How to zap that zit

If you are trying to get rid of acne, changes in your lifestyle and some basic cleanliness habits can do wonders to your facial skin, say experts. Read on to know how to do it best.

If you are trying to get rid of acne, changes in your lifestyle and some basic cleanliness habits can do wonders to your facial skin, say experts.

HT Image

“People forget personal hygiene like washing their hair daily. Normally, if you have dandruff and hair comes in contact with your facial skin, you are bound to get pimples. But if your scalp is clean, you can see the difference,” says Neelam Khurana, vice president of Timpac Healthcare.

“One should never share towels with anyone. Also, make sure you don’t pop those pimples; it can lead to scars,” she adds.

In some cases, acne can be attributed to factors like genetic history as well as hormonal imbalance during pregnancy and menopause. Polycystic ovary syndrome, too, causes skin problems.

“As we reach puberty, changing hormones stimulate the sleeping oil glands and they start over-secreting. The gland becomes larger with the sebum, and dead cells inside it and pollution and dirt further clog it, creating a black head and then a pimple,” says Chiranjiv Chhabra, senior dermatologist at Skin Alive clinic. Stress is another reason. ”Scientific research indicates that ‘increased acne severity’ is associated with increased stress levels,” says Amol Dhir, a skin expert at Apollo Clinic.

But again, there are other things you can do, if not kill stress. “A person should drink 40 ml of water per kilogram of body weight, which means, if you weigh 60 kg, you should drink approximately two litres of water. Also, try to sleep for eight hours,” says Khurana.

While using benzoyl peroxide is a known treatment for mild and moderate acne, experts suggest, in extreme cases, where acne is painful and leaves scars, one should opt for treatments like photo therapy, chemical peels and skin polishing. In extreme cases, laser treatments are used used to get rid of marks.