Over the past 3 or 4 months, I’ve noticed that my skin has been a lot better than it used to be. I’ve been thinking about what changes I’ve made to my skin care routine, and realized that I haven’t really added anything. I think it’s what I haven’t been doing that’s helped.
Before I get into what’s helped me, let me first give you a little background on my skin. I’ve never had a huge, need-to-go-to-the-derm, kind of acne problem. In the past, I would typically get 3-7 zits at a time, I would usually squeeze them, and they would get redder and inflamed, and sometimes infected. Usually when the original zits were just about healed I would start to get new ones. I rarely had a completely clear face, but it wasn’t anything concealer couldn’t mostly cover up.
For the last few months, though, I have noticed a dramatic improvement in my skin. I can go weeks without any issues! And when I do get a zit, it’s usually pretty small and goes away completely within 24 hours. It’s made me realize how much time I wasted in the past trying to “take care of” my zits…examining them, touching them, covering them up, cleaning them.
Here are some things that I think have helped improve my skin. Keep in mind, I don’t have proof, and I’m not a doctor, so take everything with a grain of salt!
Stop Looking So Closely
I think this might be the most important: step away from the magnifying mirror! This was just a happy accident for me…in my old place I had an 8x magnifying mirror mounted to my bathroom wall…my new place doesn’t have one. Without a magnifying mirror to look at every little pore and red spot, I don’t touch my face as much and I don’t squeeze things.
Stop Wearing Foundation or Tinted Moisturizer
I think this is another major thing that has helped my skin. The magic didn’t happen overnight, though…about a week went by before I started seeing that my skin was clearing up. Foundation seems like a vicious cycle…you wear it to cover up imperfections, but it’s what causing a lot of the problems in the first place. If you still really want to wear foundation, try just wearing it where you “need it”…I’ve switched to just using concealer under my eyes and sometimes on my nose.
Don’t Touch!
This goes along with the magnifying mirror. When you touch your skin, you introduce oil and bacteria to your pores. Oil and bacteria are troublemakers when it comes to having clear skin. Touching pre-existing acne can also make it more inflamed and red…I think of touching zits as kind of activating them and egging them on. It’s like scratching a bug bite…it might seem like a good idea in the moment, but it only makes the problem worse.
Wash Your Face Twice A Day
This is probably something most people already do, but I’ve always been kind of lazy when it comes to facial care (I didn’t even start washing my face once a day until I was in college…yikes!). In the past, I would only wash my face at night, just to get my makeup off. If I didn’t wear makeup that day, I wouldn’t wash my face. Now I wash at night no matter what, and I’ve also started using a face wash in the shower every morning (I used to just hope that water and a towel would do the job). My nighttime face wash is specifically for acne, and my shower face wash is just a gentle cream that doesn’t drip into my eyes.
The rest have to do with diet, and since I’m not a dietitian, I’ll let you do your own research on why these changes might help:
Reduce Sugar Consumption
Eat less Cheese, Milk, and Dairy
Drink More Water
I hoped this gave you some ideas and will help you! If you have any other suggestions for simple steps to clear skin, please leave a comment! 🙂
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