Here are seven secrets to get rid of acne naturally and eliminate blemishes for good. Use these acne skin care tips to unclog pores, reduce breakouts, and achieve acne-free skin.
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It can be extremely difficult to get rid of acne if you don’t know where to start. I’ve dealt with acne since 6th grade so I know the struggle. When high school started, my small blemishes turned into cystic acne.
I turned to dermatologist after dermatologist who prescribed a slew of products, from harsh retinoids, to antibiotics, to drying cleansers, all of which irritated my skin or did little to improve the problem.
After years of trial and error, my own research, and putting in the work to understand my skin, I finally hacked my way to a clear complexion. Here are my top tips to get rid of acne.
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#1 KEEP YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE SIMPLE
When it came to cleansers, moisturizers, masks, and spot treatments don’t complicate things. There’s no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on over the counter fancy products or test out random DIY masks and spot treatments.
The more you complicate your skin care, the more it will irritate your skin. Your skin is the most absorbent organ of the body and its barrier has loads of good bacteria that when constantly lathered with harsh chemicals, can disrupt its delicate pH balance.
When it comes to choosing products, a simple cleanser, possibly a serum such as one with niacinamide and zinc or vitamin C, a moisturizer (with SPF for daytime and without SPF for nighttime), and either a retinoid, spot treatment, or other prescribed topical acne product will do just fine.
#2 DON’T SKIP MOISTURIZER
Yes, I know. Moisturizing always seemed counterintuitive to me too when I had oily and greasy skin.
We assume the oil from our skin needs to be dried out for our acne to go away. And while yes, some people can benefit from certain topical ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide to help dry out their pimples, these drying ingredients if not used with a moisturizer can be too harsh on our skin. They can even dry our skin out too much, causing it to produce more sebum. This will only make our skin more oily and perpetuate the greasy cycle that often is correlated with acne.
Moisturizer is essential to restore the delicate skin barrier. If a moisturizer is not used, any harsh topical acne medications or products can wreak havoc on our skin. So if you want to get rid of acne, don’t forget to moisturize.
Use these links to explore and purchase high quality moisturizers without SPF for your evening skincare routine…
- Juice Beauty’s Age Defy Moisturizer
- Dermologica’s Intensive Moisture Balance
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Soothing Repair Face Moisturizer
Click these links to explore and purchase some effective SPF moisturizers for your morning skincare routine…
- Paula’s Choice CLEAR Ultra-Light Hydrating Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 30
- Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer
- Dermologica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 Face Moisturizer
#3 INTRODUCE NEW PRODUCTS WITH CAUTION
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When you’re desperate to get rid of acne it’s human nature to want to try anything. You might be tempted to introduce everything and anything to your skin care regime that people recommend to you. Oh it worked for your friend? Add it. Oh it worked for your mom? Add it in too.
When we constantly add new products and take others away, we don’t give our skin enough time to adjust to see if the products actually work. If we introduce anything new to our skin, we have to give our skin time to purge or adjust to the new ingredients.
Our skin may even get worse before it gets better when introducing new items into our skincare regime. This may just be your skin’s way of purging, or getting used to the products. So don’t freak out right away if you see this happening shortly after trying something new.
While it will be different for everyone, try introducing one product at a time and giving it between 1-3 months before assessing how well it works. Again, our skin has a very delicate micro-biome(skin barrier) and new products can take time to work. Stick with it for a bit before tossing the new regime or product completely and introducing others.
#4 DON’T PICK YOUR BLEMISHES
Yeah you’ve probably heard it said a million times before. Many of us just want the spots gone so we’ve all probably done it. But let me tell you, after nearly 8 years of dealing with acne, I wish I would have listened to my dermatologists when they told me not to poke at my pimples.
While popping your pimple may even out your skin’s texture in the short term, it’ll likely leave you with red spots and visible scars that can take years to go away. So just listen to the professionals on this one. Don’t pick or pop your pimples. Instead go for a spot treatment or go visit an esthetician if you really want a pimple popped. Your future skin will thank you.
Use these links to purchase some effective spot treatments to get rid of blemishes…
- Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting BHA 9 Spot Treatment (contains salicylic acid and BHA: for all skin types)
- Sunday Riley Saturn Sulfur and Niacinamide Acne Spot Treatment (sulfur based: best suited for sensitive skin)
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Spot Treatment (benzoyl peroxide: for less sensitive skin)
#5 GET RID OF ACNE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
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I think so many times with acne we tend to think about how we can fix it from the outside. How can we dry it out? What can we put on it to make it go away? I mean let’s be honest, that’s how many dermatologists make their money, by prescribing topical products to fix our skin from the outside in.
But what you often won’t hear emphasized is how important our internal health is to our skin’s appearance. Our skin can often clue us into what is going on inside our bodies. For example, cystic acne can often be an indicator of a hormonal imbalance or hormonal fluctuations.
It’s possible heal your skin from the inside out. Start incorporating more micronutrients into your diet from fruits and vegetables and eat more collagen and fibrously rich whole foods. And while I wouldn’t go cutting out entire food groups like some people have done, try to be more conscious of where your food is sourced.
You may also want to reduce the amount of processed foods you consume. Certain ingredients in the foods we eat may exacerbate acne or disrupt our hormones which can make acne worse.
To know what foods may trigger breakouts, start tracking your skin’s reaction when you consume different food products. Over time, you might be able to identify foods that trigger blemishes. These triggers can be different for every individual since our hormones, our gut micro-biomes, and tolerances for certain ingredients and certain foods, can widely vary.
Stop overlooking your internal health when it comes healing your skin. Addressing what we put into our bodies is just as important as what we put on the outside of it. Making an effort to feed your body nutritious foods and be conscious of how you’re feeling on the inside can potentially improve your overall health including your skin to help you get rid of acne.
#6 REDUCE STRESS
Stress can be the culprit of many breakouts and blemishes. Whether you have a big test, you’re overwhelmed with school, your job, or other things, blemishes can sneak up on you.
Stress can cause your sleep to suffer and can even have you turning to comfort foods that aren’t the healthiest. Being more stressed, accompanied with lack of sleep and an unhealthy diet, can increase cortisol levels in your bloodstream. Excess cortisol can cause inflammation in your body which can directly affect your skin, leading to more blemishes and breakouts.
To combat stress, try writing or journaling, deep breathing, taking time to spend with friends and family, and doing things you enjoy that relax you. If you want a full guide to reducing stress click here.
#7 DON’T SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON
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It seems simple. But it’s a rule too many of us forget or neglect. The problem with this is that makeup can often clog pores when left on overnight.
When we sleep, we sweat and our skin produces sebum. We toss and turn on our pillows, all of which can mix with our makeup and be detrimental to our skin. Sleep allows our bodies to rest and restore. Part of what is being restored is our skin’s barrier, so it’s important to let our skin breathe.
Instead of hopping right into bed after a night out or when you’re feeling tired after a long day, take two minutes and wash your face. Your skin will thank you in the morning.
BONUS TIP
Start loving yourself in the skin you’re in. Societal beauty standards suck and they’re constantly putting out this narrative that to be beautiful you need to have flawless skin. But even those with seemingly “perfect” skin will likely experience at least a pimple or two in their lifetime. They’re human too.
Acne is the root of insecurity for many and can make us overly self conscious about our skin. If you’re feeling down while in the process of trying to get rid of acne, remember how much your body, including your skin, does for you.
Our skin has nothing to do with who we are. It doesn’t determine our personalities, our values, our creativity, or ideas. Loving yourself and the skin you are in starts from the inside. Clear skin or not, we are who we are, and no societal beauty standard should determine our love for ourselves.
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