Wash your pillowcase regularly to help prevent acne breakouts. Image courtesy thehealthage.com
Most of us seek out acne treatment sometime in our lives. For some, the breakouts are much more severe than for others. This is usually due to genetics. But whether you suffer hereditary breakouts or the occasional bout of pimples due to hormonal causes, there are a handful of easy ways to help alleviate the problem. Severe acne may not be completely cured in every case, but it can be reduced. Watch your skin improve after 6 weeks by following this simple skin care regimen.
1. Keep Hands and Unwashed Hair Away from Your Face
A publication from the University of Wisconsin says that people touch their faces an average of 16 times per hour. Our hands are covered in germs and oils, which can cause acne breakouts and make existing pimples worse. You can improve oily skin by keeping your hands away from your face. So when you feel tempted to rest your cheek against your hand, stop yourself! Similarly, unwashed hair retains oils. Wear your hair in a ponytail or use a headband when you’re in between shampoos.
2. Do Not Pick Existing Pimples
When you squeeze pimples, you are guilty of touching your face, thereby transmitting more oil. Again, this can lead to breakouts. Additionally, squeezing pimples promotes sebum production and may rupture the membrane that’s keeping the oil contained to one pore. This can cause the sebum to spread beneath the skin, which leads to more pimples.
3. Drink Your Daily Dose of H2O
Drinking six to eight glasses of water per day is one of the simplest things you can do for great general health. It is also a good preventative acne treatment. Water helps the liver and intestines do their job filtering out the toxins that can clog up your skin.
4. Wash Your Pillowcase Twice Per Week
Oil, germs, and sweat from your face, hands, hair, body, etc accumulate on your pillowcase every night. Resting your face for eight hours against a surface infested with oil and toxins is a sure way to make breakouts happen. Especially if you already have problem skin. Simply wash your pillowcase every 5 days (or more often if you have severe acne) to help stop breakouts.
5. Make Sure You Have Vitamin A in Your Diet
Vitamin A is an important antioxidant that helps prevent acne breakouts. It helps rid the body of toxins, slows down sebum production, and helps with skin maintenance and repair. Synthesized vitamin A is the source for acne treatment products like retinoic acid and Accutane. In fact, a deficiency of vitamin A can actually cause acne. Vitamin A can be found naturally in many foods, in the form of beta-carotene. Carrots, mangos, sweet potatoes, and kale are a few examples.
6. Try Natural Anti-bacterial Acne Treatment
Pore blockages occur when there’s dry skin, dirt, or other loose debris. The over-production of sebum itself can also cause the pores to become clogged. Once this happens, bacteria have a place to thrive. It is the bacteria that actually infect pore blockages and turn small whiteheads or blackheads into inflamed pimples. Thus, it is an essential part of acne treatment to reduce bacteria on the skin. Honey and sea salt both have natural anti-bacterial properties that can help clear up acne. Try using a honey mask once per week or adding a tablespoon of sea salt to your toner.