Acne as a teenager is very common and many of us are relieved once that turbulent time is over and leave behind days of stressful pimple popping and overuse blackhead removing strips (DON’T use these, they are so bad for the skin and often worsen the issue).
So it is extremely annoying when faced with acne as an adult. There’s no assurance that it will go away with time (as it usually does with teens), making it even more stressful.
Top reasons for acne and breakouts as an adult
>Pore-clogging products
They trap the oil underneath the skin which results in breakouts. The most common ingredient to look out for is mineral oil. Look for products that are marked as non-comedogenic which means that there are no pore-clogging ingredients inside.
>Diet
This varies for everyone- some people might find that diet plays a huge role in maintaining good skin, while some not at all. Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell the exact diet factors that show visible results in the skin except tracking what you eat, when acne or breakouts flare up or trying to decrease certain foods or food groups and see the effect on the skin. However, everyone will benefit from minimising the amount of processed food eaten and including more whole foods.
>Other lifestyle factors
Namely, stress, sleep and hormonal imbalance. They are often interrelated and have a huge impact on the skin beyond acne and breakouts. It affects skin luminosity, dryness and redness just to name a few. Try and take at least 10 minutes out of your day to relax and have time for yourself. Sometimes you feel that you are so busy you don’t have time to take a break and that is many of us. However, often taking that break will refresh your mind and increase productivity.
>Dirty makeup brushes
Make sure to regularly clean your makeup brushes and sponges. Otherwise, bacteria accumulates which lead to breakouts and other skin irritations when used.
>Makeup
Certain ingredients in makeup such as silicone result in breakouts for some people. If you have acne-prone skin, try and stick with mineral makeup. It is also important to keep your makeup clean, otherwise, like with makeup brushes, the bacteria can lead to acne. Make sure all compacts are closed properly if not being used, throw them away if there are any odd changes in smell and/or texture and disinfect all your makeup regularly.
Part 2 will be about treating acne and breakouts!