I believe in holistic approach when dealing with acne and pimples. There is no one solution to fix this complex problem whose root causes can be just anything. It can be stress, unhealthy diet, hormonal imbalance, dirty environment, you name it. The cause of acne for each person may vary. When you want to tackle acne, other than applying skincare suitable for your skin type or treating your acne topically, you may want to consider some lifestyle changes to get rid of acne. We will discuss lifestyle changes for acne in this article.
Lifestyle changes for acne to adopt
Drink a lot of water
Water is very important to our body. Do you know that our body can last for days without food but will not last as long without water?
One of the reasons why water is very important in keeping your skin clear is because it helps to flush out unwanted substances from our body. When we urinate, some of the toxic and unhealthy substances are taken out from our body. If we keep those substances inside the body, the body may react and one of the reactions can be in the form of acne/pimples.
Also, hydration for the body is important to ensure the body functions well, including its healing function. If the body does not operate optimally, it cannot heal from infections and inflammations like acne properly and quickly. I also covered an experiment that I did with myself on Japanese water therapy in another article here. Make sure you check it out.
Eat more vegetables and low sugar fruits
Another way our body gets rid of the unwanted substances is through our feces. According to Medical News Today article, generally 3x per day to 3x per week is considered a healthy frequency for passing out our feces. However, note if your bathroom ritual requires you to put more effort or strain yourself. You are healthy and have enough fiber intake if you can pass out the feces naturally, without pushing too hard.
There are certain vegetables and fruits that have more fibers than others. Try to find leafy green vegetables and other colorful vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, corns) and fruits that are less watery but more fiber-y. Watery fruits such as watermelon will not help your digestion system much compared to fruits like papaya.
Exercise and sweat all the toxins out!
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this. Your sweat may contain harmful substances that your body needs to get out. Sweat glands are one of the channels through which our body get these substances out. Sweat more, you won’t only feel better physically but also feel happier emotionally!
Do exercises that make you happy the most. I personally like dance-based exercise like Zumba or BodyJam. Sometimes when I prefer quieter activities I do hot yoga and pilates. My sister, for example, prefers yoga / pilates above anything else as she is more of a calmer person. Find the exercise that you like to do! I cover another topic on ‘Does Exercise Help Acne?‘ to dive deeper into this topic of exercise and acne. Check it out!
Sleep early and make sure you get 8 hours of quality sleep
I know this is hard to do for some people especially given the abundance of online resources, YouTube, movies that you can download on the net etc. Sometimes we just spend a lot of time before sleep browsing the web, Instagram, 9gag and other addictive stuff.. Keep in mind that you still should not sacrifice your sleeping time doing all those things. Sleep early, at 10pm to 11pm, is highly recommended to let your body function properly. Our body organs have certain schedule that they follow to rejuvenate themselves as well as to produce certain hormones/substances that are essential for the proper running of the body system.
Having 7-8 hours of sleep (quality sleep) will make you feel fresh the next morning, as well as allowing your body to function well. This sounds an easy lifestyle change for acne, but mind you it is harder to do. You will need to be really disciplined to do this consistently.
Stress less, smile more
I watched the Fantastic Beast movie recently and the main character used this phrase “My philosophy is worrying means you suffer twice”. Do not worry too much about life or what is ahead of you. Focus on the present. Do your best at the current moment. Life will take unexpected turns sometimes and there is no way we can avoid that. Believe that the Higher being will always provide you with what we need to face any circumstances in life, no matter how hard they are.
Try to smile more, smile at other people. Spread sunshine to people around you, no matter how annoying or grumpy they are. Let yourself be the source of happiness to people around you, and it can start simply from a sincere smile.
Is it hard to implement these lifestyle changes for acne?
It is simple, but might require more discipline to be consistent at it. The above lifestyle changes for acne are not exhaustive, please add more to your list as you see fit. These changes are not only lifestyle changes to get rid of acne, but they are also good for your overall life and health. If you can prioritize making these changes, one at a time, you will see improvement in your life!
Check out other posts on acne and healthy lifestyle for skin health!