Continuing in our discussions about how appearances affect our self-esteem, this article focuses on controlling pimples which is a huge problem with teens especially when teens hit puberty and everything is going in overdrive, pimples can be a big problem.
When I was in my teens, I suffered from severe pimples problems. I had pimples on my forehead, my cheeks and one extremely large one on the tip of my nose.
Here are 7 tips that I’ve learned from my experience:
- Diet. I love to eat hamburgers, fries, chips – you name it. Unfortunately, these foods will make your pimples even worse. I know it’s hard to tell a teen not to eat this stuff but if you want to control your pimples, reduce your intake of fried foods.Food high in oily fats increase your body’s intake of oil which leads to increased pimples.
- Eat more fruits. Especially high water-content fruit such as watermelons and papayas.
- Drink more water (hydrate your body) – coffee and soft drinks don’t count. Drinking more water cleanses your body of toxins and keeps your body hydrated which helps to reduce oil production in your skin.Drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol work against your body by dehydrating your body – so avoid these drinks as much as possible.
- Wash your face regularly (twice a day) with facial cleanser. Even for the guys, in this meterosexual age, it’s ok (even hip) to use facial products nowadays.Don’t use the bars of Ivory soap you use to shower with. That’s too much for your face as the skin on your face is more delicate.You’ll want to look for a daily facial cleanser that cleans and opens your pores but doesn’t take away all the moisture from your skin.I recommend using organic cleansers (ones that don’t use harmful parabens and other chemicals that may be linked to cancer).For a daily cleanser, I recommend the Burt’s Bees brand of organic cleansers (may be used for both men and women):In addition to a daily cleanser, you’ll also want to get rid of the dead layers of skin that accummulate (this also helps remove dried layers of skin where pimples were growing.What you’ll need is a facial exfoliating cleaner (or facial scrub). This type of cleanser has a grainy feel to it which peels (exfoliates) layers of dead skin from your face.You only need to exfoliate or scrub about once a week. You don’t want to scrub too much as it can be damaging to your skin if you scrub too much.Again, I recommend the Burt’s Bees line of facial scrub as it is produced with organic ingredients:
- If you have a serious pimple problem, see your doctor. Most likely, in serious cases (like myself), they’ll refer you to see a dermatologist (a skin specialist).Most likely after seeing a dermatologist, he/she will put on a kind of regular medication that dries your skin considerably. This is quite a drastic measure but is quite effective in cases where your pimple problem is very extreme.
- Resist the urge to pop. You may have a huge zit that’s sitting on your nose and it looks like it’s going to blow. Don’t pop it yourself, when you pop zits it can leave scarring on your skin (believe me, I still have the scars to prove it)
- Wash your hands before touching your face. What makes pimples worse is touching pimples with dirty hands. Wash your hands with soap before you touch your skin where pimples are present. It’s when you touch pimples with hands full of bacteria that causes inflammation.
In most cases, I’ve learned that as you get older, pimple problems tend to fade away (or at least not as serious as in your teens). I now have baby soft skin and you wouldn’t guess at all that I had pimple problems when I as younger.
If you want to learn how to rid yourself of pimples, you may be interested in this book:
***There may be endorsed products on this page. Assume that the author and owner’s of this website will receive a commission if you purchase any products that are endorsed here.
Get the Weekly Brain Buddha
Get weekly content on nourishing your brain and living your best life.
Each week covers our 4 Pillars: Your brain (mental wellness), your body (physical health), your money (personal finances & investing) and your relationships.
Not sure if The Brain Buddha newsletter is for you? Check out The Brain Buddha Manifesto (opens in new tab) to see if our mission resonates with you.