Sneaky Causes Of Acne And How To Get Rid Of It

We all remember the timely acne breakout from our teenage years and how our mothers kept preventing us from poking the zits on a daily basis. But things like these are best kept in the past! Today when there is so much focus on all the much needed TLC for your skin and long Korean skincare routines, it is believed that your old friend won’t make a comeback. Unfortunately, that's not true and pimples are a problem that might keep coming back to haunt you.

The good news is, you know how to take care of your skin and indulge in double-cleansing, masking, moisturizing and so on. This will help keep your skin healthy and glowing at all times. But sometimes, regardless of all of this being done, many of us face breakouts often and it can truly get absolutely frustrating. You’ve been doing everything and yet can’t figure why this keeps happening! Well, there are more reasons for this than meets the eye. 

To understand this better, let’s start from the basics and level up.

So What Exactly is an Acne Breakout? 

Acne is caused when the pores of our skin and oil glands get filled up with excess sebum and dead skin cells that eventually block them and also cause inflammation. These can be in the form of pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, fungal acne, cysts etc. Many times they also leave a scar and hence it is super important to take care of them when the time is right. 

What Causes Acne? 

There are many factors that cause acne including hormonal, environmental and so on. Most of which are obvious and known. But in spite of taking care of your skin, these can appear without any explanation whatsoever. Even if you follow a multiple step AM and PM skincare routine and yet have to deal with zits, it’s time to dig deeper. There are many reasons that you might not think of or even know are actually causing pimples. 

Sneaky Causes of Acne 

Meet the culprits that unknowingly cause breakouts and give you a surprise when clearly you didn’t ask for one. 

Exfoliating Too Much 

Exfoliation is good, over exfoliation not so much. It helps in removing the dead skin cells, excess oil and dirt off your skin. But if you indulge in it more often, it might dry out your skin, eventually pushing your glands to go into an overdrive mode and produce excess sebum which in return will cause breakouts. Make sure you exfoliate maximum three times a week, not more. Even while in the act, use your fingers and do it gently. Once done, wash your face with lukewarm water, pat it dry and use a generous amount of moisturizer.

Not Cleaning your Makeup Brushes 

Everytime you use your makeup brushes and blenders, they tend to collect the residual makeup, oil, dirt and so on. If you use them again without cleaning, it will deposit all of the things back on your face. This will lead to pore blockage and eventual breakouts. It’s super important to clean your brushes and blenders with a wipe after every use. Also, properly clean them every now and then with water and shampoo and allow them to air dry. This way, you keep your tools clean and your skin protected. 

Skipping SPF 

There is no way you can skip sunscreen! It will protect you from the sun’s harmful UV rays that lead to wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne and in some cases even skin cancer. The rays of the sun directly hitting your skin can cause inflammation leading to acne breakouts. It is super important to use a good sunscreen that will protect your skin in every way possible. It is true that some sunscreens clog pores and hence pick a light, oil-free, nongreasy and noncomedogenic formula.

Bad Lifestyle Choices 

We cannot stress enough on this. It is so vital to have an overall good lifestyle to help you with your skin, immunity, hair and everything. Right from eating the right food, to drinking lots of water to avoiding smoking and drinking and more. The junk food we consume spike up our sugar levels and turn into insulin and then oil which causes back to back breakouts. Go for low glycemic foods like grains, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and so on. Dehydration also leads to production of excess oil and leads to pimples. So make sure you have a minimum of 8 glasses of water everyday. 

High Stress Levels 

If not managed well, high stress levels can cause acne and very easily at that. The stress hormone which is produced in the body when under stress leads to the creation of excess oil and hence the breakouts. So make sure you manage your stress better by indulging in meditation, making to-do lists, working out,  trying breathing techniques, taking small trips etc to keep yourself on track. 

Not Washing your Pillowcase 

Every night we expose our face to the same pillow cover and leave out dirt, oil, sweat, products we’ve used and so on. So when you don’t wash it every now and then, you’re carrying it all back on your face when you go to sleep. It is super important to clean your pillowcase and also for that matter your phone. Keep surfaces that you expose your face to on a daily basis clean so as to keep bacteria at bay and not have acne breakouts to deal with. 

Not Cleaning your Workout Equipment 

Same logic as above, it is super important to clean your workout equipment which is a carrier of bacteria, sweat and dirt. Keep your yoga mat and other workout tools clean by using an antibacterial simple cleaning liquid after every use. 

Now that you know, make sure you don’t make these mistakes again. Bookmark this and keep it if you can’t remember, but don’t fall prey again. Having a great skincare routine will keep acne at bay but these habits can invite it back in. Be wise!