Our society is so focused on appearances and physical perceptions and “being beautiful.” In many cases, negative criticism is used on females, making us feel as though we “do not look how we are supposed to (in order to gain acceptance from others).” In other cases, we are truly in an unhealthy state and need help!
Many females, like myself, have difficulty keeping their skin free of acne and dark scars. As girls, we should realize that getting acne is a completely normal part of life. Almost everyone gets them, and in most cases they can be taken care of. Pimples form when inflammation of the sebaceous gland takes place. Now, you may be wondering “what in the world is the sebaceous gland?” and you’ve probably already pulled it up on your smart phone. But it you are still reading, the sebaceous gland is located on the sides of the hair follicle. The sebaceous gland secrets off oils to lubricate the skin and hair (So it’s basically like a natural oil).
Now that you have a rough idea of what you’re dealing with, we can get into how to treat these nagging pimples that many of us get.
It’s important to wash your face every morning and night with either a face wash or a soap that works for you. It’s also highly important to keep your skin moisturized if it’s naturally dry. If you have oily skin, natural products like lemon juice can help keep it a little drier and also remove dark spots. Other natural products like coconut oil, honey, and even drinking teas may help clear the skin. There are many acne products on the shelves to help clear your skin, but again, natural products are not too far away in the store and they definitely help as well. One must remember that our skin is also influenced by the food we eat, so having a healthy diet is key as well. If you’re one to wear foundation, or other thick makeup products that are applied to your forehead, cheeks, or chin, you should remember to make sure your skin isn’t dry and progressively getting worse underneath. Also, be sure to remove the makeup every night before you sleep so it doesn’t build up on your skin. Replacing makeup applicators is another big deal because they can carry bacteria harmful to our skin after using it for weeks and weeks. The one extremely important thing to remember is this: Stop Touching Your Face! Our fingers hold many germs, bacteria, and oils that cause us to get annoying pimples when we scratch our face, rub against it, or try to pop pimples that may already be there! Many times we may pop a pimple and then we continue to squeeze and wonder why it has not gone down. Remember that this is inflammation that needs to go down on its own. Lastly, seeing a trusted dermatologist is a great idea because they can determine what your skin needs and what product you should use.
