Acne Prevention – How To Fight Acne Before It Happens!
Everyone suffers from the occasional spot or blemish. They typically appear the night before a hot date or on the morning of an important job interview, but although one or two spots might be hugely embarrassing for a few days, they soon disappear and you are free to go out in daylight without massive amounts of concealer all over your face. But acne is not the same, so if you suffer from this distressing skin condition, start looking at ways to prevent the causes of acne before the spots and blemishes threaten to ruin your life.
What causes acne?
Acne can be caused by a variety of different problems. It is a common skin complaint in teenagers due to the effects of fluctuating hormones during puberty, but acne can also affect older men and women—even people in their forties can sometimes suffer from severe acne.
Stress and a poor diet can all play their part to create the right conditions for a flare up of acne, but there are also some underlying medical conditions known to cause acne related skin conditions, so if acne is blighting your life, it is always a good idea to seek medical advice to rule out the possibility of hormone related health problems such as polycystic ovaries.
How can I reduce my risk of developing acne?
There are lots of self help methods you can use to reduce the number of outbreaks of spots and blemishes you are suffering from. Small changes in lifestyle can make a huge difference and following an effective skincare routine can also help to keep the skin free from excess oils and less susceptible to eruptions of spots and blemishes.
Diet
There is a great deal of evidence to suggest an unhealthy diet can cause skin outbreaks and acne. We have all been there: we ate too much rich food over Christmas and by the time New Year comes around, our face resembles a pepperoni pizza. The sad truth is that if you eat too much fatty foods laden with sugar and additives, toxins slowly build up in the body and start to excrete through the pores of the skin, which inevitably leads to spots and blemishes.
So the best way to beat spots and acne is to ensure you are eating a healthy diet packed full of fruit, vegetables, and essential nutrients. Stay away from the sugar laden carbohydrates as these trap oil and harmful bacteria in the skin, which is a major cause of acne related spots and blemishes. Try to eat foods containing vitamin A, E and B6 as these all help to keep your skin healthy and clear. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A and B6, plus they contain lots of antioxidants, which help to keep skin cells in top condition.
Vitamin A slows down the production of sebum in the skin: too much oil in the skin is a major cause of blocked pores and blackheads. Vitamin B6 supplements are useful for women who suffer from premenstrual skin problems as they reduce the effect of testosterone on the skin. Zinc is another useful supplement for acne prone skin: zinc helps to neutralize the effects of fluctuating hormone levels.
Drinking lots of water is good for the skin. Water helps to flush out the toxins and keep skin fresh and clear. Staying hydrated also allows the body to sweat more efficiently, which removes toxins and improves the complexion. However, only drink pure water and not sugary drinks, as these do not count towards your daily fluid intake.
Can exercise help to prevent acne?
Regular exercise is good for the mind and body and ideally you should partake in some form of exercise at least three times per week. Aim to get your heart rate up enough to make you sweat—this helps to improve blood flow to the skin, which in turn oxygenates the skin cells. Sweating flushes toxins out of the skin, thus helping to prevent spots and blemishes—although you must take a shower after exercise to wash away the sweat and dirt before your pores become blocked and bacteria builds up on the skin.
Skin care
Skin care is very important if you are prone to acne. It is not enough to wash your face with a bit of soap and water once per day—you must spend time cleaning and moisturizing your skin to keep it free from harmful bacteria and prevent blocked pores leading to spots.
There are lots of skin care products formulated for acne sufferers on the market. Most of them contain chemicals that dry out oily skin and clear blocked pores, but not all of them are very effective. If you have sensitive skin, wash twice daily with a mild antibacterial soap and clean water, followed by an application of moisturizer, and then once or twice per week, use a deep cleansing face mask made from natural mud or clay.
Other ways to help prevent acne
If you have long hair, try and keep it off your face as much as possible. Most hair products contain irritating oils that cause inflammation on the skin, so stick to water based hair styling products if you have to style your hair.
Acne on the back, shoulders and chest can be a real problem for some people, so if this is affecting you, avoid wearing tight clothes as these can rub and lead to further irritation, which in turn causes spots to form.
