Five doctor-approved things you should do to fix pimples

Pimples aren’t only for teenagers. They are a common problem among women (and men) of all ages. Fix them with these tips.

Pimples aren’t only for teenagers.

They are a common problem among women (and men) of all ages.

But acne doesn’t have to be a life sentence.

Read: Want pimple-free face? Eight things you need to know

Find out what you can do to avoid acne and pimples altogether.

1 Use a mild cleanser that cleans and instantly hydrates in the morning and use an anti-acne formula typically laced with salicylic or glycolic acid in the evening. “Using too many drying ingredients in your cleanser and treatments can actually over-dry skin and exacerbate your acne by making your skin think it needs to produce more oil,” explains Dr Amitabh Kumar, skin specialist, Max Hospital, Delhi.

2 Yoga poses that increase blood flow to the face (think inversions like wheel, bridge or downward dog) can speed up healing by delivering fresh blood to the area. That doesn’t mean you can do one move and expect to see results though. Practice daily at home in the morning or before bed (at night is when skin goes into super repair mode naturally) or hit a yoga class. Just be sure to keep skin and your mat clean and bacteria free by wiping down your mat pre and post workout with an antibacterial wipe or lay a clean towel on top.

3 When you work out, “sweat is coming from pores and that’s exactly where your makeup sits - in pores,” explains Dr Kumar, “Then you touch your face and press whatever bacteria is at the gym into your skin.” So not only are you putting your skin at risk for forming new pimples, but the ones you have can get worse.

4 The SPF will ward off sun damage that can keep a spot lingering long after it’s gone flat. But be sure to use a sunscreen that clearly states ‘oil-free’ on the label so that you aren’t using one that contains potentially pore-clogging oils (note: that most face formulas for daily use are always oil-free).

5 While salicylic acid is a great exfoliator that can get rid of dead skin cells that can clog pores and therefore is perfect to help maintain clear skin, it’s Benzoyl Peroxide that’s able to kill the puss inside a pimple that’s already popped up. Warning: it can be super harsh so you want to only put a tiny amount right on the pimple and don’t do it more than once a day. Plus, “it can bleach your sheets and pillowcases so consider placing a white towel on your pillowcase before bed,” says Dr V Karol, skin specialist, Delhi.

Follow our tips, and this could be you:

The writer tweets as @SanyaHoon