They say beauty is only skin deep, but what if your skin is troubled? Your confidence stems from the way you look, but if your face is plagued by acne, there is bound to be a dip in your confidence levels too. When your face is all red, blemished and filled with pimples, you would have a sense of physical and mental discomfort. Studies have shown that acne can actually affect the mental health of people and lead to anxiety, depression and can affect self-image too.
However, acne is basically a medical condition, which means that it can be treated and should you be willing to take the necessary steps and precautions, you should be able to see skin that is smooth and flawless. Acne treatmentis rarely highly invasive and, in most cases, there is the need only for steady medication and a change in certain habits and you should be able to see skin that is healthy from inside and out. If you are battling severe acne, you should ideally meet with a dermatologist and they will not only suggest a course of medication and treatment, but also a set of dos and don’ts that you will need to follow. These will be extremely important to keep in mind, if you want to keep constant breakouts afar.
Let’s start with what all you should not do:
- One of the most common causes of frequent acnebreakoutsis our own fault – we spend too much time analysing the condition of our skin, without actually knowing much about it. We keep looking at magnifying mirrors wondering why our skin looks the way it is and often end up touching the acne, with hands that might not be completely clean. And in case you are planning to pick and pop the ‘zits’, you are actually inviting immense trouble for your skin, including scarring.
- You need to remember that your skin is much more delicate than you think, which is why you need to be extremely gentle with it. As tempting as touching the acne might seem, don’t! As tempting as picking at the scab might seem, don’t! You might think that rubbing your skin with a towel might help remove the acne, it won’t. And in case you feel that products that claim to exfoliate your skin effectively, don’t invest in them all.
- It is true that acne has excessive oil as one of the root causes, but washing your face every few minutes is not going to help. Rather, it will strip away the natural oils in your skin, leaving it dry and feeling quite tight. This could lead to a completely different set of problems for your skin; something you can totally avoid.
- Another one of the causes of frequent acne breakouts happens to be makeup – many a times, we think that we can hide the acne using makeup, but you could be very well aggravating the problem. The makeup can further block the pores of the skin, which would lead to more acne and this will create a cycle that you might not be able to escape. If you do have acne problems, it is best that you avoid makeup, but in case you do need to use it, use minimal amounts and gently remove it, as soon as possible. It is just as important that you invest in good quality makeup products and clean the brushes and sponges regularly.
Now, we can move onto what all you should do to ensure that your acne is well handled:
- If you are seeing your acne getting from bad to worse, you might need proper acne treatment and for that, you will need to meet a dermatologist. When you go to an experienced dermatologist, they will give your skin a thorough examination, try to understand what could be causing your acne and then offer you a proper diagnosis and course of treatment. They can provide you with tips and tricks on how to take care of your skin and also prescribe medications or medicated skin care products.
- Rather than your regular facewash and face cream, you might want to switch to something that is more suited for your acne. If you have already met with a dermatologist, they would suggest a mild face cleanser that will remove excess oil, without making your skin feel dry. Chances are that you might be asked to wash your face with warm water, twice or perhaps, thrice a day. These could be products with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide as these are both considered suitable to treat acne.
- One of the prominent causes of frequent acne breakouts happens to be your diet – if your diet is not nutrient rich and if there is too much junk food, you could be inviting acne into your life. While the occasional bar of chocolate or burger is fine, you need to make sure that your regular diet is rich in nutrients. Chart out a balance diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and eggs as well as plenty of water, because your skin needs to stay hydrated. Your dermatologist might ask you to limit your dairy intake along with sugar and carbs.
- Sunlight is needed for the body to process vitamin D naturally in the body, but too much sunlight could wreak havoc on your acne. The UV rays of the sun can damage your skin further and you could also be susceptible to skin cancer. Then there are certain medications that can make your skin even more sensitive to sunlight, which is why you should confirm the same with your dermatologist. If you do need to step out in the sun, make sure that you wear a sunscreen (one probably prescribed by your dermatologist), wear a large hat to keep the sun away, and wear clothes that allow your skin to breathe.
- One of the most interesting causes for acne is your phone – these days, it has become an extension of the human body, and when we keep it constantly next to our face, we are making it home to everything from sweat and oil to dirt and grime. This means, that if you do not clean your phone regularly, you might be holding a pack of bacteria, next to your face. An anti-bacterial wet wipe is more than enough to clean the phone and offer your skin that extra protection.
Acne treatmentis more of lifestyle changes than medications and treatment procedures – however, it will be based on the severity of your acne, that a proper course of action will be decided for you. However, if you are willing to keep these above mentioned dos and don’ts on a regular basis, you should most certainly see an improvement.
