What not to do when faced with an acne problem, and how to overcome

Skin breakouts can be the most annoying and irritating thing to ever happen to you and trying to heal your skin can be a roller coaster ride of doing the right things one day, and completely ruining things the next.

Here are some of the dos and don’ts that I learnt along the way as I tried to heal my face; I hope they will come in handy.

What not to do

­Do not wash your face too much; twice a day is enough. When you do, use a mild cleanser that works with your skin type. Mine is an oily face, some people have oily combination skin or dry skin types.

Don’t pick/squeeze the break outs when you try to press your pore, you run the risk of pushing the bacteria deeper or spreading it around underneath your skin thus multiplying your pimples.

Don’t over exfoliate, but you can use fine grain once a week. This is because the layers of our skin near the surface have protective proteins and lipids that keep moisture in and acne-causing bacteria out. Aggressive scrubbing can impair the skin-barrier function and lead to inflammation.

One time I mentioned that I had used baking powder as a cleanser for my face, but I later found out that it is highly alkaline which makes it bad for your skin.

Keep your hair off your face, it helps prevent oil build up on your face

Stress is a contributing factor to breakouts; it increases production of excess hormones, including cortisol, which can stimulate your oil glands to make testosterone, in return increases oil production and clogs pores. So stress triggers acne and acne results in more stress, it’s a very vicious cycle. Moral of the story, avoid stress.

Minimise skin contact; this includes touching your face, hugs (am not saying you should not hug your friends but remember any face contact would increase bacteria on your face) especially hugging friends with hair, and weaves hanging loosely on the face.

What to do

Be consistent, do not change a product after every week, and give at least more than two weeks to determine if it’s working with you.

Use cucumber on your skin. You can also blend it and take it as juice, equally place it on the face as it soothes the inflammation and the acne due to it cooling effects.

Adopt food rich in antioxidants such as green tea, purple tea and lemon water (Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals). They are found in many foods, including fruits and vegetables. They are also available as dietary supplements.

Fresh food rich in fibre such as vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods are also vital in the process of combating skin breakouts.

Treat your skin to foods rich in vitamins A and E like leafy greens, grapefruit, nuts, and avocado, which can help clear your complexion, and fibre, which slows the absorption of sugar into your system and reduces the risk of acne,

Drinking lots of water is a major contributing factor as it aids in flushing out of accumulated toxins in the body system, thus contributing to over all body health.

Wash your pillow cases as often as you could to remove dust, hair oil and product residues that pile on it and therefore becoming a colony of bacteria waiting for your face, leading to breakouts.

Alternatively you can get a hand towel or face towel and place it on your pillow, and change it on a daily basis.

Clean your face every night that way it allows the skin to rejuvenate and recover as it has natural antibiotics that fights bad bacteria at night.

Exercise on a regular basis especially for hormonal acne, this will help you release stress, so your body doesn’t continue to release hormones that will only harm your skin.

Brushes harbour a ton of bacteria, so essentially every time you apply makeup to your face; you’re also applying bacteria. To prevent this from happening, make sure to wash your brushes at least once a week with mild shampoo and warm water.

Phones collect lots of dirt and bacteria; we use our fingers all over the screen then press it on our cheeks for long periods of times. So it is advisable to wipe your phone with antibacterial wipes often to avoid breakouts and keep good general hygiene.

Cranking up the temperature in your shower can feel therapeutic, especially on a cold day, but in all honesty, it’s about the last thing your skin needs. Hot water is incredibly drying, and as we’ve mentioned before, dryness can lead to breakouts.

Last but not the least, ensure you sleep and rest well because it comes in handy to tackle everything else.

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dos and donts acne

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