HOW TO DEAL WITH ACNE PRONE SKIN?

All my life I have suffered from acne prone skin. I’ve tried quite literally hundreds of face scrubs over the past fifteen years or so. Since suffering from really bad acne as a teenager, I’ve spent years trying to find the perfect exfoliator and Face Wash combination. All I wanted was to get my face looking half presentable and not to shatter my confidence all the time. From cheap and cheerful products to face scrubs from more reputable brands like Kiehl’s and Clinique For Men, you name it – I’ve tried it!

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Ups and downs

Whilst going through some pretty drastic ups and downs with my still acne prone skin over the years, one of the most important things I have come to realise is that it’s important to get the balance of face scrub and face wash use just right, on a weekly basis. I’ve typically found that by over exfoliating, my skin tends to dry out, whilst not doing enough scrubbing often leads to my skin breaking out.

I was even steaming

I even went through a phase of steaming my face every day, before washing my face, to try and draw out excess sebum from my open pores. That was a complete no no after my skin just erupted following a week or so of doing it. These days, I find that exfoliating every other morning and using a gentle face wash on all mornings in between, keeps my skin nicely in check and I’m able to hold back breakouts.

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A face mask, a cleanser and a toner

A couple of nights a week, I even use a Face Mask for around twenty minutes, to give my skin a complete reboot. I find that this works well at brightening and unifying my skin tone above anything else. I think it’s so easy to map out a perfect exfoliating, cleansing and toning routine each morning and night, but let’s face it, who on earth is going to stick to that every single day? After all, we’re still just ordinary blokes with busy lives to live! Because of this, I find that sticking to morning exfoliating and washing works well in keeping my acne at bay and before bed, that’s when I bring the Cleanser and Toner into play. After a long day in the office and getting home, all I want to do is put my feet up and relax, which is why cleansing and toning in the evening is so easy and effective. Plus, it purifies my skin before I go to bed, so there’s no impurities or spot causing oils and toxins left within my epidermis that can run riot in my skin whilst I sleep.

Don’t take chances with your skincare

As a bloke who has always suffered with acne and then breakouts as I’ve gone through my twenties, the biggest bit of men’s acne advice I could give is keep your skin care consistent. Don’t chop up your routine too much, nor bounce between a million different products, because one might be on offer at a particular time for example. Once you’ve found a series of products that come together and work for you, you should have no problem sticking to them. After all, if it isn’t broken – don’t fix it.

Another massive bit of advice I would give is to make sure you buy miniature versions of your favourite products too! I know how easy it is to just rely on whatever Face Scrub a hotel provides you with when you go on holiday. Or just to assume your buddy will bring his face wash with him, if you have a boys weekend coming up. But, and it’s a big one – guys who take chances will inevitably end up paying the price in front of the mirror and that’s a fact!

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What do I recommend?

Over the years, one of the best men’s skin care ranges I’ve found that works for my acne prone skin is MMUK MAN’s Anti-Acne Skin Care line. What first caught my attention about the collection was that they had every product that I used in my weekly skin care cycle and the ingredients in each botanical product were of the highest quality. But, that’s only on paper. After all, it’s important to remember that a product can sound all singing and all dancing particularly online. But they can perform very differently on different types of men’s skin. So, before perhaps buying the whole range, test their metal with just one or two products from the collection, before investing in the full set.

MMUK MAN - Anti-Acne Facial Cleanser For Men 40/240ml
MMUK MAN - Anti-Acne Mud Mask For Men 120ml € 65,95
MMUK MAN - Anti-Acne Firming Facial Toner For Men 40/120ml € 41,95 – € 57,95
MMUK MAN - Anti-Acne Facial Exfoliant For Men 120ml € 49,95
MMUK MAN - Anti-Acne Chamomile Face Wash For Men 40ml € 41,95

Don’t underestimate the healing benefits of sleep

Sleep is another massive factor in how I’m able to block out breakouts. If I don’t get my full quota of seven hours each night, my skin begins to look tired, gets oilier and uneven earlier on in my day. It’s at this point where I start to feel anxious about my complexion and begin touching, prodding and worse still, picking it, which inevitably ends up in it blowing up more. I know how tempting it is to stay up for an extra episode or two of Game Of Thrones, but trust me, it’s not worth it.

Last word of advice

Another way I’m able to tackle those bulging facial blighters is to manage my diet effectively. When you have acne prone skin, it’s extra important to realise that what you put in, you get out of it. I’ve slowly learned that drinking plenty of water leads to a healthier looking complexion and avoiding greasy foods where possible, results in my skin remaining nicely in balance and not over oily. This isn’t to say I don’t indulge in the odd takeaway, but if my skin has had a particularly rough week – I’m not going to add fuel to the fire and ‘treat’ myself to a curry or kebab.