There are MANY types of acne out there, but for now I just want to talk about the way I deal with MINE, because, well that's all I know. Maybe it will help you. I have oily/combination skin, which means I am either overrun by oil, or I have oily skin in some places and dry skin in others. Let's not talk about how frustrating that is, especially now that I'm turning thirty this year and STILL have to deal with it. We'll just jump into what works to keep it manageable.
8 Steps to Keep Acne Under Control:
1. Wash your face. I can't tell you what cleanser will be best, that's just far too personal. That's like me picking your husband for you. But I've read that you should rotate through a couple of different cleansers every few weeks, as your body can build up resistance if you use just one all the time. Some people recommend washing your face in the morning with an exfoliant and washing with a cream or gel cleanser at night. Whatever works for you, just be sure you do it EVERY DAY. If you don't have time to wash your face at night, at least use an astringent or a cleansing pad really quickly before bed.
2. Change your pillow case, like, all the time. It's not just me, this article from Huffington Post says so (and many others). It's collecting all the bacteria from your face, your hair, whatever else, and you're just rubbing your face on it all night long every night. Wash that thing every couple of days. Ew
3. Benzoyl Peroxide.
No, it does NOT need to be name brand! Look at the ingredient list. They are all identical. The only difference you will see is in the percentage, and my rule of thumb is buy the strongest one I can find. (10% is the highest I've seen in drug stores.)
I have occasionally even found this at the dollar store. If you happen to see it there, pick up as many as you can manage, because this will save you $5-8 per tube! You would find it with the medicines and topical treatments.
Tip: Keep a tube of this in each of your bathrooms, in your makeup bag, and next to your bed at night. If it's all over the house you will not forget to use it. Whenever you notice a zit coming on (assuming you haven't put your makeup on yet), put some on. (If you have sensitive skin, don't do this very often.)
If you have found that Benzoyl Peroxide isn't doing the trick, it might be that Salicylic Acid is better for your skin. Try them both at separate times (like for a week at a time) so you know which one works best for you. I find that Benzoyl Peroxide works better for me, but when my acne is really bad, I will combine the two by using Oxy pads (yeah, like a teenager). The two different creams have different purposes, which you can read about here, and that's why you can use them together if you need to. Just be aware, if you have trouble with dry skin, you will not want to use both. It will dry out your face in no time (which is what I need, but you may not).
4. Drink tons of water. I'm not even kidding, every time you are sitting still, there should be a glass of water in front of you. Bottled water, warm water, cold water, lemon water... whatEVER it takes for you to drink it, drink it. Drink as much as you can. If you're not needing to pee every fifteen minutes, you aren't drinking enough for your skin to stay healthy. I am terrible at this, but I know it's true, so I will try harder to practice what I preach. There are even apps you can get that will send a notification to your phone each time you should be drinking a glass of water throughout the day.
5. I know you don't want to hear this. Neither do I. But I have to say it. It's your diet. When I eat food that's bad for me, especially greasy or sugary food, it shows up on my face no more than two days later. It is literally written all over my face that I have been cheating on my "diet" (by diet I mean eating healthy, not cutting calories). Try it. Go without grease and sugar for a couple of weeks, and watch your skin clear up. Then eat a pizza and a milkshake. I dare you.
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