Breakouts are the worst. They steal your self-confidence and often happen when you need to look your best. If you’re struggling with keeping your face clear, you don’t have to worry about paying for an expensive appointment with a specialist. Make a few of these simple lifestyle changes to reduce acne and feel more confident every day.
1. Start Washing Your Face
You’d be surprised by how many people live their lives without washing their faces. Unless you began prioritizing your skincare at a young age, it’s something that might slip your mind as you get older and handle more responsibilities.
If you don’t already wash your face, add it to your daily routine. Enjoy experimenting with different brands and products to see which have the best effects on your skin. You’ll quickly notice any unexpected side effects and adjust your routine from there.
2. Time Your Face Washing
Washing your face in the morning or at night is a standard way to add it to your routine, but it might not be best for your skin. It could be more advantageous to wash your face after a workout or any other time you find yourself sweating. You’ll prevent the sweat from sitting on your face all day and potentially turning into acne.
3. Eat More Healthy Fats
Consider your diet. How often do you get omega-3 fatty acids? You can find them in foods like fish, eggs, beans, and nuts. They’re great for your physical health and can reduce your breakouts.
Research shows that people who increase their intake of fatty acids deal with less inflammation that triggers acne. Adding these foods to your diet could improve your skin’s health overnight.
4. Switch Your Cosmetic Products
You’d never leave home without your makeup on point, but the ingredients in your favorite products could be the source of your skincare worries. There are a few common ingredients that may cause breakouts for people with sensitive skin, like:
- Almond oil
- Beeswax
- Cocoa butter
Looking closely at your preferred products is the best way to narrow down which ingredients might bother your skin. If they contain these comedogenic ingredients, find replacements that don’t rely on them to see how your skin changes with new cosmetics.
5. Drink Lots of Water
When your body senses an excessive amount of drying on your face, it automatically produces more natural oils. Although it helps your skin become more elastic and durable, it can also increase your acne.
Drink plenty of water every day to help your skin stay hydrated. If your dry skin remains a problem even after increasing your water intake, talk with your doctor. Prescribed lotions may help your underlying case of eczema along with your improved hydration.
6. Take a Daily Probiotic
Your skin has its own microbiome. When it becomes off-balance due to oil-stripping products or a change in your diet, you could experience more breakouts. Sometimes taking a daily probiotic can mitigate your acne. When your body’s microbiome finds balance again with the additional healthy bacteria, your skin won’t struggle with as many breakouts because it’s in harmony with the rest of your body.
7. Exercise More Often
Stress hormones are part of everyday life, but you shouldn’t feel constantly overwhelmed by them. When cortisol builds up in your body, the stress hormone can trigger frequent breakouts even if you’re already washing your face or drinking water. It’s your body’s call for help and a change of pace.
Exercising is an excellent way to reduce stress. Start walking a couple of times each week or biking around a local trail. The activity eases stress levels and leaves you feeling content instead. A peaceful mind may result in skin that doesn’t constantly battle acne.
8. Remember Your Sunscreen
Sunscreen protects your skin from UV rays while secretly benefiting your body in other ways. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. The ingredients keep your skin from being sensitive to the sun and reduce the microscopic inflammation that results in acne.
It’s always wise to apply sunscreen whenever you’re going outside in direct sunlight. Protect yourself with daily applications and it might help reduce your breakouts during the spring and summer.
9. Sleep More Every Night
Good nightly rest is a cure-all for many things, including breakouts. As you sleep, your body resets its biological processes and restores your hormonal balance. It releases lingering stress that might otherwise trigger a breakout. Sleep also promotes blood flow for optimal skin health.
How much sleep do you get every night? Everyone’s heard that the average adult should get eight hours of daily rest, but that isn’t always the case. Your body is different from that of an adult who’s older or younger than you. You might feel well-rested after six hours of sleep or only feel refreshed after nine hours.
Play around with your sleep schedule to determine the best amount of sleep for your body’s needs. The extra rest will benefit your physical health and keep you from suffering from additional breakouts.
10. Limit Your Dairy Intake
Some people suggest that anyone with acne problems should limit their dairy intake. It may cause minor digestive inflammation even if you’re not lactose intolerant. The inflammation could continue to affect your skin long after you eat that ice cream cone or mac ‘n’ cheese.
If you do have lactose intolerance, your irritated stomach lining may trigger stress hormones which result in acne. Either way, there’s no way to know until you’ve eliminated dairy and reintroduced it to your diet. You’ll know it’s a cause of your acne if your breakouts stop when dairy isn’t part of your daily routine.
Consider Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Acne
Skincare products can do wonders for breakouts, but they’re not your only option when it comes to battling acne. These are a few lifestyle changes to reduce acne that anyone can try. Whether you want to play around with your diet, get more sleep, or change up the cosmetics currently in your bathroom, you’ll eventually notice an improved difference in your skin by trying new things with your routine.
