Skincare tips + some myth busting (acne edition) -pt1.
These are not your usual “drink water, moisturize, get plenty of sleep” shit. These are real stuff that worked for me, and they could work for you too. Keep in mind that everyone is different tho. Ur skin might not react as well as mine did.
1. It does not matter which cleanser you use
As long as it doesn’t irritate you and isn’t overly drying, it ok. Don’t bother investing in cleansers with active substances such as benzoyl peroxide or glycolic/salicylic acid, cleanesers simply do not sit on your skin for long enough for those to work. Save that money.
2. You don’t really have to change your pillowcase everyday, ya kno.
Acne bacteria are anaerobic. They won’t survive on your pillowcase anyway. Same goes for your pijamas, bra etc. if you have back acne.
3. Speaking of back acne, wear cotton and try not to carry too heavy rucksacks.
And for the love of god, don’t wear synthetic clothes AND carry heavy luggage at the same time. Will irritate you af. Synthetics do not absorb sweat so it just accumulates on your skin the whole day. Icky.
But not the mechanical kind. Damages skin. Get yourself a good enzyme or acid peel, or a cream that contains them. Makes your skin so soft and nice and really helps with getting rid of blackheads and preventing blocked pores. As a bonus, gets rid of flaky skin, if you have it. There are many kinds of acids used for chemical exfoliation, mainly categorized as alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids. They say alphas are gentler, and therefore better for sensitive skin, but also less effective for acne. I’ve tried and liked both, since I don’t have sensitive skin. Both worked for me. Do some research on this to find the best acid to use on your skin. Very important: exfoliate at night and use sunscreens!!! Exfoliating substances make your skin more sensitive to sunlight!
4. Invest in a chemical peel.
Get it performed by a dermatologist. For me, doing it once a month for three or four months saved my skin FOREVER.
5. Ditch lemon on your face…
…and apple cider vinegar. And baking soda. And sugar scrubs. And olive oil. The first two are too acidic. Baking soda is too basic. Sugar scrubs are too abrasive. Olive oil’s chemical composture isn’t suitable for acne prone skin (too much oleic acid. Ur oily skin already has enough of it. Search for oils high in linoleic acid if you want to use oils as moisturizers). Raw honey is good, apparently. Cinnamon and turmeric too. Stay vary with turmeric because according to some studies it makes skin more sensitive to sunlight.
6. You don’t really have to use toner. Invest in some hyaluronic acid serum if you want a middle step between cleansing and moisturizing.
Hyaluronic acid is an amazing humectant, and makes skin sooo well hydrated. I prefer to first apply hyaluronic to hydrate and then seal that water in with some oil-based moisturizer. That + regular exfoliation = soft skin!!!!
I used Differin on my back and it cleared me up sooo well and also got rid of my hyperkeratosis pilaris. I had quite bad bacne, and after three months they are pretty much gone. Unfortunately I’m still waiting for post-inflammatory erithema (red marks) to fade buuuut hey, I have no more acne! You should also probably go to your dermatologists to get more information on which retionid you need. Don'tforget to wear sunscreen while you’re on it. Also: you don’t have to exfoliate while on retinoid. You can, if your skin is not sensitive, but it’s not particularly necessery.
Literally the most important and least known thing on this list. Lemme get a bit scienc-y.
All acne begin their journey as blocked pores. Blocked pores are those white, bumpy, skin-colored little shits below the skin surface. The most important thing you can do to prevent your acne is to prevent blocked pores. Pores are blocked as a result of sebum oxidation and consequent formation of squalene peroxide, the most comedogenic substance on earth. Bam. You have clogged pore, the perfect breeding ground for acne bacteria, which then triggers inflammatory response by your body and you get a red zit.
But this red zit would’ve never happened if your sebum never oxidized. Substances that prevent oxidation are - you guess it - antioxidants. So get yourself a good product with vitamin c, vitamin e, niacin(b3), or green tea (green tea is especially good, because it also reduces sebum output. It’s not enough to just place teabag on your skin, it wil just sit on your skin and won’t penetrate. Buy a cream). This is where you splurge, ladies. Antioxidants are also good as an anti-aging agent and serve as a protection from envirotmental pollution. Pays to invest in them.
Sudocrem + tea tree oil = spot treatment!!!
Ok so this is it for now. I hope some of you will find this advice useful. I wanted to include diet/supplement tips in this post too but since this text turned out to be hella long I decided to leave it for another time. Stay happy pals!
