I could pretend I am this perfect girl that doesn't have any problems with her skin/body but I am not going to because I am a normal girl with imperfections and rather than being embarrassed/disgusted with my body I thought I would share these tips to help others too.

Acne is has been a big part of my life and it's something I had to put up with growing up, for anyone who has or had acne you will know that it never really goes away and most of us are left with horrible scars which have ruined our confidence completely. Well I am one of those girls! I have also been one of those girls that suffer from bacne (acne on your back) and occasionally it's worse but I have finally found a routine-ish to help keep it under control (well kinda - sadly I still have the scars).

I really wanted to tell anyone who suffers from acne it really is nothing to be ashamed of, and according to NHS statistics it is more common than you think with around 80% of people aged between 11-30 experience acne at least once - surely that has got to make you feel a little bit better?

I have suffered from acne intermittently since I was about 13, I have never really been able to stop it and I have found over the years that some products I just cannot use because it make's it worse. More than likely I have tried everything out there which is why I thought I would start a series on my blog called the Acne Diaries where I will cover tips and products which help, products that don't and much more. 

Now on to the Do's and the Dont's.

Do's:

♥ Cleanse your face twice a day using hot or warm water - Once in the morning and once in the night. In the morning I would recommend using Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish as it's a gentle cleanse and in the evening use the same product but do a second cleanse with Eucerin DermaPurifying Cleanser. After your cleanse always use a toner to balance the pH of your skin.

♥ Use a fresh flannel or cloth every time you wash your face - think of all the bacteria you are cleaning out in you cleanse, you don't want to put it back in your skin later in the day. 

♥ Drink lots of water - I am shocked I am saying this as I hardly ever used to drink water but now I swear by it and I try to drink as much as I can a day. It really is good for clearing any toxins out of your skin and is great for helping to clear up your skin (I don't know how it just is!)

♥ Change your bedding at least once a week - again think of the bacteria, and whilst your skin is on the road to recovery you wouldn't want to breakout again. 

♥ Use the right moisturiser for your skin type - matching a good moisturiser will help keep the oils and the pH of your skin balanced. For example you wouldn't use a moisturiser for dry skin if you are combination/oily as it will add too much moisture. 

♥ Check your products - I found that using a perfumed or heavy fragranced shampoo's actually made my acne worse, for example ever since I changed to the Naked Shampoo range my head is not irritated and my bacne has cleared up. Also worth while checking your body lotions, washing up detergents and if you have long hair then check your hair products.

♥ Exercise - I am the worst at this as I am so lazy (I really need to get my act together) but exercise is great for getting the blood flowing which will help your skin look healthy. Just make sure you shower when you get home to remove any sweat and bacteria off your skin.

♥ Eat Healthy - If you eat healthy your body is full of good toxins, if you think about all the rubbish that goes into fast or fatty foods it really is not good for you and those toxins will eventually come out and it's usually in your skin.

♥ Clean your phone - I noticed this through work as my work phone was covered in make-up and it made me think what else is lurking on my phone, I often use an antibacterial wipe just to give my phone a quick clean and get rid of any bacteria. 

♥ Be patient - getting rid of acne will not happen over night. But you have to be strict with yourself and stick in a routine and it will work I promise! I have been there and I have been embarrassed and disgusted with myself; especially with my bacne and it made me really self concious and completely ruined my confidence but it is slowly getting there. So just be patient and give yourself a break! :) 

Dont's

♥ Avoid products with lots of alcohol or have a high oil concentration as this will just feed the acne and make it worse.

♥ Prevent from using make-up or wearing lots of make-up - this is something I very rarely do and I understand that when you have acne the one thing you are not going to do is leave it uncovered. But where possible don't wear make-up, I always remove my make-up as soon as I am home and when I am not going anywhere I leave it off to let my skin breathe. Or you could even try switching to a make-up that is made to help spot-prone skin or for preventing the clogging of pores.

♥ Don't touch - I am the worst culprit for this, you unconsciously touch! My acne is around my jawline and the worst thing I do is sit with my hands in my face at work, if you have sweat or oils on your skin and touch your face it can cause further irritation or cause your pores to block even more. 

♥ Don't pick - The one thing you want to do is to remove any blemish but with acne it is actually worse as it means the bacteria can spread and can get into more pores, simply using the right products to open up your pores then clean your skin and using a toner to close your pores again will do the trick

♥ Get stressed - Stress and worry causes acne to break out easier and to spread quicker. I don't actually know how or why this happens but it does and I notice it in my skin if I have been stressed. 

So not that many then ey! Like I said before I am not anywhere near an expert but I am human, I have and am still suffering with acne and I have probably tried every tip you can think of and these are the few that I find have really helped me so I thought I would share. It goes to show that mum's are always right as it was my mum that has told me most of these :)

I really hope you found the first part of the Acne Diaries helpful, I will be doing a few more posts in the series shortly but I would love to know if there was anything in particular you would like me to cover or anything you would like to see? If so please leave a comment as I love to hear them and it will also help me ensure that my future posts are useful :)

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