Tens Must-Dos for Blemish (Acne) Prone Skin

If you are unfortunate to have blemish prone skin or suffer occasional breakouts then you know it can be a frustrating ordeal. The problem I notice with acne sufferers, and I had the same problem myself, is that we are so focused on the cure and treatment and not enough on the prevention and getting to the core of the problem. The acne on the surface is a reaction to things wrong internally in the body and bad, unhealthy habits. The human body is amazing and we have to get in the habit of listening to our bodies and understanding what it is telling us.

Below are a list of (10) must do's for those with blemish-acne prone skin. Many of them are cliches, but absolutely necessary to achieve smooth blemish free skin.


1) Reduce or eliminate the intake of fast foods, greasy foods, high sugar and salt foods and fried foods. This is probably the most important must do. In most cases, acne is a result of hormonal imbalance and this imbalance can be triggered by a poor diet filled with bad fats and sugars.

2) Drink Lots and Lots of Water! We need this flush out those nasty toxins, keep the body hydrated and cleansed.

3) Adopt a diet filled with fruits and green foods or at least try to incorporate it into your diet. The goal is to balance hormone, normalize sebum production and keep the body cleansed of toxins. Nature has provided us with many wonderful fruits and vegetables filled with great vitamins and nutrients that can help the body do those things.

4) Have a daily beauty routine that includes cleansing, toning, exfoliating and treating twice a day. Also do not overwash your face and dry out your skin, this will not necessarily reduce acne and might even worsen the situation. It's bad enough to deal with blemishes, you do not want to deal with dry, scaly skin at the same time. Washing 2x a day is ideal and 3x should be plenty. And invest in quality products that will be effective. This is not to say that the most expensive products are always better but do not skimp on quality especially when it comes to product that will go on your face.

5) Hands Off! Yes, do not touch your face, pick on pimples or play with them! This is absolutely no-no because all you're doing is spreading more bacteria, making things worse and picking on blemishes will almost always result in scarring, so leave that to the professionals. We hate our blemishes already, why would you want a reminder!

6) Incorporate a zinc supplement into your daily routine. I blogged about the effectiveness of zinc in reducing oily skin and breakouts. This is a gem that not too many people are aware of, but zinc has been shown to balance hormone and thereby normalizing sebum (oil) production and reducing breakouts.

Click to view Effectiveness of Zinc Blog Post.

7) Change pillow cases and face towels at least every other day. Yes, those things are breeding grounds for bacteria and more bacteria means more blemishes.

8) If you are a makeup wearer, keep makeup brushes and extra supplies of makeup sponges. As poing # 7, these can be breeding grounds for bacteria.

9) Invest in a good exfoliating treatment. For blemish sufferers, exfoliating is a very important step because we need to rapidly shed dead skin cells and reveal the healthy skin beneath. I recommed a 10% glycolic or alpha hydroxy serum. For those above the age of 16 with severe acne, I suggest you make an appointment with a dermatologist to get retin-A prescription, a powerful exfoliant derived from Vitamin A.

10) Reduce stress and anxiety. Seriously, the more you stress, the more strain you put on your physical health and that throws a lot of things in your body out of whack. And if things are out of whack internally, most likely you will notice the effect externally. And besides why waste valuable energy stressing, that energy could be channeled into something productive. If you tend to stress a lot, look to yoga and meditation for relaxation tips or treat yourself to massage treatments, your body soul and mind will thank you.

Enjoy!