Hello beautiful people!
My name is Jessica Glynn and you know what sucks?
Mhm, that little four-letter word that takes a toll on all of us at some point in our lives (and if it hasn't then consider yourself very fortunate). But yes, acne sucks. Of course there are a number of other things in the world that suck even more than acne but let's be real, having acne is not a fun time. However, all hope is not lost! I've complied a list of tips to keep your acne at bay. You've probably heard most of them before, but hopefully there will be some new ones that jump out at you! Oh and the tips aren't in any particular order, just writing them down as they pop into my head. Happy reading :)
1. Pillow cases. Change 'em. At least once a week.
1. Pillow cases. Change 'em. At least once a week.
Think about it. You drool on those bad boys, you sweat on them, the oils from your hair get on them... need I say anymore? What I would suggest (if you can), is change your pillow cases every 2 days and flip your pillow every day. I know that's a lot of pillow cases, and ultimately a lot of laundry, but I'm just trying to help you out. As the very least, change your pillow cases once a week! ALSO, don't forget to change your sheets once a week as well!
2. Sleep on your back, if possible.
This goes hand-in-hand with the pillow case tip. When you sleep on your side, that whole side of your face is exposed to the nastiness that lies in your pillow. And don't even get me started if you sleep on your stomach. It's actually been proven that if you sleep on your side/stomach, you're more likely to show signs of premature aging, and nobody wants that! So try your best to sleep on your back!
3. WATER. Drink it.
I'm not talking about a glass a day either. You see those disposable water bottles, you know the ones with 500 mLs? Yeah, you should be drinking about 4 of those per day. Also, make sure this is distributed evenly throughout the day and not chugged right before bed. If you want to drink more, more power to you! It's no surprise the effects that water has on our bodies and more importantly our skin! So drink up, buttercup.
4. Avoid touching your face.
For obvious reasons. You touch thousands of things every day and imagine taking all of those things and slathering them all over your face? Wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. If you are going to touch your face though, at least make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with an antibacterial hand soap before hand.
5. Keep your hair out of your face as much as possible.
This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the last tip. Your scalp produces tons of natural oils that aren't meant to be interacting with your face. As well, if you put a ton of products in your hair like I do (i.e. mousse, gels, hairspray, heat protector, etc.), you really don't want all those products touching your face either. My suggestions, tuck your hair back behind your ears or tie it up in a ponytail if you can. Obviously you don't have to wear your hair in a ponytail everyday but try your best to keep it away from your face.
6. Sanitize your phone screens/cases if you're a talker.
This should hopefully go without saying... If you are texting or swiping your phone screens with dirty fingers (because I know you don't wash your hands every time you text or swipe your phone screen) and then placing that screen up against your cheek, uh-un. Not good. You can wipe your screen/case with a moist baby wipe then dry it off with a paper towel at least once a week, but I would suggest doing this once a day if you can.
7. Stop drinking milk and avoid as much dairy as possible.
Yes, I know this tip sucks. Especially coming from a girl who loves milk, cream cheese, yogurt, you name it, however, the short-term benefits as well as the long-term benefits are so worth it. There are a ton of articles on the internet explaining why milk is
actually doing more harm than good to your skin (i.e.: tons of hormones
in milk (hormone IGF-1), excess product of sebum, insulin spikes, etc.). I even made a separate blog post talking all about this if you'd like to read you can click here!
8. Use make-up sparingly.
I know this is going to be a tough one for all you make-up lovers out there and trust me, I'm with you on this one. However, it is something to keep if mind if you are battling acne. Make-up that isn't labelled "non-comedogenic" contains ingredients that are known to clog your pores. Clogged pores = unhappy skin. If you are going to wear make-up, try not to make in an everyday thing (tons of make-up everyday has been show to cause premature aging to the skin and ain't nobody want that!). As well, make sure the make-up you are wearing is oil-free and non-comedogenic.
9. Do not, I repeat, do not sleep with make-up on!
Yes, we've heard it all before and yet we still fall into the trap of actually doing it (I'm so guilty of this one, I know it's bad). Think about it, all that crap that is on your face continuing to seep into your pores as you snore away and then you wake up regretting not taking it all off before you went to bed. It is a known fact that the skin renews itself at night. Going to bed with makeup on your skin
can actually interfere with the skin's natural healing process and cellular
turnover. So at the very least, if you really are that tired/lazy to get out of bed and thoroughly wash your make-up off, take a baby wipe and wipe away as much as you can. It's still better than nothing, but either way get off your lazy butt and remove all of it (talking to myself as well)!
10. Exercise daily, or at least try to.
Again, another tip that requires a little bit of work on your side but is totally worth it not only for your skin, but for your overall health and body. I'm not saying you have to go out and buy a fancy gym membership or buy a ridiculously expensive workout machine. However, you can exercise for free in the comfort of your own home or even in the community. Whether it's running on the spot, squats, lunges, burpees, push-ups, crunches, etc. etc. etc, at least do something to get the blood flowing, heart pumping, and body sweating. Exercise helps decrease stress levels and increases blood circulation which carries more oxygen to skin cells and gets rid of any cell waste.
11. Swap out the junk food for healthy food.
Junk/processed food has a ton of sugar and sodium in it, not to mention a crazy ton of fat which is not good for your body or your skin. I know we've all had a cheeseburger and fries or chocolate and then woke up the next morning wondering why we have new pimples, well that's a good reason why. try to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into your diet as well as whole grains and nuts. Really go crazy on the dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, green beans, and swiss chard.
12. Cut out alcohol entirely, if you can.
Not only will this benefit your wallet, it will also greatly benefit your skin and your body, who would've thought? Alcohol changes your hormone levels and one direct cause of acne is the imbalance in testosterone and estrogen levels. Alcohol also dehydrates the skin which makes it look less plump and appear dull the next day. Like Tip #3 suggests, just stick to the water and your skin will thank you later!
13. Chill the heck out!
This is a tip for people in general (not even for those who are suffering from acne necessarily). When your body is stressed, there
is a hormone fluctuation that causes an increase in the amount of oil
your skin secretes, which can cause acne to form or worsen. Yes,
sometimes stress is inevitable,
however there are tons of things you can do to de-stress (whether it's
listening to music, having a nap, watching tv, yoga, meditation,
massages, and the list goes on and on). It's important to work hard, but try not to work yourself too hard as it will only lead to increased stress levels.
Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn
"I am so beautiful, sometimes people weep when they see me. And it has nothing to do with what I look like really, it is just that I gave myself the power to say that I am beautiful, and if I could do that, maybe there is hope for them too. And the great divide between the beautiful and the ugly will cease to be. Because we are all what we choose. "
Margaret Cho
