Acne is a problem for most people but it doesn’t always end up being a problem on your face. Growing up and even into my early twenties I never struggled with any kind of acne…until I hit age 24. For whatever reason something changed in what I was doing that my skin did NOT like. So after trial and error I finally got it cleared up. Here and there I’ll get a pimple or two but NOTHING like I was experiencing in these pictures. Once I started doing the following my chest acne has gotten SO much better.

1. Change your detergent

If you are someone who loves scented detergent this change will be a hard one to follow through on but it will be worth it! In these pictures I was using Tide – yes it smells great but the perfumes can agitate your skin. I switched over to Seventh Generation and my skin started to calm down within a week.

2. Shower ASAP after a gym seshion

Seems easy enough, right? But this can actually be hard for me sometimes! Especially if I want to go out and run errands afterwards, cook, clean while I’m already gross, etc. However, this is crucial. If I have a reason not to shower right away I’ve started taking a wet wash cloth and at least rinsing the area because it will at least help reduce the chance of your sweat clogging your pores.

3. Use products with salicylic acid

I used to think that salicylic acid was my enemy because it never worked out when I would use it on my face. But turns out I was just using it for the wrong reasons. If you aren’t breaking out you won’t need this in your products, but if you have a trouble area it could really benefit you. When I’m in the shower I like to use a separate cleanser on my chest than I do on my face. I need a gentle cleanser on my face because anything more is too harsh and actually causes irritation or breakouts but my chest requires the opposite. Of course, Biore stopped selling my FAVORITE cleanser for my chest, but since then I’ve found ones that work almost just as well. Give the Honest Beauty Younger + Clearer cleanser a try, I’ve been loving it! Plus it’s anti-aging…can’t go wrong with that.

4. Salicylic acid pads

I swear by these Clearasil pads! I use them every night after cleansing and before hydrating my skin. I usually wait about 5 minutes after applying this to my skin before I put on any of my other products (oils, creams, serums, etc.) I’ve found that these really make the difference AND they reduce the size of any little bastard blemishes that have somehow found a way to surface!

5. Hydrate

Don’t skip your chest during your face care regimen! You may think putting creams and oils on your chest will make you break out but it won’t as long as you aren’t putting too much on. I usually drag the extra from my face down onto my neck and chest so that I don’t overdo it on the amount. Also, when your skin is breaking out it is not good to dry it out (in my opinion.) Usually if your skin is producing a lot of oil which leads to breakouts it’s because your skin is actually dry and your body is overcompensating by producing too much oil.

6. DON’T PICK

I struggle with this the most…but try your hardest not to pick at your pimples. Not only will that make them worse but it will cause scarring which isn’t cute. If you start to feel the urge (gasp!) use a salicylic acid pad on the spot or this Mario Badescu spot treatment directly on the blemish and WALK AWAY FROM THE MIRROR.

I hope these tips have been helpful. If you give any of this a try and see improvement I would love to know! As always, thanks for reading. Leave any comments below!

Byyyyeeeeee.

Victoria

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