from the body and makes you and your skin feel great. Just make sure to shower right after exercising to also prevent a breakout.
Water
Another factor is the amount of water consumed each day. I made it a habit to drink 4-5 water bottles every day and I definitely noticed a big difference. Once I started this habit, I decided to test if I noticed a change by drinking less water. By doing so, I noticed that my skin glowed less, felt drier, and dirtier. Drinking water has definitely led to having clearer and cleaner looking skin.
Food Choices
Taking care of your body on the outside is important, but taking care of the inside is even more important. I decided to change my diet a little bit by consuming less sugary and fatty foods. I also made sure to add foods that contained probiotics. Probiotics are live, friendly bacteria, that benefit your overall health and skin. They can be found in various foods, such as yogurt, kombucha, and miso soup.
(photos by author)
*Top picture was taken when I started my skin transformation about 6 months ago (June 2018), bottom picture was taken a few days ago. No makeup used except for lipstick (December 2018).*
Intermediate Ways:
Skin Care Routine
A consistent skin care routine is extremely important when trying to improve your skin. That is why I came up with a routine for myself. This included a lot of trial and error in order to find what worked best for me. I started using facial cleaners, fragrance free moisturizers, and natural witch hazel on my skin. I wash my face in the morning, apply a moisturizer, and then witch hazel on top. I repeat this at night before going to bed and wake up feeling great about how my skin feels.
Aloe Vera and Lemon Juice
Aloe Vera helps with redness, inflammation and scarring. You can apply this at night time before going to bed, leave it on for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse it off or keep it on during the entire night. Similarly, lemon juice also helps the skin by eliminating oil (sebum), killing bacteria, reducing redness and inflammation, and whitening the skin which leads to a reduction in scars. You can apply lemon juice just like aloe vera and rinse it after a few minutes or leave it on during the night. However, due to the acid in the lemon juice, it might sting and irritate sensitive skin. So be careful trying this one out.
These are a few things I have tried that have dramatically helped my skin making it look healthier and clearer than it was before. These methods may not work out for everyone, and some might be more effective than others, but it is helpful to know at least where to start. There is a lot of trial and error involved in this process, but it is definitely worth it and hopefully, you find what works best for you!