Dealing With Acne

Whether you have chronic acne or just an occasional pimple, it’s important to keep a few simple rules in mind to help keep the problem under control.

First, when touching your face to apply make-up or for any other reason, wash your hands! Your hands come in contact with many types of bacteria that can infect your skin.

It is also important to use clean make-up applicators. They may carry harmful germs.

Throw away all make-up that is more than 90 days old. This is another breeding ground for bacteria.

Don’t share make-up products with friends unless you want their bacteria too.

Wash your face regularly with a cleaner made especially for the face. This can be a name brand beauty product or good old fashioned soap. Don’t forget that old fashioned lye soap, goats milk soap, green clay soap and charcoal soap (I recommend Khataji brand) are all natural, hypoallergenic ways of keeping your face clean and moisturized naturally.

Don’t wash too much if you have oily skin. It’s tempting to wash the oil away, but washing too much actually increases the production of oil making you more shiny and attracting more dirt and bacteria.

Go natural as much as you can. Maybe this means going without make-up on weekends. It could mean using only all natural products or at least reducing the amount of chemicals you use on your skin. There are some products out there that get fantastic results, but the chemicals that make them cause their own problems. You use A to cleanse, B to moisturize (because A took out all the skin’s natural oils), C to tone, etc. Perfumes are also irritating to sensitive skin. So give your skin a break once in a while. Let it breathe.

If you see a pimple, don’t pop it. Popping it can cause a cyst which is far worse than a pimple.

Diet impacts skin health. The skin is one of the ways the body filters toxins. If your skin is “bad”, your diet is bad. Try eliminating sugars, processed foods, carbonated drinks, caffeine, and greasy food. Add fresh alive foods instead.

Finally, if you have more of a problem than over-the-counter remedies can deal with, see a dermatologist. It’s amazing the things they can do!