It’s time to talk skin. Understanding how factors such as nutrition and poor habits affect the skin can help jump-start a skincare routine while improving overall wellness. Here are eight great tips to help make acne pimples a thing of the past:
Maintain a regular skin cleansing regimen: Make a concerted effort to cleanse your skin every morning and night to rid your skin of oil, dirt and dead skin cells. The buildup of dirt, skin oils and makeup clogs pores and may cause acne. Try using Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash, followed with Clearasil Skin Tone Acne Treatment Cream to treat and disguise the acne you have now. Once you’ve cleansed your skin with the face wash, dot the area around the pimple and gently blend with clean fingertips. The treatment cream is a great spot treatment and concealer in one.
Pay attention to your diet: What you put in your body directly affects the appearance of your skin. To achieve healthy looking skin from the inside out, avoid eating processed foods, as well as acidic foods such as sugar, red meat and dairy. Processed foods cannot be properly metabolized in your body and the by-products often result in skin inflammation, dryness, oiliness, and breakouts.
Add essential fatty acids: Essential fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes. They act as barriers protecting cells from harmful substances and passageways for nutrients and waste products to cross in and out of the cell. Healthy skin begins with healthy skin cells, so consuming essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 found in fish, walnuts, flax seed oil, and olive oil will work wonders on your complexion.
Drink more water: Keeping your body well hydrated plays a key role in achieving healthy looking skin. In addition to hydrating cells, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, leaving skin looking clear and vibrant. A great trick is to add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in your water every morning. The combination kick-starts the digestive system, alkalizes the liver, and helps cleanse the body. A cleansed body results in clear skin.
Get more sleep: Sleep gives your skin an opportunity to repair and rejuvenate itself. Your cells need approximately eight to ten hours of rest to replenish and maintain a healthy immune system. A healthy immune system helps fight acne lesions when they occur, which makes combating your acne a whole lot easier.
Make sunscreen your best friend: Never let your guard down. Use an SPF of 15 or higher every single day to protect your skin from inflammation, UV damage, burns, wrinkles, collagen/elastin decomposition, and age spots. Sunscreen wears off after swimming and exercise, so be sure to apply and reapply sunscreen every couple of hours. If you have acne prone skin, use an oil-free sunscreen that is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores).
Avoid smoking and alcohol: Smoking and alcohol wreak havoc on your body and affect the look and feel of your skin. Toxins, chemicals, and carbon monoxide inhaled in cigarette smoke cause blood vessels to constrict, slowing the circulation of blood, and depleting your cells of oxygen and nutrients. Alcohol challenges your body’s ability to rest and repair, resulting in puffiness and acne flare ups. Want better skin? Avoid alcohol and cigarettes as much as possible.
See your dermatologist once a year: Dermatologists are an excellent resource. They can help determine how you can improve your complexion by making changes to your overall wellness and daily routine.
