I want to break free! What can I do?

There are, of course, some very lucky women out there who don’t have to deal with PMS acne at all. For the rest of us, this is something that we have to deal with on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be as bad as it seems, however!

Those of us who experience severe acne can consider visiting a dermatologist for medication to calm stubborn and serious inflammations down. But most of us don’t want to be on medications on a long-term or permanent basis unnecessarily. Here are a few suggestions on lifestyle changes to keep the break-outs in check:

1. Don’t worry, be happy

It’s a fact that everyone knows, but may not act upon for some reason: stress aggravates acne. It becomes a dangerous vicious cycle because stress-worsened acne usually gives you more stress, and things quickly spiral downhill from there. Both for your own mental wellbeing as well as to improve PMS acne, you can consider adopting a self-care regime.

Whether you’re facing stress from the workplace or from your studies, invest some time every day into relaxation and unwinding. It may seem like you’re being “unproductive”, but these little pockets of self-care time could really rejuvenate your mind, your body – and your skin too!

Take relaxing evening strolls around a nearby park, or your neighbourhood. Bring a good friend or a loved one, if possible, so you can also spend some quality time with those you care about. You could pair your walks with listening to music, or an audiobook. A good alternative is simply to go mobile-free and let your mind truly relax while observing and appreciating your surroundings.
Spend a portion of your free time on a hobby or learning something new. This takes your mind off your source of stress, which also helps to refresh it when you do have to go back to doing work. You’re doing something you enjoy, so it’ll naturally make you feel happier and less pent-up.
Meditate. Meditation is increasingly becoming recognized as a valid technique to improve psychological wellbeing, and the pool of people practising it is steadily growing. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a yoga mat or to adopt unusual positions in order to meditate. You simply need a quiet environment in which you can be uninterrupted for at least 5 minutes. If you don’t know how to meditate, you can either join classes (some are free to attend) or install some phone apps (some are also free) that teach you step by step how to meditate. There’s certainly no harm in trying it out to see if it works for you!

2. Health heals

This is yet another commonly acknowledged fact which always happens to go under the radar for many people: a healthier lifestyle keeps the skin in better condition, and helps with other annoying symptoms like menstrual cramps, mood swings and bloating! The myriad of advantages that comes with adding some health back into your life extend way beyond easing your PMS, so what’s stopping you?

Exercise regularly. It not only pumps your body full of endorphins that keep the stress and mood swings away, but it physically relieves bloating and indigestion as well. If you’ve been used to a sedentary lifestyle, don’t worry – you could start with simply taking long walks (which also helps you to destress), and move to taking light jogs when you feel ready for it. You don’t need to force yourself to start with intimidating activities like jogging or hitting the gym. Start somewhere comfortable for you and progress at your own pace – there is no step forward that is too small!
Make water your drink of choice. Sugary drinks contributes to bloating and weight gain. Drinking water not only beats the thirst and keeps you away from the sugared alternative, but also helps to keep your body (and skin) hydrated and healthy.
Decrease or quit smoking if possible. Smoking is well-known for promoting inflammation, and inflammatory acne is no exception. We don’t need to tell you about the whole host of other medical conditions that smoking causes.

3. Hygiene regime

Pimples are essentially a bacterial infection that occurs on the skin surface. While we cannot (and should not) exterminate every trace of bacteria on our skin, it might help to reduce contact with some harmful bacteria.

Wash your face regularly. If you aren’t already doing this, wash your face once or twice a day. This will help to remove any excessive sebum on the skin surface. Don’t wash your face more than twice a day, as this might dry out your skin. Also, make sure you are using a facial cleanser appropriate for your skin type! Inappropriate cleansers may make your skin more acne-prone.
Clean those brushes. If you regularly apply make-up, make cleaning your make-up brushes at least once a week a habit. Using baby shampoo to clean them also helps to keep your bank account happy too!
Don’t touch your face unnecessarily. Our hands and fingers come into contact with a lot more bacteria than our face usually does. Minimizing face touching will also minimize bacterial transference.

4. Start exfoliating

It’s apparently “common knowledge” in skincare that exfoliation helps to unclog pores, which helps to prevent acne from forming in the first place. This has some truth in it, and many people around the world have given testimonials on how exfoliation has helped with their acne. Unfortunately, exfoliation isn’t a “one size fits all” skincare hack – it works for some skin types, but makes things worse for others.

If you are not already regularly exfoliating, it is a good idea to try it out to see if it helps to ease your monthly break-outs. Start at a low frequency of once a week, and then monitor how your skin responds. If physical exfoliation (using scrubs that have beads in them) does not work for you, try chemical exfoliation (using peels usually formulated with acids) as well before you decide to give up on it all together.

It is important to remember to keep your skin adequately moisturised afterwards, since exfoliation does strip your skin of sebum which may dry it out. If you do find that things are improving with your skin, you may consider upping the frequency of exfoliation, but always moderate yourself. You can have too much of a good thing, after all!