The Secret to Acne Control: Keeping it Simple

There is so much about our daily lives that we cannot control. Sadly, some of those very things may be contributing to our breakouts. There is hope, however. There are very real (and oh so simple) things that you can do every day to help keep that acne in check.

Hands OFF!

Resist the temptation to pick at your pimples. No rubbing, no squeezing, no pressing and certainly no picking. When you do any of these things you are messing with the sebum (an oily substance found on your skin to keep it from drying out) which can then spread underneath your skin through breaks in the skin’s ultra thin membrane. Once this occurs, you’re in for a one way ticket to Zitsville of sure. When it comes to acne control, remember what mom used to say: don’t touch!

Where Have Those Things Been?

Since our hands are the primary way we interact with the world around us, there is no telling what is all over them by the end of the day. Every time we touch our face to brush the hair out of our eyes or to scratch an itch we are transferring potentially acne causing bacteria to our faces. To help regulate your acne control, keep your hands clean with a non alcohol based hand sanitizer. Don’t go overboard, as the over use of sanitizers could dry out your skin, but make sure you’re keeping those paws clean.

Plain Jane Wins the Day

It’s sad, really, how often we play right into the media’s hands and cake on powders, creams, and other beauty products in an attempt to fit in with the “in” crowd. All of that make up might make you feel better today, but you’ll pay for it in the long run. Make up covers the skin and inhibits its ability to breathe, which leads to decreased oxygen and poor blood circulation. That’s some serious hampering on the road to acne control! The residue left behind by some cosmetics and cosmetic removers also can lodge in the pores of our skin and create outbreaks. If you must doll up on a daily basis, stick with natural products whenever you can—and make sure you carefully wash it all off at the end of the day.

Less Stress is Best

Let’s face it, your life is hectic. You’re battling deadlines at work all day. You get home and you’re making dinner while listening to everyone else’s day and all you want is a few minutes to yourself.

This kind of stress from everyday living can lead to breakouts before you know it. That’s why it’s so essential for acne control (and your own personal mental and emotional well being) to take a little time for yourself every day. Find a few minutes for meditation in the evenings. Take a walk around the block in the afternoons.

The more stress you are able to remove from your life, the less you’ll find yourself looking wearily into the mirror as an acne outbreak stares back at you.

The more you are able to make a concerted effort to change the environment your skin lives in the quicker you’ll begin enjoying the environment you live in.