How to deal with acne

When I was a teenager I had pretty bad acne. My face was practically covered and like many kids in the 90's I lived seeing the Clean & Clear logo throughout my adolescent years. My mum must have spent a fortune on creams, face washes and expensive body shop products with tea tree oil in just to try to help me. My mum pretty much told me she would not let me take the pill which you can take in order to get rid of acne due to its side effects; which I'm thankful for. The annoying things is I didn't really learn how to best deal with acne until it had gone away.

Like most people I had teenage acne, but my skin isn't acne prone now. I barely get one - two spots a month.  So for those reading wondering if it ends the likelihood is it will. The big thing for me was reading about acne and reading other people's tips so here's my tips!

Washing your face

My main tip for skin, regardless of if you have acne is to wash your face twice a day. Of a morning and an evening I will at least make sure I wash my face over with water. But the use of a daily facial wash at least once a day will help your skin tremendously. Cleaning your skin in the morning removes the oil, dirt and sebum collected on your skin during the night. Cleaning your skin in the evening removes the same stuff after the day! So getting your skin in a good cleaning routine is a good first step. If you work out make sure you wash your face afterwards as well.

Clean clean clean!

By this I don't mean clean your face, I mean clean everything that gets in contact with your face. Make-up brushes, pillow cases, hair even your hands. Keeping things like this clean helps remove any build up of dirt contacting your face and clogging your pores. Wash your make-up brushes at least once a week. Even if you don't use them it removes any dust that may have collected on them. Use products to clean them that won't aggravate your skin and that have anti bacterial properties to them. As for your pillow cases I was these every other day. If you have a partner or a boyfriend/girlfriend/friend that stays over or shares your bed with you try and wash them after they leave or like I do every other day. As for your hair that us subjective. After a dye I leave my hair to last two days till I can then go back to everyday; basically just make sure your hair isn't greasy or unclean.

Try an up-du!

For those with long hair try tying your hair up. Keeping hair away from your face will allow your skin to breath. If you hate the idea of this tie it up when you're relaxing in your room, or before/during bed! If you have bangs like I do invest in a clip or a headband and keep your bangs back to avoid acne on the forehead. I myself before bed put my hair up in a bun and take a clip and clip my fringe back in a kind of quiff style so it still looks nice. Again even though my skin has cleared I like to do this in order to reduce the oil and hair products that get in contact with my face.

Watch what you put on your hair

Some hair styling products can contain oil which may get absorbed into your hair. Avoid products like gel if you can. One big tip I have for this is before you come in from a night out tie your hair back. Since we use a lot of products on nights out its a good idea to keep your hair back when you come in a little tired/worse for wear!

Don't try too many products at once!

I know when I had acne I used about 800 lotions and potions and I kept reapplying them throughout the day. This was not only aggravating my skin it was also clogging my pores itself. Stick to one of each product, an acne treatment, a toner, a cleanser e.t.c

It's also a common misconception that acne means you have oily skin - this is not necessarily the case. Many people with dry skin can also suffer from acne. So make sure you are not over-drying your skin out with products as this usually makes your skin produce more oil anyway!

Have make-up free days

Even though I don't really suffer from acne myself any-more I always make sure I have at least one day a week where I don't wear any make-up. Usually I have make-up free Sundays and Mondays as I am off then. Just make sure you wear as little make-up as possible in order to let your kin breathe! If needs be invest in a foundation that also fights acne; I recommend Seventeen On The Spot foundation which I have reviewed here.

Don't touch your skin

This one is a tough one, try not to lean on your hand or sit touching your face if you can. This just helps to not spread things such as oil or sebum around the face. It is a hard thing to stop yourself doing but if you could try or ask someone you spend time with to tell you when you are doing it you may be more concious of it.

Don't pop spots or acne!

Again another tough one! When you have had a spot for so long and it comes to head it is so tempting to pop it and just cover it up from then on. But you mustn't! In popping spots you actually rupture the membrane underneath your skin which causes the spreading of acne. So as tempting as it is just let them completely heal on their own.

Consult a dermatologist

Ultimately if your skin is causing you to be depressed or stopping you from enjoying social interaction it is best to speak to a professional who could help. Take a visit to your doctor!





And my biggest tip?

REMEMBER YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL...

At the end of the day every person is beautiful. Remember you are beautiful.

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