5 Do's and 5 Don'ts For Treating Your Acne

The most effective acne treatments are not available at your local pharmacy or drug store. Nor do they need to be prescribed by a physician. The weight of evidence now shows that the cause of your condition is within you. Here are the 5 Do's and 5 Don'ts for treating acne from the inside out.

5 things to do to treat your acne without using over the counter treatments:

# 1. Do increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Your aim should be to eat at least five portions of different coloured fruits and vegetables a day. These natural foods are packed with all the vitamins and minerals your body needs for good health.

Green vegetables and orange or yellow-coloured fruits are rich in vitamin A.. Vitamin A helps to prevent the overproduction of sebum, which contributes to your acne breakouts. Oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and lemons are each rich sources of vitamin C, which fortifies your body's defense system against acne-causing bacteria. Vitamin E is essential for revitalizing your skin and repairing damaged skin.

Fresh fruit and vegetables also provide you with dietary fibre. Dietary fibre is essential for keeping your digestive system healthy and helps to eliminate waste and toxins naturally.

# 2. Do drink plenty of water. You should aim to drink about 8 glasses of water a day. Doing this keeps your body properly hydrated and improves your skin texture. It flushes out toxins from your body that may also be a cause of your acne.

# 3. Do take regular moderate exercise. This will improve your overall fitness and health, which are important for fighting your condition. It also helps to re-balance your hormones and eliminate toxins from your body, both of which can cause your acne.

# 4. Do relax. Stress is known to cause acne breakouts. Make sure you get adequate sleep each night. Build time into your daily schedule to allow you to accomplish your tasks and chores without causing undue pressure. Build a period of relaxation into your daily routine.

# 5. Do have a good skin care routine. All that is required is to keep your skin clean by washing twice a day with a gently exfoliating wash. That will prevent your pores becoming blocked with dead skin cells and will prevent bacteria from causing an infection.

Here are 5 things you should avoid doing, the 5 Don'ts:

# 1. Do not pick your spots. Doing so will traumatize your skin and risks spreading the infection causing bacteria. That will make the healing process a lot slower and may also cause scarring and skin blemishes.

# 2. Do not consume foods and drinks that contain large quantities of refined sugars. Refined sugars hinder your body's digestive system causing a build up of toxins and other waste which, in turn, can cause your acne. If you cannot cut them out of your diet altogether, you should greatly reduce your consumption of cakes, cookies, candies, and sodas.

# 3. Do not eat dairy products and vegetable oils. These foods are known to inflame an existing outbreak. Having milk on your breakfast cereal and in your morning cup of coffee or tea is fine. Bear in mind that nature intended milk for baby cows, not for humans.

# 4. Do not comb your hair over your forehead or face. The oils that occur naturally in your hair will affect your skin condition and make it worse.

# 5. Do not scrub your skin. It will not rid you of your spots. On the contrary, it is likely to spread the infection and cause skin inflammation. That will make your condition worse.

Over the counter treatments do have their place in the short-term management of your condition. However, the most effective and long lasting way of treating your acne is from the inside out.