Skin Care Habits That Worsen Acne, Part 2

While acne can certainly occur even with dry skin because clogged pores are the major factor in having outbreaks, oily skin and acne usually go hand in hand. Teenage and adult acne surfaces from having oily skin. Having oily skin might seem to be a curse at the moment. Later on, that oily skin becomes more resistant to pre-mature wrinkling than dry or normal skin types.

Still, having pimples and other breakouts pop up just as the previous one has disappeared is frustrating. If you haven’t already, check out the first part on this topic.

Here are more habits that worsen the condition of acne-prone skin:

Using too acne treatment products

Acne treatments promise to dry pus and inflammation, unfortunately, they will also dry the skin surrounding the affected area. Those with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are the harshest on your skin. And using too many medicated products at once may irritate your skin further and will produce more breakouts.

If you are using a medicated wash, toner or astringent, moisturizer, and spot treatment, depending on the strength of the active ingredients, it may be too much for the skin. It is better to stick with one or two medicated products at a time, and for the rest, choose gentle, non-comedogenic products that are not medicated. If unsure, check with your dermatologist first.

 

Giving up on new products too quickly

When seeing little improvement after trying a skincare product for several days, that product gets tossed and replaced with another ‘amazing’ new treatment. The result, once again, dismal result. And again, here comes another product. The cycle continues.

It takes from 6 to 12 weeks for most products to manifest their full effects. Stopping after a few days will limit the effectiveness of the product and you won’t know the full extent of their suitability on your skin condition. Give the treatment a couple of months,

Not cleaning your phone

Breakouts on the side of the face or around the area where your phone touches your face? Maybe it’s your phone. Since the phone is always touched and held, the phone’s surface gathers bacteria and other elements that can initiate or aggravate a breakout.

Clean your phone surface often. Wipe your phone clean with antibacterial towels.

Using makeup and skincare products that cause acne

Some makeup and skincare products contain ingredients that may cause acne to break out on the skin. If you have acne-prone or oily skin, make sure the products you put on your face are lightweight and oil-free. Look for makeup, skincare, and sunscreen that are non-comedogenic, they won’t clog your pores.

 

Sharing makeup applicators

You’ve picked the right skincare and makeup products for your skin type. Another habit that you might be doing that can lead to developing more skin blemishes is sharing makeup brushes with others. Though acne is not contagious, by using other people’s applicators and vice versa, your brushes will pick up bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells from their skin. Eventually, those will end up on your skin.

Using unclean makeup applicators regularly

With a cleansing liquid made especially for makeup brushes or baby shampoo, make sure you wash your brushes regularly. Foundation sponges, concealer blenders, and any kind of makeup applicators, clean them regularly too. Using dirty tools can surely waste your progress and your expensive skincare products.

Not changing your pillowcase often

If waking up with a breakout is a problem, frequent changing of pillowcases is recommended. Sleep on fresh pillowcases every few days or once a week to prevent problematic skin conditions from developing overnight.

Not only should you take note of how often you change your pillowcase, checking your detergent and fabric softeners is a must if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin. Heavy fragrant detergents and fabric softeners are generally not recommended to use on fabric that always touches your face. Also, washing the actual pillows is recommended every few months.

 

Sleeping with makeup on

Even if you are dead tired from the day’s activities, sleeping with makeup on is a no-no for all skin types, and even more devastating to the clear-skin-goal of someone with acne-prone or sensitive skin. Yes, even if your makeup label says ‘non-comedogenic’, removing them before sleeping is a must.

Ideally, first, clean off makeup from your skin with makeup remover. Then clean your face with a face wash or gentle cleanser, and rinse thoroughly. If you’re too tired to wash your face, then use a premoistened cleansing towelette that does not require a rinse-off step.

Not enough beauty sleep

Lack of sleep wrecks the hormone level and forces your body to go into stress mode, which then leads to skin breakouts, among other maladies. It’s no secret that high quality of deep ZZZs for 7 to 8 hours a day improves your appearance the following day. Doing so regularly helps your skin and body to recover better during the night and steadily boosts results.

Eating food that worsens acne

Eating food high in sugar, fat, and dairy ingredients can cause or aggravate acne. High-sugar content food is terrible for people with acne-prone skin. Examples of such foods are sugary drinks, milk chocolate, white bread, and french fries. The sugar is quickly absorbed and raises blood sugar and insulin levels which leads to an increase in male hormones. These hormones are a major contributor to the development of hormonal acne.

Refined grain food products contain both high levels of sugar and dairy ingredients which do similar processes in our bodies. Can’t shun those foods completely? Have your sweets moderately, even sparingly.

An example of what can be a good anti-acne diet would be choosing whole wheat bread over white bread, brown rice over white rice, having lots of dark, leafy veggies, berries, yellow and orange fruits, and veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes.

 

Not enough water

Drinking enough water every day is essential for great health, more so, if you suffer from oily skin and acne. When your skin is dehydrated, the cells build and hold on to oil and moisture. Water also helps digestion and circulation and helps the body (and the skin) get rid of toxins. Adequate water in the body helps fight inflammation.

And no, coffee and tea, don’t count as hydrators. They are diuretics, which means they dehydrate you even more. Quench your cells thirst with 8 glasses or so of good old h20.

Hesitating to see the doctor

When at-home treatments don’t work, instead of wasting money and time on things that don’t give good results, consider visiting the dermatologist. They’ll help clear our stubborn problems and assist you in maintaining a clear complexion.

Anti-bacterial Scrub & Mask	Detox and Brightening Duo