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Five Sneaky Causes of Acne Breakouts
Do you feel like you get breakouts out of nowhere, despite having an acne regimen? Even while using medication, there are everyday factors that can affect our skin for the worse. Here are five things causes of acne to look out for:
- Overly Heavy Skincare/Cosmetic Products: Creams and oils that settle into pores can send our skin microbiome into overdrive, leading to inflamed and irritated whiteheads. Be sure to avoid face products with comedogenic ingredients, such as cocoa butter or coconut oil, if you are prone to pustules.
- Dirty Surfaces: The grime on your cell phone, glasses, or pillow case might be the culprit behind a breakout in a seemingly strange location (such as one side of your face or the bridge of your nose). Clean anything that touches your face regularly with alcohol wipes or skin-friendly detergent.
- Stress: Periods of intense stress affect our hormone levels and make us more prone to acne flare-ups. Having a good stress-management routine is the best thing you can do for this. And remember to be kind to yourself: fretting over your acne will only make it worse.
- Pimple Popping: Messing around with a pore that’s already inflamed will only make it more irritated, trapping you in a vicious cycle. If resisting the urge to squeeze a pimple is difficult, try using acne stickers like these to prevent yourself from touching it.
- Too Much Sun: UV damage from the sun reduces your skin’s ability to heal itself and increases inflammation, which makes breakouts more common and harder to vanquish. Find a good acne-friendly sunscreen, like this one, and use it Every. Single. Day.