Acne is something most people have to deal with in their lives. Although acne is not a “health” problem, it is concern to many people. There are tons of programs out there to clear up and prevent acne. Doctors prescribe medicine for it but it still keeps people up at night. The truth is no one knows why we get acne and there are as many theories as there are treatments. What is known is that acne forms when pores in the skin become clogged. I am going to offer some cheap and simple techniques to ease your suffering.
The skin is an amazing organ. It protects our inner body from bacteria and injury as well as regulates temperature and helps the inner body remove toxins. It just asks that we take just a little care of it in return. Unfortunately, most of us don’t really understand what the skin needs. It tries to tell you with oil product and “dry” skin symptoms. The skin loves moisture. Moisture helps skin function at its best.
Pores in the skin help the skin moisturize as well as remove toxins and regulate temperature. Pores excrete sweat and oil (I don’t know if the same pore does both or if there are specialized pores). When these pores clog, they create acne.
There has been discussion that certain foods cause acne. I am not sure this is true and neither is the scientific community because they are still debating it. I can tell you that acne can be a sign of poor diet especially when one eats a lot of foods that are filled with preservatives and additives. I am a big fan of food journals. This may be one way to determine if your diet contributes to your acne. Keep a record of everything you eat each day and mark the days you get acne. Now what you eat today may not cause acne for 2 days (or so) but you may see a pattern. There is no denying that a healthy diet contributes to healthy skin.
The big thing I encourage is to change your facial cleaning habits. I don’t recommend acne products – they often are severely drying to the skin and can actually cause more problems than help. This is where it gets really hard. We become dependent on our products and the first few days while the body adjusts can be the worst. What a lot of products do is remove the oil from the skin. The skin likes that oil so it produces more so we up the product and start a tug of war with our body. Wash only with water on a cloth during this time. Nightly apply a thin layer of oil to your skin. I use the lotion recipe from a previous article and add rosemary and spearmint oils (I will include this complete recipe in next week’s article on facial care). I get just enough to cover my finger tips and apply it to my face and then go to bed. Oil is not our enemy and I was very sad to see that all the acne articles I read online recommended staying away from oil. Clean oil is very good for our skin, better than any other moisturizer because a lot have alcohol in them. I have never understood why a drying ingredient is typical in products that are supposed to moisturize. Give yourself a good week of this and see how your skin looks.
Now there is one thing that you can not really fight and that’s hormones. Hormones can contribute to acne but a good face routine will help keep it in check.
Stress can also contribute to acne. Keeping your body happy will help keep you happy. Find time for your body – do a little exercise, a little relaxation and see how you feel.
If you do get a zit or blackhead – try very hard to leave it alone. I know it’s really tempting to pop and squeeze but trust me when I tell you – it only makes it worse. Popping a zit actually causes it to last longer. Not popping is not attractive, I get that but have a bleeding scabby sore looks worse.
Last thing – watch cosmetics. If you can, go without. It is so much better for your skin and you may even find you like your skin when it gets healthy. I found that I had beautiful skin that looked better without makeup when I stopped wearing makeup and took better care of my skin. My coloring evened and I have light rosy cheeks. Yes, I may have a few circles under my eyes but I find that they aren’t even that noticeable when I take care of my skin (by the way, dark circles under the eyes are a sign of not taking care of yourself and once you find the cause you can make them go away).
Watch your hair products as well – they can contribute to clogged pores. Also, how you care for your hair can affect your face especially when you let it drape over your face. I prefer to keep my bangs long and lightly pull them back and away from my face. You don’t want to pull them too hard or keep your hair too tight because it places strain on the skin.
Facial care is about balance and not getting overly concerned about the occasional blemish. Next week I will share with you my favorite facial recipes and the routine I often use. I am afraid it’s not a lot of information because simple is best but I do encourage you to try some things yourself and share how they work out. Over the winter I plan on playing with some recipes I have discovered and share what I think. Until then, give your face a break and let it breath and return to a better place before we start playing with recipes.

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