If you’re an acne-prone teenager about to start your compulsory National Service (NS), this post is for you.
Going through two years of NS can be annoying for many reasons. If you’re acne prone or have sensitive skin, you might be worried about how your skin condition will get worse with the grime, sweat and camouflage paint that accumulate on your skin.
The same worries haunted me when I went through NS myself. But, surprisingly, my acne cleared up and my skin has never been smoother before.
Here’s how I solved my acne, and maintained a clear skin throughout my NS journey.
How to take care of your skin during NS?
Our tips and tricks to clearing your acne during NS comes in two aspects — routine and products.
Firstly, routine refers to what you’ll be forced to do during your regime, and what you should be doing on the side to ensure that your skin is well protected.
In your first two months of Basic Military Training (BMT), you’ll be forced to sleep at 10:30pm and wake up at 5:30am-6am, depending on how long you take to get ready. Next, you’ll have “water parades” where you chug 500ml of water before every exercise or training.
If you’ve scoured the internet for natural remedies for acne and blackheads, many professionals will preach for a good night’s sleep and hydration. From personal experience, my skin actually did clear up within a month of BMT.
But, everyone’s skin varies, and to be honest, my acne wasn’t even that bad to begin with.
Hence, here are some other ways you can ensure that your skin is well-cleaned and protected during your NS days.
1. Always apply sunblock
Excessive exposure to sunlight is detrimental to any skin types, especially acne-prone ones. The sun causes your skin to dry out, causing excessive production of oil; scientific explanation can be found on Pure Skin Couch.
Any type of sunscreen is better than none. But Neutrogena’s Sun Screen ($20) is a very popular one for sports, as it has a high SPF value of 70, and it’s sweat and water-resistant.
If you feel like applying sunscreen makes you look a little less macho in front of the boys, don’t worry,. We’re not living in the 90s anymore. Based on personal observation, at least half the bunk applies sunscreen. But if that’s still a concern for you, you can consider using — Kleinskin Sun Screen Spa Wash On ($30) — a facial wash with a built-in sunscreen function.
2. Avoid touching your face, wiping your sweat
This is always easier said than done, but try not to touch your face, even if you have to wipe your sweat. Just imagine how much soil, dust, rifle oil that’s stuck to your hands during training. Not to mention the immense amount of bacteria.
If you touch your face, you’ll just be introducing more dirt and bacteria to your face, which then worsens your acne.
If you do have to clean your face, I recommend wiping your face with baby wipes. Baby wipes is gentle on the skin, and has enough antiseptic to cleanse and freshen you up.
I used Watsons Baby Wipes ($2) because it’s the most affordable and convenient option.
3. Excuse-camo
You might think that applying chemicals and dyes on your face would worsen your acne, but I have heard many stories about how camouflage paint helped to moisturise your skin and protect your face from the sun. Personally, I’m skeptical about it and believe that it’s just propaganda to get us recruits to stop complaining.
Either way, camouflage cream doesn’t directly cause acne. But it is effective at clogging pores, especially if you leave it overnight or if you don’t wash your face thoroughly after your training.
I have no idea what ingredients are inside the camouflage cream. But, it did make my skin itch and sting whenever I put it on, so I requested for an “Excuse Camouflage” status. I’m not sure how liberal they are at giving these out, but I didn’t face any problems when I requested for mine.
4. Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light by Skin inc
If you really want to take your skincare routine to the next level to thoroughly clear your acne, you can consider investing in a beauty device.
I’m an advocate for natural remedies for acne, like a good diet and rest. But, if your condition is worse, you can consider using SkinInc’s Tri-Light Sabi AI LED Facial Device ($398), a phone-sized facial set which you can use at home, or even in camp.
It comes in five functions — repair, glow, soothe, optimise, and v-sculpt — with customised serums specific to your skin type.
I have used this for a short period of time, mainly before NS when my acne was a lot worse. My favorite function is Soothe, the blue light as it kills acne bacteria and controls breakout, soothes inflammation, and calms skin sensitivity.
From my experience, the effects are rather immediate. If I have any pimples sticking out like a sore thumb, the redness usually subsides one day after using it. Just think of it as a 10x effective pimple cream.
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