Being an acne sufferer for years (and still is an acne sufferer), I've slowly come to understand my body and skin better. Hopefully some tips here will be helpful to some of you!
To start off, I always do research online to know more about the causes of acne. I know, dirt and polluted air are always the cause of clogged pores which then developed into whiteheads and more. But I've always believed it comes from our inner body too. Hence, I googled "Acne face map" and found this
website that is very helpful.
I mentally took note of the areas that I often break out, and here's what I find true to me:
- Coffee (all day err day!)
- Insufficient sleep (5-6hrs)
- High intake of sugar (when I consume cakes everyday)
- Stress (thinking too much about life lol)
- Period (usually 1-2 weeks before my menses start)
To give you a real life example (and also a sneak peek into my life), my schedule was like this: Woke up at 7AM for work, attended driving lessons after work at 730PM and returning home only at 930PM before sleeping at 12AM. This routine repeated for 7 days for a couple of weeks, and during this period of time I relied heavily on coffee to keep me awake so that I can drive well at night. Apart from coffee, I indulged in chocolate during tea break or breakfast (chocolate buns). What's more, it's Christmas period - everyone is gifting chocolate!
Also, just a week before my period, huge zits popped out at unusual areas (as always, when my big aunt's about to revisit me).
From then on, I started cutting down on cakes and coffee, and tried to sleep earlier (let me re-emphasize: earlier, not early) and do more sheet masks as a form of relaxation. Apart from those, I also rely on some products to help my skin on the outer:
