Breakouts can be traumatic (and I don't use this word lightly). They can make us want to hide in our rooms away from friends, boyfriends... and the entire population. Avoiding mirrors becomes a full time occupation and (not-so)-subtly hiding behind books, sunglasses and our own hair while trying to
avoid eye contact with anyone can make us seem callous and cold. Once a bad bout of acne is underway, there's not much we can do about it other than ride it out. So what to do in the mean time? Here are some things I find helpful to remember:

1. Find the cause

If you want to diminish the chance to re-occurring breakouts, it's important to figure out what is causing them. Have you changed something in your beauty regime? Has your diet changed recently? Are you stressed about something?

There are so many factors to consider that it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing the breakouts, but by taking a closer look, you may find that simply changing what you eat or taking time out to de-stress and re-centre yourself after work or college can work wonders.

For more information on how your diet can effect acne, click  here.

2. Be kind to your skin

With sudden breakouts we can often feel the need to throw everything we can at our skin. Harsh chemicals, drying ingredients and over-exfoliating all come into the mix, but this only makes the acne aggravated and worsen. While it's a good idea to lightly exfoliate to rid your skin of dead cells and excess sebum, it's important to remember to moisturise.

It's a common misconception to think that moisturising will make acne worse. The truth is quite the opposite. If our faces are stripped of all their natural oils (which they often are post-wash), it's important to replenish them with moisture, otherwise our body will overcompensate for the lack and over produce oils and sebum, clogging pores and producing more pimples. So slap on that moisturiser and keep the blackheads at bay!

3. Live your life

It can be soul destroying when those angry little red bumps appear. Although it seems trivial to anyone on the outside, for us having to deal with it, it seems like a living nightmare. So in bed we stay and away from the world we hide. But this is not the answer.

However difficult it may be to drag yourself out of the house, it's important to do so. Not only will the fresh air, sunlight and exercise do your skin good, but by taking your mind off the acne will de-stress and calm yourself and your skin.

4. Eat clean

It's true, we are what we eat. What we put into our bodies is what comes out. It is what replenishes our skin cells and what is seeping out of our pores. We should be just as concerned (if not more) with what we are putting into our skin as what we are putting on our skin. If we get the former right, there will be less money and time wasted on the later.

5. Exercise

It's pretty simple. Get that heart rate up some way or another. Pumping blood and oxygen around the body quickens the rate at which our body heals and protects. Working up a sweat is also one of the best ways to eliminate whiteheads as it filters through each pore, dragging out impurities. But always remember to stay hydrated.