Tips to help keep skin clear

Following from an earlier post on which skin care products I'm sticking to and which I'm getting rid of, here are some little changes that made a difference in how my skin looks and feels and also some other tips which you can use too to reduce the formation of pimples on your face. I have also booked an appointment at the dermatologist to see if I need any special medications so stay tuned for updates in that regard. Enjoy! :)

1. I noticed that my breakouts were getting worse and more frequent ever since I started work and thanks to the ongoing air conditioning and not being able to open a window for some fresh air (coupled with the inevitable stress that work brings with it), my skin has suffered.  So, what I do is I take my cleanser and moisturizer with me to work and I wash my face if my skin feels oily and then I just cover up the imperfections with concealer.

2. Hydration is of utmost important to help the skin get rid of toxins and not over-produce sebum.  The secret potion here is water! Just make sure to keep a handy small size bottle near you throughout the day to make it easier to reach for it and hydrate our skin from within.

3. Reserve make-up for weekends and go light during the day. This will let your skin breathe and free it from clogged pores.  For example, the items that go on my face for work are concealer, blush and some kohl eye pencil!

4. Having oily hair doesn't help my skin much but ever since I cut it shorter, I wash it more often and breakouts at the sides of my face have diminished drastically.  

5. Another way by which I diminished breakouts at the sides is by cleaning my mobile phone with hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes at the end of the day to kill bacteria.

6. This is hard but I try not to touch my face too often as bacteria can easily be transferred from the hands to the face and cause spots. Also, ever since I quit popping zits, I get less breakouts.  Popping zits will cause the infection to spread to other areas and also deeper in the skin tissue causing bigger and redder spots.  However, if pop you must, make sure your hands are squeaky clean and wrap a tissue around your fingers to wipe the pus straight away and avoid marking your face with your fingernails. 

7. Diet is also a very important factor in maintaining healthy-looking skin. Cut down on fatty and greasy foods and you will see a difference almost immediately!

8. Use products that are specific to your skin type. There is no need to buy every single thing that you think might work. Stick to the products that you know will give you the results you want.  More importantly, take time to cleanse your skin as much as you take time in applying make-up.

9. Lastly, going to the beach and rinsing my face with sea water has helped improve my skin greatly.  I am lucky to live on an island with many beautiful beaches and whenever I can, I will try and go to the beach even in Winter to help my skin all year round.

So, that rounds up a few little tweaks that I did to help my skin get better and hope that you find some of these tips useful if you have the same problems as me :)