10 Lifestyle Steps to Help Your Acne

Beating breakouts isn't just about what lotions you put on your skin. You could see your acne improve if you make some simple changes to your daily routine.

No. 1: Get More Sleep
Stress increases glucocorticoid production, which can lead to abnormalities in skin structure and function and that can make conditions like acne worse.

No. 2: Tweak Your Diet
Some foods cause your blood sugar to rise quickly, triggering a boost in insulin.
Too much insulin in your bloodstream can trigger changes in your body that can lead to the growth of pore-clogging cells. It can also boost action in your oil glands.
So make some changes to your meals add more whole grains, beans, and veggies and cut back on pasta, white rice, white bread, and sugar.

No. 3: Get Some Exercise
Exercise helps cut stress, which may contribute to acne outbreaks.
But keep in mind that sweat from exercise can also lead to breakouts by irritating your skin. So it's important to shower right after a workout.

No. 4: Sip Water
Increasing the amount of water you drink is a great way to flush out internal toxins and hydrate your skin from the inside out.

No. 5: Say 'Yes' to Sunscreen
Inflammation from sunburn can make your acne worse or cause more dark spots. Plus, staying out in the sun without sunscreen raises your risk of skin cancer.
If you have acne, look for "noncomedogenic" on the label, which means it should not clog your skin's pores.

No. 6: Become a Fan of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3s have been shown to control the production of leukotriene B4, a molecule that can increase sebum and cause inflammatory acne.
Omega-3s can be found in supplements or in foods like walnuts, avocados, flaxseed oil, and salmon.

No. 7: Cleanse Twice a Day
The face has more oil-producing glands than any other part of the body, top that with a day's worth of makeup, sweat, smog, dust, and dirt, and you're left with a pore-clogging concoction that, if not washed away regularly, will seep into and fill pores, resulting in blackheads and pimples.

No. 8: Exfoliate
Sure, overzealous oil glands can lead to breakouts, but so can underperforming oil glands. Dry skin has tiny cracks in which bacteria can breed; plus, excessive flaking can lead to clogged pores.

No. 9: De-Germ Your Cell Phone
Cell phones are hotbeds for germs. Throughout any given day your phone can be exposed to thousands of bacteria, which spread from your fingers (via texting) to your face (via talking) and vice versa.
In addition, the heat produced by your phone can help bacteria to multiply. To keep the germs from landing on your face, wipe the surface of your phone with a little hand sanitizer each day. It’s best to use headphones.

No. 10: Style Strands Strategically
"Pomade acne” is a breakout caused by hair-care products including conditioner, shampoo, gel, and hair spray. This form of acne occurs when oils from styling products seep into skin, usually around the hairline, and trap acne-causing bacteria in pores.

To fight this problem, apply the hair products before you wash your face so that any pimple-producing residue can be washed away. Or choose hair products that are oil-free.

Source: webmd.com