Home Health Dealing with acne? 6 lifestyle tips for beauty and healthy skin

Dealing with acne? 6 lifestyle tips for beauty and healthy skin

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Being humble is not having acne. Acne is a phase, a hormonal phase that all or some of us go through but that doesn’t mean we cannot do something about it.

Acne is a common skin condition where the pores of your skin become blocked by hair, sebum (an oily substance), bacteria and dead skin cells. Those blockages produce blackheads, whiteheads, nodules and other types of pimples.

Looking good is a part of feeling good. Acne can ruin your self-esteem and hurt your ego.

While some acne can be altered by changing our lifestyle and routine, others have to be seen by a doctor, more so a dermatologist.

In my experience, regular doctors will prescribe some creams to you and the acne diminishes. However, after the dosage is over, the acne creeps back.

Dermatologist

The advantage of visiting a dermatologist is that they will put you in a series of treatments, that is, treat you in phases depending on the severity of the acne.

They also have the machines necessary to take a closer look at your skin.

It’s also a great idea to see a dermatologist especially if you have insurance like AoN. Some of the drugs can be pricey and having insurance is a bonus.

Also, if you are in Nyeri or Kirinyaga County, I’d recommend you to visit Kerugoya Medical Centre (near the market).

I might not get the name right but it is the hospital near the market, not the one on the highway. I can vouch for the dermatologist in this hospital.

If you visit hospitals in Nyeri, you can also find yourself being referred to him.

Lifestyle changes

However, if you have mild breakouts, there are some tips and lifestyle changes that you can incorporate to tone down the acne.

Leave your breakouts alone. I get that at times you may feel like an ugly toad but pressing the pimples makes the situation worse. Don’t pop the blackheads lest you cause inflammation and pus which leads to more breakouts and swelling.

Instead, consider applying Colgate overnight to reduce the swelling or ripen the pimple. You can also apply Vaseline.

Drink water. Drink water especially warm water infused with lemons. Lemons are antioxidants and help in digestion and reduction of insulin production. An increase in insulin production leads to an increase in the production of androgens (hormones).

This translates to more breakouts. Hormones induce oil glands to produce more oil by attaching themselves and also feeding the bacteria.

Avoid scented soaps. Avoid anything scented on your face. Sweet-smelling soaps and lotions aggravate acne by clogging follicles.

If you are acne-prone, use aqua-based non-scented lotions such as Physiogel which you can purchase from the chemist or drugstore.

Balanced diet. Eat a healthy balanced diet.  Increase alkaline foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables as opposed to acidic foods such as coffee, sugar and processed grains. This reduces acidosis (high acid levels). Alkaline foods neutralize acids and cortisol level which is found in higher levels in acne patients.

Hormone. Cortisol is a stress hormone and is responsible for fatigue and acne. It stimulates adrenal glands to produce androgens thus causing breakouts in acne-prone skin.

Overall, visit the doctor to confirm the kind of acne you’re suffering from.

Whether cystic, allergic dermatitis or papules, we incorporate a healthy lifestyle for effective healing.