Ten Tips For Clear Skin
There are a few things you can do daily that can either promote acne or set it at bay and it doesn’t mean just using the right products. Everything you do contributes to your health and skin so while you think just keeping your face clean will help reduce breakouts, you’re wrong! Here’s a list a the top 10 things you can do to deter your breakouts.
1). Get enough rest and reduce your stress. Stress stimulates the adrenal gland and in the acne-prone individual, the adrenal gland promotes oil production which leads to clogged pores.
2). Stay away from foods, vitamin supplements and sports drinks/bars that contain iodides. Iodized salt, seafood, fish, seaweed, fast foods and dairy products (cows lick iodized salt licks) and especially kelp tablets (some people take these for thyroid support) are a part of this list. Contrary to popular notion, chocolate and greasy foods (unless they contain salt, which most do) do not aggravate acne.
3. Stay away from “high androgen” foods. These are found in peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter, corn oil, wheat germ, shellfish, organ meats (i.e. liver, sweetbreads and heart). These contain hormones that exacerbate acne.
4. Some swimming pool disinfectants contain Iodides and Chlorine, which can remain in the water, causing skin problems for frequent swimmers. Many swimmers find that the combination of hot and humid weather, the physical exercise of swimming and the chlorinated pools, can cause major acne flare-ups.
5 Don’t pick. Instead of picking, rub ice on pustules and pimples for about five minutes, twice a day. Try to catch them when they are first forming and they most likely will go away. You can use Benzoyl Peroxide for this, but the surrounding tissue may get very dry.
6. Use fragrance-free detergents such as Cheer Free, All Free & Clear, Tide Free or Arm & Hammer Free.
7. Do not use fabric softeners and/or fabric softener sheets in the dryer, especially on pillowcases as they cause a waxy residue that can clog pores on acne-prone individuals. If you are worried about static cling, then use some anti-static cling balls that you can purchase from Bed Bath and Beyond for $5.
8. Avoid low-estrogen birth control pills, Norplant, Provera, and Depo-Provera. Also progesterone hormone replacement Premarin can be problematic. If you have polycystic ovaries, they will cause hormonal changes and breakout. See our article about birth control for more information. Also, the taking of birth control pills may delay the onset of acne and once off them, you may experience the acne you would’ve had before taking them.
9. Do not use cosmetics OR hair products that contain pore-clogging ingredients. See our article on Pore Clogging Ingredients for a list of ingredients to avoid. Retin A has the pore-clogging ingredient, isopropyl myristate as its first ingredient.
10. Don’t lay out in the sun to help get rid of your acne. You can give yourself skin cancer – there’s a much safer way to peel the skin than a sunburn.
These tips alone will not get your skin clear however. They just support your acne-clearing program which is truly the key to clear skin. Let the acne experts here at Face Reality help you to get the clear skin you’ve been dreaming of.
Do not ever put anything on your skin or your hair without checking the ingredients first, even if it says “Won’t Clog Pores” or “Non-Comedogenic” on the bottle. No government agency oversees this, so skincare companies can claim their products promote clear skin and have pore cloggers in their formulas. Below is a list of ingredients to avoid in all of your products; skin care, acne care, makeup, clothing and hair. Take a look at your current set of products from your shampoo to your laundry detergent and see if they contain any cloggers. If they do, it’s time to look for something acne safe. All of the products recommended here at Skinn Unique Solutions are free of pore clogging ingredients so you never need to worry about if it’s OK for your skin.
Be Aware
- Natural oils can be some of the worst offenders, like cocoa butter and coconut oil which are found in many “organic” skin care lines.
- Other oils such as jojoba, olive, and lanolin are mildly comedogenic and can be a problem if formulated with other comedogenic ingredients.
- Some prescription products like the cream form of Retin A have pore cloggers. Many over-the-counter acne medications also have pore clogging ingredients.
- “Oil-free” products can be comedogenic.