Back to School Acne Tips
With the fall semester already in full swing, keeping your skin clear can feel more important than ever, but it can also be trickier than ever. You’ve got less time to worry about acne, more stress to deal with, and a whole school full of new germs to worry about exposing your skin to.
Watch your back if you’re sitting down all day.
One thing you’ll be doing a lot of at school is spending time in a chair. If you’ve got back acne, this can potentially make your life harder. With your back glued to the back of a chair, sweat can build up and get trapped beneath your shirt, clogging your pores and inviting bacteria to fester. To avoid this, make sure to wear fabrics that let your skin breathe, and when you can get out of that seat (or at least lean forward and let the fabric air out now and then). Of course, this also makes a daily shower extra important.
Don’t stress out over schoolwork.
Stress can contribute to acne, and we all know that the pressures of school can be stressful. It’s easy to say “just relax”, but the reality is that it takes some effort. If your studies (or social stress) are getting you, learn to take a step back and put things in perspective. Getting agitated will only make your situation (and your skin!) worse. Don’t forget to get to sleep at a decent hour, as lack of rest is a big contributor to stress.
Schools are dirty. Hands off the face.
No matter how hard the janitor works, your school is anything but clean. Think of all the surfaces you may touch during the day – your locker, door knobs, desks, other people – there are no shortage of bacteria-ridden objects that your hands may come in contact with. Now imagine your hands transferring all that bacteria to your face. Yeah, not a pretty picture. So the lesson here is simple: don’t touch your face while at school. This is good advice in general, but is especially important while at a public environment like school. And wash those hands when you get home!
Keep your school lunch healthy.
Whether you make lunch at home or purchase it at the cafeteria, it’s easy to go the processed, junk food route, but that’s definitely not the best thing for your skin. Watch out for high-carb, fatty foods and high-sugar snacks. Try to work some fruit and vegetables into your lunch, and remember to drink enough water or low-sugar juice. Even if all your friends are drinking cola, buck the trend and skip the carbonated sugar water. Grab another glass of water after school as well. Your skin can’t get enough proper hydration.
