4 Lifestyle Changes to Control Your Acne

1. Scented products

Firstly, look at the skincare items you have on your shelf. If you have any product that’s scented (apart from high-grade essential oils) get rid of it immediately. The chemicals that manufacturers use to create the scent will further irritate your sensitive skin.

Don’t limit this practice to skincare products. Check your shaving cream or gel, your shampoo and conditioner, and anything else that you use on your face.

2. Touching your face

Many people touch their face several times a day without even noticing that they do. It can be during an animated conversation, wiping your brow with the back of your hand or just leaning into your palm at the table. But, what has this got to do with acne?

Imagine yourself at the mall. You’re touching surfaces like elevator buttons, escalator handrails and doorknobs to the bathroom. You’re using teller machines, credit card machines and payment counters.

All these items and conveniences have one thing in common. They’re used every day by everyone. Unless you’re living a completely hermitic life, there’s no way to avoid this. While it’s fine to allow your hands to roam free in these Petri dishes, what you should not do is touch your face afterwards.

This is an extremely important point and often overlooked. The number of bacteria and the amount of shed skin, hair and other natural waste products that live on these objects are bound to clog up your pores and cause infections if you repeatedly bring your hands up to your face.

So, how do you break this lifetime habit?

One way may be to paint one of your nails a different colour. That way, when you raise your hand, you’ll have an attractive (and effective reminder) to put it down again. Men could use a leather bracelet. You just need something to interrupt your habit pattern. Do this enough and your muscle memory will change much faster.

3. Using your phone

Your mobile phone is another everyday item that comes into close contact with your face and hands. The solution is exceedingly simple. If you don’t have a screen protector, get one now and stick it on your phone screen. Then get yourself a regular supply of lens wipes – the kind of wet wipes that people use for their glasses.

Don’t forget to buy them unscented. Clean your phone screen once a day and you’ll be putting a safer surface to your cheek every time you make or take a call.

4. Exercise and showering

If you’ve had acne for a while now, chances are that you’ve been advised to exercise regularly to improve your circulation. You’ve probably also been told to shower right after your workout.

This may not always be possible – showers at the gym may be occupied, for example. Also, showering while your body is still perspiring can sometimes lead to fungal skin problems. You can read Managing Your Workouts to Manage Your Acne blog here.

You can avoid this problem easily. While you’re waiting to shower, wash your face first. Carry all your skincare products with you so that even if you need to go home for a shower, you can still quickly use a basin to cleanse, tone and calm your skin down. Once you’ve done that, shower as soon as possible.

The above 4 lifestyle changes to control your acne tips are born of our ultra-modern age, where malls are regular hangouts and phones indispensable. While traditional wisdom in terms of acne control still holds, we often forget that lifestyles change fast. Our management of any health issue must acknowledge and accommodate these changes to remain effective.

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links to products and services I am passionate about. Purchasing via these links won’t cost you any extra but it will help me enormously.

This website is written by a regular human. I am not a Health Professional. Please get professional medical advice for your specific health needs.