If you’re anything like me, then you have the occasional breakouts that occur from many different triggers. You may have had bad acne as a teenager, or maybe even a preteen. You could still have bad acne! But I’m here to tell you that there are tips to getting clear skin and they work. Gone are the days of cystic acne, annoying pimples and acne scars that don’t cover.
The first thing you need to know is acne is primarily hormonal. Your skin usually tells you what’s going on in your body. If you’re having hard, cystic acne you have some serious hormone turmoil! Get tested to see if anything is super off balance and take some vitamins that you may be lacking. Now that’s not necessarily the cure, so here are some extra tips to help you out!
- Figure out what your face wants: Some people don’t wash their face and never get acne. That’s fine, the Ph level of their skin doesn’t tolerate facial wash. But some of us will breakout if we miss just one wash. It may take some trial and error but figure out when and how often you should be washing your face.
- Always take off your makeup: We are not lazy high school girls anymore. It’s time to take off the makeup, even if you come home late at night and you’re a little “too tired” to take off your makeup. Imagine how healthy your eyelashes would be if you stopped sleeping in your waterproof mascara!
- Moisturize: Even if you don’t have dry skin you should be moisturizing. Skin starts aging at just 18 years of age! Moisturizer prevents wrinkles and helps your skin balance itself. Dry skin can breakout because the ph is off balance!
- Drink water: I drink about 64 ounces a day and I still break out, but drinking water definitely helps significantly. You are helping toxins remove from the body easier, you’re staying hydrated, and it’s just great for you! Lemon decreases inflammation too!
- Cut out sugar: Processed sugars are not your friend. Don’t drink the soda, don’t eat the candy. It doesn’t add any value to your body and if you break out easily just leave it alone.
- Find a good face mask and stick with it: I prefer the Origins brand. Their Out of Trouble mask does wonders. It’s a clay mask that literally removes all the crap from under your skin. Then I’ll switch over to the Aveda Redness Relief mask to calm the skin and decrease the appearance of acne scars.
- Talk to your dermatologist: They can analyze your skin and give you good products that will eliminate breakouts within weeks. It is worth spending money on skin products! Besides, when you visit the dermatologist they typically give you plenty of samples to last you weeks.
- Spend money on Microdermabrasions: Even if you exfoliate and wash your face all the time, you still have dirt built up in your skin. I swear by microdermabrasions because they give you a deep exfoliation and help get rid of acne scars. You can find decent deals on Groupon. Make sure to find a technician that you like and listens to your requests.
- Clean your makeup brushes: Go find a makeup brush cleaner. I usually try to buy one with tea tree oil infused with it so I know it has antibacterial properties. Wash your brushes every other week or more!
- Don’t stress: If you find yourself stressing, try to take some me time because stress increases your cortisone levels, which is a stress hormone and could be linked to breakouts!
- Don’t touch your face: Hands off the face. If you break out on the chin, start to catch yourself when you rest your chin on your hand when you’re at school or at the office. There are so many bacteria on your hands, that are going right on your face and right next to your mouth!
- Detox your liver: Carrot juice and other teas can be great detoxes for your liver. Your liver detoxifies your body but sometimes can have some leftover ick that it can’t get rid of. If you’ve found yourself eating extra poorly lately, you might want a little detox.
- Alcohol will not give you clear skin: Hate to break it to you, but booze will only make your acne worse. If you’re super serious about getting clear skin, steer away from the liquor!
- Exercise: exercising is a great way to relieve stress; however, make sure you are washing your face immediately after sweating. And try to remove makeup before the gym!
This may seem like a lot, but these different practices will improve your life as well. A healthy body means healthy skin. But no matter what, acne or not, love the skin you’re in!