Are you guilty of having one of the habits below? Some skincare habits can make acne worse. Here are 3 habits to stop and tips to help you change them.
1. Washing your face throughout the day
- Don’t do: Washing your face more than two times a day can irritate your skin and cause further breakouts. When you wash your face too much, you strip away your skin’s natural oils and cause dryness. Natural oils provide the hydration, nourishment and protection that your face needs. Fun fact: if you wash your face too much, it will dry out your skin, causing more oil to be produced because it’s compensating for the dryness.
- Do instead: Wash your face twice a day, once when you wake up and once before you go to bed. You will also want to wash your face after any activities that make you sweat. The goal is to remove all dirt, bacteria, pollutants from the day and from your sleep.
2. Scrubbing your acne and skin clean
- Don’t do: You may want to scrub acne clean, however, doing this irritates the skin causing acne to flare.
- Do instead: Using lukewarm water, wash your face gently by rubbing your fingertips in a circular motion to apply your cleanser. Use a mild, non-comedogenic cleanser that doesn’t irritate your skin. Then pat your skin dry with a towel.
3. Pop or squeeze breakouts
- Don’t do: We all do it, but we shouldn’t! Popping pimples breaks the skin barrier creating an open wound that allows bacteria to enter. It can also push some of what’s inside (pus, dead skin cells, bacteria) deeper into your skin. When this happens, you increase the inflammation. You can cause scars and possible hyperpigmentation.
- Do instead: If you have to pop a pimple, you should wait until it has a white head which means the pus is near the surface. Pimples that aren’t white mean the bacteria and pus are deeper in your skin. If you can resist the temptation, that is best. Treating acne with medication is the next best solution if pimples are a common problem.
If your acne is bothering you and you need help with it, make an appointment with us. We can make a plan together to ensure the acne subsides. Whether it’s making a skincare plan or trying specialized treatment, we will figure it out. Don’t wait! Schedule an appointment now by clicking “Book Appointment” in the top right corner of our website. We look forward to helping you!
