What a perfect world it would be if we didn’t suffer from pimples, acne and breakouts? Take it from someone who had clear since all her life and then went through her mid 20s with random spurts of red pimples that would pop up from time-to-time. Here’s the thing, there’s honestly no way to stop it completely but there are ways to get your acne and break-outs under control. And while asking a dozen people from your mom to your colleague for their wildly different suggestions and treatments (most of which are just straight-up not right), you need to start with the simple things first—the small tweaks you make on a daily basis that can stop those pimples from showing up unannounced (yes, even during that time of the month) and possibly help you treat and clear your acne for good!
1. Your cloth face mask is causing maskne
Most of the time, sweat, oil, bacteria get trapped under your stylish cloth masks, which can create a breeding ground for pimples and breakouts. Instead, try using a breathable fabric mask.
2. You’re not washing your face enough
If you’re not washing your face twice a day (once in the morning and once at night), then you’re for sure creating an oily and dirty breading ground for your skin due to a lot of environmental factors and weather conditions.
3. You’re not changing your sheets & pillowcase
you don’t wash your face before you go to sleep, all of that garbage then gets transferred to your pillowcase, which gets transferred back to your face again.
4. You’re not getting enough Zzzzz
For those who did realise just how important the right number of hours of sleep can do for the body, needs to read this… Sleep is a time where your body, mind and soul get the rest and repair it needs (this is where the cortisol levels go down). If one doesn’t get enough sleep, then our bodies are exposed to a higher level of cortisol, which can trigger and lead to pimples and breakouts.
5. Your hair products could trigger your current acne
Most of the times (unless you use sulphate-free shampoos and conditioners), certain ingredients that are in your skincare products can also be found in your haircare products like, shampoos, conditioners, sprays, gels and creams… Those same ingredients can lead to clogging your pores which then results in pimples on your forehead and around the hairline, and even chest acne and back acne.
6. Your sweaty AF workouts
It feels great to sweat it out and know that you’ve kicked ass and got a good workout in… But if you don’t wash your face and shower right after you workout, it could lead to clogged pores (due to the mixture of sweat, dirt, oils and bacteria) which leads to breakouts!
7. Your diet is weak and not giving you the right nutrients
Without realising, your diet in definitely affecting your skin! If you indulge in a lot of dairy, sugar, alcohol and spicy foods, it could cause acne to flare up… That being said it is different from person to person so just make sure you eat these foods in moderation!
8. Your face wash could be clogging your pores
I get it, facial “scrubs” can give one the idea that all that dead skin and dirt is being “scrubbed” away, which will leave you with smooth and soft skin… But contrary to that belief, the harsher products, cloths and materials on your face, the worser your breakout! The concept of a scrub or any kind of cleanser is to calm, clean and repair the skin and its layers, not scrub it like you would clean a dirty bartan in the sink!
9. You’re drying out your face with the wrong products
This might be hard information to swallow but using over-the-counter treatments can actually do more harm than good to your skin! First off, it’s better to ask an expert or your dermat before layering that zit cream on your pimple because it just might end up drying out your skin, triggering more breakouts due to the fact that it produce even more oil than before! Additionally, the active ingredients can slightly burn the top layer of your skin, making it look red and raw if you’re using all the things and far too often.
10. The weather—mostly humid and hot climates
If you live a humid and hot city, you know for sure how much annoying it is to sleep, eat and breathe! Now think of your skin…
When I asked celebrity dermatologist, Dr. Jaishree Sharad, she mentioned that;
I think first of all we are breaking out because we are wearing the mask all the time and half the time I’ve seen people reuse the disposable masks, and I’ve seen when people remove their masks, there’s a lot of makeup on their masks. Cloth masks which are very thick and if they haven’t been washed properly, we are also breathing in and breathing out into the mask so all the micro organisms, the microbiome is increasing. All the germs are right there so we are creating a nice environment for them to grow on the skin and so you develop mask acne. Then of course because of the heat you sweat a lot and you have sweat salts which sweat evaporate, the sweat salts clog the pores.
Here are a couple of times on how to treat and prevent summer acne:
- For people who have oily skin, the oil usually clogs the pores and you will develop more acne. So try and use a thermal water spray as often as possible, the micellar water or thermal water mist. There are so many brands like Avene and Uriage and even cosmetic brands have them. So don’t allow sweat to accumulate or sit on your face, keep splashing water or using a mist and cleanse your face at-least twice and if you’ve played some sport, then you have to cleanse your face after exercising also.
- Salicylic acid will help to unclog the pores. You can also use salicylic acid based serums 3 times a week at bedtime. Then there are pads which are available glycolic acid and salicylic AHA BHA pads which can be wiped on the face and left for about 3-4 mins then rinsed. They also help in mild chemical exfoliation.
- And of course don’t have sugar, diary, maida and any junk food because that will aggravate acne.
- Don’t touch the pimples or acne and definitely don’t pop them because then again you will get more acne if you do that.
We hope this helps!
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