Blessed are those who get to cherish clear skin even in their teenage years, otherwise, most of us have been through harrowing times of pricking stubborn acne.
I still remember the time when I turned 14 and eventually my face got covered with red painful acne. It started slowly and I was negligent enough to consider it as “not so important” but 3 years down the line my face was nothing but a cluster of irritated and incurable acne. Moreover, things started to get worse when I entered college and every girl was so specific about her appearnace. As teenagers, we just don’t like to be picked for our looks, and I was experiencing the most discouraging period, all because of acne.
Finally, it all came to an end when I was taken to a dermatologist who was luckily quite good at his expertise. Within 3 months I got clear skin which restored my confidence, the friends who used to point out my burning rashes every day, started to praise my looks. But I have spent years with this trouble that most teenagers face and even after getting clear skin I am always at high risk of getting the dreadful acne back.
Here I would like to share my exclusive list of Dos and Don’t for sensitive acne-prone skin because basically I am living with one and have acquired a lot of experience over the years.
My list of Dos
# Do stick on one face wash only!
When I was in high school I used to keep asking my friends what face wash are they using and then I used to run to the department store to get one for me too. Well, this was one of the silliest mistakes I made and I will always regret it. If you are using a face wash and it is capable of controlling your acne to an extent then just stick to it rather than switching every time on a new face wash.
My skin is still very sensitive and acne-prone so I either use Himalaya foaming face Wash or BIOTIQUE – NEEM face wash. These two works best for me.
# Do take multivitamins
Apparently, it can be a reason that your breakouts are due to the deficiency of some important vitamins such as zinc or Vitamin D, so take care of it. I started taking Revital Women at the age of 20 but eventually stopped the intake on advice from a doctor. So probably you can ask your doctor for a good multivitamin supplement according to your age and deficiency.
Also, currently, I am taking Zincovit which is a good multivitamin supplement and is showing good results on my face/overall health.
# Do keep your hair clean- dandruff free
When it was my first session with the dermatologist, he first checked my hair for dandruff and I was amazed by this. It never even once crossed my mind that dandruff on the scalp can become one of the significant reasons for my growing acne. Then I realized the value of keeping my head clean. So girls with long hair should at least try to wash their head three times a week.
I was asked by the dermatologist to use Ketomac shampoo which instantly cleared my head from dandruff and my forehead from acne. Even now I use the same shampoo in winters and it is still the perfect shampoo for me to remove dandruff.
# Do avoid dairy products and sweets
This was one of the many pieces of advice given by my Dermatologist that I need to cut down on junk food, sweets, and dairy products. Luckily, I don’t have a sweet tooth nor I was very fond of dairy products so it was something really easy for me to do and I still practice the same thing to avoid breakouts. Also, I would personally advise taking more iron-rich food as it brings a glow to your face.
# Do refer a dermatologist in case your acne is increasing and becoming more painful
Yes, acne can be really painful to touch and I have experienced the worst of it. I know going to the dermatologist sounds expensive and even I was worried about the same but all that money doesn’t go in vain, after all, you are getting clean skin. I was very happy with the results as I achieved clear skin in merely 4 months which I was personally trying to do for more than 5 years.
My list of Don’t
# Don’t listen to just any random person’s advice
I used to go to the parlor for a haircut and used to come back with a ton of advice from the beautician and other customers sitting there. Some told me to put besan, some asked me to use Multani mitti and some came up with really strange advice such as create a paste of some daal (I don’t remember the name) and put it on your face. And guess what… I did all of it only to get inflamed acne with horribly dry skin. Do not… I repeat DO NOT use just anything on your face because somebody advised you to do so.
# Don’t think that your acne is similar to somebody else’s acne
Acne has also got a variety, and I came to know this from my dermatologist. So if you are most of the time confused as to why somebody has mild breakouts whereas some have literally severe inflamed rashes then just know that those two are different varieties of acne. Also, each type of acne has its own exclusive treatment, medication, and creams to be used.
# Don’t starve your face from its natural oil
I have got oily skin so I know how disgusting it can be to have a lot of oil on face especially when we hold the notion that oil is the main cause of acne. But when I started taking the medications for my acne treatment, I realized that my face started becoming too much oily with a significant decrease in acne, so in the next session I went to my dermatologist with this query. Then he told me that taking away natural oil from the face only makes the skin more irritable and acne-prone, so focus on keeping your face clean but not oil-free.
# Don’t hide it with a lot of makeup
Putting all that foundation and god knows what all makeup items on the face do hide your acne but it also makes it all the more worse than before. Let your pores breathe and spare your face from more traumas.
# Don’t trust just any random Dermatologist
They can rob you of your money without any better results! I was lucky to get a good Dermatologist in the very first attempt but many of my friends have suffered being treated by a Dermatologist who didn’t help at all with the acne, and instead prescribed really expensive medicines and treatments which they could never afford.
EndNote-
Recently, I suffered from a horrible breakout and acne on both sides of my face due to severe stress. I had to take antibiotics for 10 days and it got better but I am still worried about its recurrence. What I mean to say, is that once your face has suffered from acne then it is likely that you will randomly keep experiencing breakouts at any point in your life even due to miscellaneous reasons. So always keep your guard up against acne and don’t give up on the healthy skin regime.