How to Prevent Breakouts

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the case of acne-prone skin, this goes double. Just a few simple steps can help keep your face clean and clear--a lot easier than treating red and inflamed spots freckling your face.

Things You'll Need

• Gentle facial cleanser
• Drinking water
• Moisturizer

Instructions

How to Prevent Breakouts

1. Keep your hands off your face. Even if you’ve just washed your hands, your digits are dirty. You’ve touched door handles, knobs, the chair you’re sitting in and all kinds of other surfaces that are laden with germs. Don’t ever touch your face unless it’s to wash it or otherwise care for the skin.

2. Wash your hands before you wash your face. Washing your face with dirty hands negates the whole cleansing process. While your facial cleanser may get your face clean, it’s probably not strong enough to clean your hands as well.

3. Moisturize your face. This may seem backwards, but dryer skin is actually more prone to breakouts than moisturized skin. When your skin is dry, it automatically goes into overdrive, creating excess oil to moisturize itself. The surplus can cause breakouts.

4. Drink lots of water. Try to consume at least 8 full glasses of water a day. The water helps your body get rid of waste that clogs pores and causes pimples. Water is essential for clear skin.

5. Use a clay mask on your face once a week. As the mask dries, it purges your skin of impurities, pulling them up through the surface and drying them into the mask.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t ever wash your face with antibacterial soap. The harsh soap will kill the good bacteria that helps battle the bad and actually make your skin more susceptible to breakouts.