Treating acne can be a tricky business. They are very easily irritated and take a long time to clear out. Without further ado, here are six mistakes people usually make during their acne treatment (and why you should avoid them).
They Don’t Exfoliate The Right Way
This may come as an unpleasant surprise because all the beauty tips have exfoliation as one of the important steps in your face care routine. This doesn’t always seem to be the case. People who have sensitive and acne-prone skin should not exfoliate via the usual suggested methods, because it can only make things worse! The concept of exfoliating itself is not a problem, but the problem revolves around the kind of exfoliating washes. Harsh washes can spread bacteria and inflict further damage to your sensitive skin. This is the main reason why enzyme exfoliating masks are a great substitute. They don’t irritate the skin while having the same exfoliating effect the usual washes do. Using enzyme exfoliating masks will allow you to prevent your already irritated skin from being irritated even more. If you can’t find this type of exfoliating option, be sure to avoid the gritty exfoliating washes if your skin is prone to acne.
Bad Lifestyle Habits
In some specific cases, a hormone imbalance may occur in the body which can cause acne to show up on your face. In these situations taking supplements is an important part of regulating hormones, your gut microbiome health, and other health factors that can affect persistent issues with your skin such as acne. However important this supplementation may be, it is not the solution to the given problem. If you’ve ever tried to tackle a skin problem by only taking supplements, and not changing any other aspect of your skincare routine or diet, you know what we’re talking about. If you want to see some real progress, you should try to stay away from potentially harmful foods and drinks such as alcohol. Additional aspects you should try to work on is to monitor your stress as it can be a major initiator of skin conditions. Be sure to implement even a small change and you will see some improvements very soon.
Ignoring Natural Detoxing
Our bodies are an immaculate product of years of evolution. A countless amount of ways to help heal itself have been developing throughout time so it can keep itself in the best possible shape. This is also true for natural detoxing ways that have specific pathways that go through the liver. These pathways clear our body from all the toxic chemicals that can pose danger to it, and not only this, that can cause some imbalances in the organism which in turn can cause specific conditions. Some of the issues that can impact our wellbeing if ignored are the most common hormonal imbalances, food sensitivities, or bad gut health overall. By supporting your body’s natural ways in which it helps itself to keep a chemical balance, you will promote better health for your whole body including the skin.
Picking At Your Face
The moment we’ve all been dreading. One of the most obvious aspects as to how people can better treat their acne, and the hardest one to follow through is to stop picking their face. Now, this may be fairly obvious, but most people find themselves tempted every time they walk by the mirror. This is especially true if your acne condition is severe, and they happen to be big in numbers all over your body. The very second after someone has picked their acne, they probably have noticed it has gotten much worse. While it’s true that acne treatments may differ depending on your skin type, one thing that will surely make things worse whichever skin type you may have is picking at them. Try your best to keep your hands off your face. Some helpful tips are to leave a post-it note on all your mirrors and reflective surfaces to remind you that you shouldn’t do it! Another great tip is to try and leave a face mask on the places you especially don’t want to pick for as long as you can, as this will prevent you from touching them.
Having a Bad Diet
Our whole digestive system and the complex microbiome that comes with it play a significant role in our overall health, including the health of our skin. For many people, gut health is a necessity in their journey of getting rid of acne. The main reason why this is important is that there is an elaborate connection in the biochemical pathways between our digestive system and the hormones that can impact our skin health. If gut health is in some way compromised it will reflect on the type and amount of hormones in the body, usually creating an imbalance that impacts the skin’s wellbeing. An important thing to consider is that not every person reacts the same to the same kind of diet, and also if they do have an unwanted reaction, sometimes it can be so subtle that you may not even notice it at first.
Toxic Skincare Products
This particular mistake is the most common one when people try to treat their acne. As we’ve mentioned before, the use of gritty exfoliating washes is not at all beneficial for your treatment. It irritates your already irritated skin, prolonging your recovery time. The same applies to all the toxic skincare products, including makeup. No one is saying you should give up your skincare products or that you should stop using makeup altogether, however, it is imperative that you trash all of the toxic products there are, as these can only worsen your acne situation. The good news is that there are many natural skincare products to choose from nowadays so it shouldn’t be a rough transition. If you can’t afford to replace all your skincare products and makeup in one go, do your best to put it on as little as possible until you get the non-toxic, natural products.
Not making these six mistakes will surely speed up your acne treatment. Not only will your skin be healthier, but your whole body will also have a much healthier composition.
Photo credit: Humphrey Muleba via Unsplash
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