It’s a myth that only teenagers suffer from acne. Adults can battle acne in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s, which can be annoying, frustrating and even embarrassing. For day 10 of The 12 Days of Blog-mas, I’m sharing a post that I wrote for a class this past school term to help you banish your acne for good and let your true self shine!
1) Stop drinking artificially sweetened beverages and start drinking water.
Did you know that 72% of your body is water? Dehydration is one of the most prevalent underlying conditions that can lead to acne, so it’s important to drink an adequate amount of water every day! Water helps carry nutrients and vitamins throughout the body and remove toxins and waste products. Since the skin is the largest elimination organ in the body, it’s typically the first place to see problems when the body is dehydrated. Toxins, waste and bacteria can get trapped in the skin when there’s not enough water to flush them out, which can increase the chance of acne forming. So how much water should you be drinking every single day? Around 8-11 cups of water per day is recommended.
To read more benefits of water, check out my blog post documenting what happened when I drank 96oz of water every single day for a month.
2) Unclog your pores.
A skin pore is an opening that allows sebum, oil produced beneath the skin, to emerge. It’s important to regularly clean your pores because when sebum binds with dirt and dead cells shed from the skin, it can block the pore, build up, and form a pimple. One way to unclog your pores would be to use a clay face mask. Clay masks work hard to clean and tighten your pores, while you sit back and relax. They extract dirt and grease, gently exfoliate dry, flaky skin, and the ones with peppermint create a cool, tingly clean sensation. Most clay face mask work for all skin types, but they’re especially effective for those who have sensitive, oily, acne prone skin.
3) Throw away the harsh chemical acne treatments and use natural Tea Tree Oil.
Salicylic acid is a medicinal ingredient that is commonly found in acne products. If it’s used repeatedly for a long period of time, it can actually do more damage to your skin than good. Salicylic acid opens the pores and kills the bacteria that cause acne to form. The downside of salicylic acid is that it causes the skin to dry out and peel. As the skin dries out, it produces more sebum, which can cause more acne, and once again, there’s a need for acne treatments. Instead of using harsh chemical acne treatments that could lead to your skin condition deteriorating, reach for natural, essential oils such as tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is derived from the leaves of the tea tree and it naturally kills bacteria and fungus, reduces redness, and clears excess facial oil without damaging the skin.
Those are my 3 tips that have helped my skin tremendously. Let me know in the comments down below or on Twitter @pandamoniumpink if you have any other acne fighting tips. Don’t let your acne take over your life, put an end to it and show your true self!
Keep smiling,
Kels
