Eliminate Your Acne by Following These 10 Effective Tips
The Skinsmith | 19th August 2021
From the odd breakout to acne that covers the face, chest and back, acne is a skin condition that affects over 85% of us at some point in our lifetime. Acne doesn’t just affect teenagers and younger adults either as approx. 50% of women and 25% of men will still suffer from acne throughout their lifetime in some form or another. Here we share our top 10 tips to effectively treat acne breakouts.
Ensure You Wash Your Face with The Right Cleanser
As acne skin is generally an “oilier” skin you need to make sure you use a gentle cleanser that will cleanse away the excess oils but does not “strip” away the good oils in the skin. Your skin needs these natural oils to moisturise and protect your skin, if they are cleansed away with a harsh cleanser containing ingredients such as; alcohol, propylene glycol or sulphates your skin can become dry, tight and inflamed. Instead look for products that contain natural botanical actives such as Tea Tree Oil, Probiotics and Willow Bark to gently cleanse the skin, balance oil production and stimulate healing.
Understand Your Skin Type
Oily skin is a skin type that produces excess oils and has a shiny appearance, pores can be enlarged and the density of the skin is often thicker. You can have a combination of normal to oily skin, dehydrated and oily skin and a skin that has an oily T-zone across the forehead and down the centre of the face with drier skin on the cheeks. It is important to balance the oil production with an oily skin type to avoid breakouts and clogged pores. If you have a dehydrated, oily skin it means your skin is lacking water, use products that will hydrate your skin replenishing the water or hyaluronic acid your skin needs. Treat an oily T-zone with a mixture of products for oily skin and products for dry skin.
Utilise Skincare Products Effectively
It is very important to treat your skin daily both in the morning and before bed. Cleanse your skin daily to remove excess oils, impurities and any bacteria that can cause spots (Propionibacterium Acnes). Cleansing at night will also remove any make-up, SPF products, and pollutants that you have been exposed to during the day. Make sure you use a toner after cleansing to rebalance the skins pH and then hydrate the skin with a moisturiser or skin hydrator to protect the skin against trans-epidermal water loss and environmental stressors. Depending on your skincare brand you may be able to use your daytime moisturiser at night as well or you may prefer to use a moisturiser formulated specifically for application before bed.
The addition of a face mask 2-3 times per week can dramatically improve the results and benefits of your skincare routine as a mask is a concentrated powerhouse of ingredients. Masks can draw out impurities, speed up the healing of spots and pimples, prevent the frequency of breakouts and even reduce large pores!
Add A Serum to Your Routine
If your daily routine isn’t producing a reduction in acne breakouts and blackheads you may want to consider adding a serum or concentrate to your routine. Designed to absorb into the dermal layers, these concentrated formulations will not only treat existing acne and speed up healing but also help to prevent future acne and scarring.
They can be applied as a targeted “spot” treatment directly on problem areas or over the entire face and neck. Ingredients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Horsetail, Tea Tree and Willow Bark are some of the many ingredients that will help heal and prevent breakouts.
Try Over the Counter Acne Treatments
Skincare has come a long way in recent years offering very effective over the counter treatments for acne and oily skins. Products with Salicylic Acid will clear out clogged pores, remove impurities and bacteria and gently exfoliate away any build-up of dead skin. Eminence Organic Skincare incorporates an Encapsulated Salicylic Acid into their Acne Advanced Treatment Collection which is a gentler, less irritating option that will not leave your skin feeling dry!
Drinking water has so many benefits to our skin and our bodies. Making sure you drink plenty of water every day will help to hydrate your skin and maintain the natural water reserves in your skin, this in turn reduces sensitivity, improves your skin barrier function and plumps skin cells. A hydrated body works more efficiently, your circulation and lymphatic system will work together to keep your skin clearer as your lymph removes toxins and impurities and your circulation brings much needed nutrients and oxygen to heal and repair the skin. And remember you can have a dehydrated oily skin which will look dull have a rough texture and may feel more sensitive due to the lack of water.
Reduce Stress
Stress is such a common nemesis for most of us, from busy lifestyles and schedules, to stressful situations, stress affects us in many ways. Stress can directly cause acne and indirectly worsen existing acne. Stress stimulates your stress hormones which triggers your oil glands to produce more oil, resulting in acne breakouts. Stress also affects our immune system and slows down our natural healing processes, this can result in spots that last longer taking more time to heal and go away as well as spots that are larger and more intense. Reducing stress with simple steps such as exercise, breathing techniques, laughing more or even reducing your caffeine intake will help you achieve a clearer complexion.
Limit Your Sun Exposure
The sun goes hand in hand with heat, and heat goes hand in hand with increased perspiration and oil production, this can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts. The sun can also trigger an increase in the production of cells in the superficial layer of your skin, the stratum corneum, this layer of dead skin can increase the chance and frequency of breakouts and also clogged pores. If you use a chemical SPF product on your skin you may also see an increase in breakouts and clogged pores as these SPF products trap heat and perspiration on your skin triggering acne and blackheads.
Limit Make Up Use
Make-up can be heavy and cause blackheads or comedones. Look for non-comedogenic make-up formulations and mineral make-up products that are often lighter on the skin and don’t clog pores so easily. Make sure you remove your make-up thoroughly at the end of the day with a cleanser followed by a toner. A great tip is to do a double cleanse, the first cleanse will remove make-up and debris whilst the second cleanse will deeply cleanse and treat your skin, you should never go to bed with your make-up on as this is a recipe for spots!
Keep Skin Moisturised
Often people with oily skin don’t feel they need to moisturise as their skin feels “moisturised” from the amount of oil it produces, however, the right moisturiser will actually treat an oily skin helping to balance the excess oil and help to maintain natural water levels in your skin preventing dehydration. Try a lighter gel moisturiser or a moisturiser that is non-comedogenic or oil-free. Formulated especially for oilier skin types these moisturisers will protect your skin and will not feel heavy or “greasy” on your skin. Another great tip from Eminence is to keep your moisturiser in the fridge as a cooler product will reduce the oil production even more!
Don’t Pop Your Pimples
As tempting as it is to “squeeze” those pimples all you will be doing is increasing the trauma to your skin and the potential for scarring and hyperpigmentation. Squeezing a pustular spot can also spread the Propionibacterium Acnes bacteria which could result in more spots and breakouts. Blackheads can be treated and removed which is best done by a professional skin care therapist who knows what they are doing and how to remove them safely and without scarring. Visit our salon and spa locator for the closest therapist to you.
Leaning Towards Skincare Products? Discover The Advantages of Using Organic Skincare Products to Tackle Acne by Reading Our Guide
Interested in finding out more about skincare products? Discover the advantages of using organic skincare products to tackle acne by checking out our guide here.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with a member of the Skinsmith team by using our quick and easy contact form below. You can also contact a member of our team today on 01305 300950 or by emailing us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
