Everyone at someone deals with acne. It usually starts to plague us in our pubescent years, but it's not just a teen thing. Thanks to hormones, acne can be a pest in your life even in your adult years. Let's look at what acne is, the causes, and ways to reduce and get rid of acne.
What is Acne?
Your skin has tiny openings, called pores that release oil (sebum) which is your skin's natural way of moisturizing itself.
When oil, dirt, bacteria, and dead skin cells become trapped (clogged) in your pores, that's when a breakout decides to show up to party on your skin, and from that point things can start to get ugly. These breakouts can look and feel awful. Pus rises to the surface of your skin, held inside of "bumps", that resemble tiny little angry volcanoes that look as though they might erupt at any moment.
Acne Can Show Up As:
- Blackheads: clogged pores, open at the surface
- Whiteheads: clogged pores, closed at the surface
- Pimples: inflamed, red bumps
- Cysts or nodules: deeper, more painful breakouts
What are the Causes of Acne?
Acne isn't caused by any one thing. Nope.
Hormones can increase oil production, which makes pores more susceptible to clogging. This is why breakouts are more common during:
- puberty
- periods
- pregnancy
- stressful times in your life
Excess Oil Production: Some people naturally produce more oil. More oil= higher chance of clogged pores. Skin type: Oily, Combination
Bacteria: Bacteria is alive and well on everyone's skin (don't fret, this is normal), but when it gets trapped inside a clogged pore, it can cause redness, itching, swelling, and those tiny, angry pimples.
Pore-Clogging Products: Heavy creams, highly comedogenic oils with a ranking of 4-5 (such as coconut), or hair products can block pores, especially around the forehead, cheeks, and jawline.
Stress: Stress can indirectly cause acne by triggering hormone changes that make breakouts worse. Your skin feels what you're going through.
Diet (sometimes): Sometimes, your diet can be contributing to your acne. Too many high sugar foods and dairy can worsen breakouts for some people.
Makeup/ Foundation: Certain makeups and foundations can be causing bumps and breakouts to appear on your skin, especially when used every day or applied frequently throughout the day. When foundations, blushes, concealers., are used on top of certain skincare products, the ingredients in the makeup might be interacting with the ingredients in your skincare products, resulting in a bad reaction. You never want to have too much on your face at once. Always start with a clean face before applying any product.
How to Get Rid of Acne
- Salicylic acid-helps unclog pores
- Benzoyl Peroxide-kills acne-causing bacteria
- Niacinamide-Reduces redness and oil
- Retinoids (such as adapalene)-speed up skin cell turnover and prevent clogged pores
- Natural oils such as Bakuchiol is a gentler cousin of retinol and helps get rid of acne by encouraging skin cell turnover. Dead skin cells are the main things that clog pores and start breakouts. Better turnover=fewer clogged pores
Great Practices to Help Reduce and Prevent Acne
- Keep you face clean: always make sure you apply skincare and makeup products to a clean face, as they will trap any bad bacteria on the surface on the skin, causing a breakout
- Try determining what's causing your breakout, such as makeup or a new product. This might require reducing what you're using on your skin, including not wearing makeup for a couple days. Using less products might also reduce breakouts.
- Do not use harsh exfoliators during breakouts as this can cause bumps and skin to become inflamed
- Moisturize: even if your skin is oily. (Try using lightweight products with sebum-balancing jojoba, as well as repairing vitamin E, soothing and antibacterial tea tree, lavender or rosemary).
- Stop picking pimples: Popping pimples can push bacteria deeper, causing scarring, and making redness last longer. Do not fall into this trap
- Change pillowcases regularly
- Clean makeup brushes
- Avoid touching your face as much as possible
- Remove makeup before bed (this is so important!)WHEN TO SEE A DERMATOLOGIST:
- Your acne is painful, leaving scars, and not improving after a few months of using products
- If you have allergies or sensitive skin that prevents you from using over the counter products
- If you're unsure how to go about getting rid of it
- If you feel like you need to see a dermatologist. Listen to your skin.
Mentality:
Acne is common. Acne is treatable. Acne does not define your cleanliness, your habits, or your worth.
Healthy skin is a journey, not an overnight transformation.
Shop our Flora Face Hydrators made with healthy ingredients designed to help combat and prevent acne-causing bacteria by visiting Flora Face Hydrators – Dollhouse Botanicals