hey girls ! it's rasha here
acne is a very common thing, and I've personally had it since i was 8
i used to hate my acne and feel different from everyone else at my school because almost no one in my class had acne, and i felt really different. over the years, I've learnt to accept it as a part of me, and i don't feel bad about it anymore. if you have acne too, don't feel ashamed of your buttons, there's nothing wrong about them, and they don't make you any less beautiful than you already are. and if you feel different, trust me you aren't, because so many teens deal around it with the world and we're here to support each other
over the years, i've collected many tips that helped me reduce my acne, so I thought I'd share them here
1) don't touch your face at all ! i know this is a hard one, because we often don't pay attention when resting our cheeks on a hand, etc, but avoid touching your face to the max, and when you really have to, make sure to wash your hands or use a sanitizer before !
2) stay hydrated. the more your body is hydrated, the less buttons will pop on your face. personally i always forget to drink water, so now i just do it everytime i finish a task which doesn't let me forget ! there are also a ton of apps that send you notifications reminding you to drink water throughout the day, so you can install one. and lastly, if you don't like the taste of plain water, try adding a little flavour to it by pouring some juice to it. ideally, you should drink 10 cups of water per day which is approximately 2 liters, but 6+ cups is already great !
3) this is similar to do first point, but please leave your buttons alone and don't try touching them or removing them. everytime you remove a button it will pop again, and it won't go away easily at all. plus it makes it seem even more red and appearant
4) avoid oily and fat foods
5) use the creme or product your dermatologist prescripted you correctly. if you didn't consult one yet, i highly recommend you taking an appointment. your dermatologist will recommend you a product or more and tell you on what basis to use it.
don't buy cremes and other products then apply them on your skin that your dermatologist didn't give you. these may not be the correct products to use, or provoke you allergies, and they might not be adequate for your skin type or buttons
note : for example, if your dermatologist told you to use your creme twice, once in the morning and once at night, do it . don't skip it, even if you're tired and don't feel like it, it takes less than a minute
sometimes i just didn't feel like applying my creme so i didn't do it, and the next day, i would have so many new buttons
5) wash your face !
i personally use a cleansing gel, but anything will do
if you're buying the product yourself, make sure it matches your skin type !
6) sleep well, and have a correct sleep schedule
try to sleep at least 8hours+ every night. i know this is not possible for everyone, so just try to sleep as much as you can ! sleep affects all your body, and bad sleep will cause more acne
7) these tips are only advice, not magic. at first i thought putting my creme would make my buttons disappear. but the truth is that it is way longer than that. getting rid of acne takes time, and sometimes it never completely goes. my mom started having acne very young and she still does today, but it has considerly lowered and you barely see it. since trying out these tips i have noticed change and they have really helped me. so don't give up, change takes time but it's worth it !
i hope this chapter will help you feel more confident, and unashamed
embrace your acne !
~rasha✨