Acne always seems to break just when we least need it to. It seems to save itself for important occasions such as the photo shoot for a family portrait, your first date, or even worse – on your wedding day. On these occasions even a small pimple can ruin your whole day.
So, are there are things you can do to combat a breakout of acne? Fortunately, there is! Adding these 7 tricks to your anti-acne arsenal will help you prevent any unfortunate outbreaks.
1. Stay Hydrated
Make sure you consume at least 2 liters of water daily (or 8 glasses) to keep your skin nicely hydrated. Having plenty of water in your system helps your body remove all of the nasty toxins that are responsible for acne breakouts.
2. Twice-Daily Face Wash
An excess of oil on your skin causes a build-up of acne causing bacteria in your pores. The effect produced by washing your face is twofold – you remove the excess oil, and also kill the bacteria.
For people who are prone to acne outbreaks, the recommended procedure is to wash their faces twice daily – once in the morning and once in the evening just before bed. Use warm water (not hot) with a mild soap or facial cleanser for best results.
3. Fresh Towels Every Day
Most people get by with a weekly wash of bed sheets and pillow cases. For sufferers of oily skin or hair, two or three times a week is recommended.
When our pillow cases, towels, and sheets have been soiled, the acne causing bacteria can be transferred back to our skin while we’re sleeping or drying, causing further breakouts.
4. Reduce Stress
Probably one of the main reasons acne breakouts occur during important times such as a wedding, is because acne is highly reactive to our stress levels.
Keeping your stress levels down can go a long way to reducing acne outbreaks. Exercising and keeping busy with plenty of productive activities is just a couple of the ways you can reduce your stress levels.
5. Wipe Off Excess Sweat
If you are the active and sporty type then you should be mindful to remove sweat from your face as often as possible while you are exerting yourself. Once you’ve completed your exercise session, use mild face cleansers to further remove any build-up of dried sweat.
In this way, you are keeping the pores clear of pimple breeding dirt and grime. It might also be a good idea to use a mild exfoliate once or twice a week to clear the pores of excess dead skin cells.
6. Stop Touching Your Face
Our hands are always picking up dirt and germs from everything we touch, so it makes sense that we should avoid transferring this gunk to our face by touching. Unless there is real need for it, keep your hands away from your face. This will stop dirt and bacteria being transferred to your face and blocking the pores.
Those with long hair might also want to consider keeping their hair away from their face. Long hair is notorious for transferring trapped dirt, oil, and grime to our faces.
7. Facial Moisturizers
Keep your face moisturized by a daily application of lotions and creams after a bath or shower.
It may seem contrary but the hot water from the bath and shower actually helps to dry out the skin and make it oilier.