Acne is a skin disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Developing acne forms part of our lives and should not cause panic and anxiety. It’s natural and part of the process of growing up. Teenagers who reach puberty are often the most vulnerable for acne outbreak. During this phase, teenagers experience hormonal changes and this is one of the major causes of acne. When hormonal changes occur, your skin oil glands called the sebaceous glands are disturbed and start producing more oil on your skin. The end result is your pores get clogged and pimples are likely to pop out of your skin. Some adults too are not spared from acne as the latter is not only caused by hormone imbalance. Anyone who has acne should take care of managing it and applying some prevention tips to hinder its proliferation and to cure it.

We all know that we should take care of our skin even though we don’t have acne. Every day our skin is exposed to dirt, bacteria, potentially harmful chemicals, pollution etc… It’s imperative to clean our skin on a regular basis. If you have acne, you need to take double care. Here are 5 skin care tips for acne treatment and prevention:

(1) Avoid Dry Skin

First and foremost, don’t leave your skin dry. It’s not good for acne. After washing your face with some mild hypoallergenic soaps, always apply some sort of moisturizer. Moisturizers can be in the form of lotions or creams. There are several moisturizers on the market which are pretty effective. Look for those which contain natural ingredients like aloe vera, green tea, chamomile, lavender, rosemary and even dead sea minerals which have been proven to be highly curative for skin ailments. Lavender and rosemary are also very effective against oily skin. Some people have also used jojoba oil as a skin moisturizer as it’s nourishing for the skin and and does not clog pores contrary to popular belief. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and can treat acne and blemishes as well. This is why the jojoba oil acne formula is widely used by some acne sufferers.

(2) Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Did you know there is a direct connection between acne and stress? It’s true and it has been proven that when a person stresses too much, a hormone called cortisol is secreted. It’s also familiar by the name of stress hormone. The downside is when too much cortisol is released, this results in an increase of sebum production and the latter is directly responsible for skin oiliness, clogged pores and pimple outbreak. Sometimes stress is unavoidable due to our daily obligations and constraints but during your spare time, try to relax and free yourself from stress. Have a walk in nature, take a bubble bath or a warm shower, listen to soothing music, do some exercises like aerobics, yoga, swimming, jogging, weight lifting or get a nice relaxing swedish massage.

(3) Perform Exercises

As you’ve seen earlier, exercising can contribute to eradicating acne as it has a positive influence in reducing stress which is one of the causes of acne breakout. But another major benefit of exercising is sweating. Perspiring via exercise is not only vital for health but can help eliminate toxins and impurities from your body. Since acne is also linked to toxins in our body, releasing them is beneficial for acne treatment. But always take a nice shower and clean yourself from your sweat after exercising as your skin might have dirt and impurities.

(4) Drink Water

As mentioned above, you need to get rid of toxins from your body and exercise can help in that but did you know that water is very effective in flushing out toxins from your body as well? Water is not only vital for general health but it can also cure acne by eliminating impurities from the system. So don’t hesitate to drink a great amount of water every day. Some health counselors recommend 8-10 big glasses of water every day.

(5) Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables

Limit your intake of deep fried oily foods and fast foods and focus more on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Having a diet rich in vitamins and fiber have been proven to heal acne. Vitamins and minerals are very beneficial for improving skin quality. On the other hand, fiber facilitates digestion and regular bowel activity. Effective bowel activity is fundamental as constipation can lead to accumulated toxins in the body and as you already know, toxins are nefarious when your goal is to cure acne. Eat a nice large mediterranean salad 4-5 times per week with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. These two ingredients are loaded with antioxidants called polyphenols which are helpful for inflammatory conditions like acne and antioxidants are also renowned to give beautiful, radiant and smooth skin.

So there you are. By following these 5 tips on how to get rid of acne, you can be sure to be on your way for an acne-free skin in the long run. Good luck.