If you look back at my blog archives over the past eight years,you’ll find a countless number of posts about my experiences with acne. Everything from what I’ve tried to combat it to the lifestyle changes I’ve implemented.
In the last year alone, I went to a dermatologist (who wanted to start me on a $500/month prescription), started birth control, and switched my entire skincare routine over to Drunk Elephant. And while the condition of my skin has improved dramatically and the number of breakouts I get has decreased quite a bit, I still feel like there’s more I can do. I say this because I still break out every now and then, and it’s painful, and as vain as it sounds, it’s not pretty.
Before I go into the exact changes, let me address what I’ve noticed in the last 6 months or so. Every time I indulge a little (or a lot!), specifically with cheesy and sugary foods, my skin responds very negatively. For example, after our weekend in Traverse City where I drank lots of wine, ate lots of cheese, and had two desserts in one day, my skin went nuts. The same thing happened after Thanksgiving weekend because I ate mac n’ cheese for 4 days straight. And again after Vancouver (re: four nights straight of wine and dessert).
I’m thinking you know what two of my changes are! If you guessed significantly reducing the amount of cheese (I don’t really consume other forms of dairy) and sugar I eat,you’re right. Looking back, I think if I moved the needle even 80%, I’d see a huge improvement.
My third change is implementing a sleep routine. Of course, Mr. Kaiden may throw this off a little, but I know I can do better. For example, instead of falling asleep on the couch, I should just go to bed. I’m also hoping that by creating a bedtime routine, I’ll be able to fall asleep and stay asleep for most of the night. I’ve read a lot about how sleep impacts skin health (along with everything else), so I’m putting it and myself to the test!
Those who know me well may be thinking, “But Par, you LOVE cheese and sweet stuff. Are you really just giving it up cold turkey?” Trust me, I’ve been toying with this exact thought for a while now. My answer is this…for the next month, I’m giving up cow’s milk cheese and refined sugar. After that, I’m going to reevaluate how my skin looks and feels and take it from there. To be honest, I think my days of eating multiple slices of pizza are gone, but that’s what it’s comedown to. I can’t deal with my skin looking like it did when I was 15.
With that being said, after this one month period, if there’s something I want to try, I will allow myself a bite or two of the good stuff. I mean, life’s too short to totally give up the stuff you love!
So here’s the plan for the next month at least…
- No cow’s milk dairy
- No added/refined sugar (super dark chocolate a-ok!)
- Operation ‘get better sleep’ – put a routine in place and no handheld devices for the hour leading up to bedtime
I know lots of you are interested in these kinds of experiments because many of us struggle with adult acne. I’ll revisit this here on the blog in a month to share my progress. Hopefully I learn some good stuff!
WISH ME LUCK!
Hello Parita,
Your article is an inspiration for a lot of people including me. It’s very well pointed out that i really need to make gradual changes to my lifestyle.
I love eating chips and chocolate. I guess i should be off on the sugar and milk. Problem is if i eat food that contains milk there goes the lactose intolerance.
I should also follow your advice on getting enough sleep so that i can be more productive at work the following day.
Thanks for an awesome advice
I will surely share your article to my friends