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Tired of constantly battling breakouts? While it’s true that acne can sometimes be down to genetics, there are, more often than not, several steps that you can take to put a stop to those pimples for good.
What does this involve? It all depends on why you’re breaking out. Figure out the cause and finding a solution will become so much easier. Keep reading as VouPre talks through some of the most common acne triggers out there, along with tips on how you can save your skin from the pimpled appearance that they cause.
An Overload of Acne-Causing Bacteria
When it comes down to it, no matter how many other factors are contributing to your acne, those pimples won’t be able to form unless there are also bacteria present. There’s a specific type of bacteria that’s responsible for acne, with this usually found in the oilier parts of the skin. When that bacteria is particularly prolific, breakouts become very common.
What Can You Do About This?
What causes acne-causing bacteria to go into overdrive? Interestingly, the answer to this isn’t yet known! The good news is that even if your skin happens to contain more of this bacteria than it should, a consistent cleansing regimen will help to stop it from invading your skin and causing breakouts.
Foaming cleansers tend to be the most effective. The lather that they create efficiently lifts excess sebum from the skin, taking any acne-causing bacteria with it. With that said, try to opt for a sulfate-free formula, like the VouPre ClearSuds Foaming Purifier. It won’t harm your skin’s natural protective barrier in the way that many foaming cleansers are notorious for doing. In fact, with its infusion of peptides and botanical extracts, it will leave your skin barrier feeling stronger and healthier. Use it twice a day and you’ll be able to stay in control of any bacteria on your skin.
A Buildup of Dead Skin Cells and Sebum in Your Pores
Acne-causing bacteria on its own is unlikely to have you breaking out. Instead, the problems occur when this bacteria mixes with blockages in your pores. Those blockages consist of a combination of dead skin cells, sebum, and other impurities. Keep your pores clear and you’ll notice a big reduction in the appearance of acne.
What Can You Do About This?
If you sometimes find yourself skipping a cleanse, being more consistent about cleansing both morning and evening will go a long way in preventing clogged pores. However, even then, pore blockages can still occur, especially if your skin is producing more sebum than it should.
The best way to clear those blockages out of your pores is by exfoliating. Ideally, you should be doing this two or three times a week with an exfoliator that isn’t going to damage your skin’s natural protective barrier (this will only make your acne worse). The VouPre Deep Renewal Facial Peel would be a great addition to your skincare routine.
Clay is another ingredient that’s great at removing excess sebum from the pores. Using a clay mask, like VouPre’s Detoxifying Thermal Mask, once a week can really help to keep your pores clear.
Hormonal Fluctuations
Hormonal changes that occur in your body can have a huge impact on your skin. These are common during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, but can happen at other times as well. Either way, those fluctuating hormones can cause a rapid rise in sebum production. With your skin producing more oil all of a sudden, it doesn’t take long before the pores end up clogged and susceptible to breaking out.
What Can You Do About This?
The first step is to figure out why you’re experiencing hormonal fluctuations. In some cases, hormonal acne is unavoidable, meaning that your best bet would be to follow the other tips that we’ve shared to minimize the appearance of breakouts.
On the other hand, hormones can sometimes be stabilized with medication. If your hormonal acne is severe and persistent, speak to your dermatologist or doctor about which meds would be best for you.
Skin Inflammation
Inflammation and acne go hand-in-hand. While many used to think that inflammation would only arise once a pimple begins to erupt, new research shows that inflammation is influential much earlier on in the process. It essentially creates an environment that acne-causing bacteria love. This enables bacteria to multiply much faster, causing you to start breaking out.
What Can You Do About This?
A healthy lifestyle will go a long way in preventing inflammation from taking over. However, there are also several skincare ingredients and devices available that are known for soothing the feeling of inflammation in the skin.
The VouPre BioCool Collection has been designed for this exact purpose. It features three complexion-calming products; a mask, a serum, and a cream. They all boast ingredients that are renowned for lowering the feeling of inflammation, including aloe vera, green tea extract, sodium hyaluronate, sugarcane extract, and more. While the mask should only be used weekly, the serum and cream can be added to your daily skincare routine to ensure that your skin never ends up feeling too inflamed.
If you’d like to go a little more high-tech with your efforts, consider the L’Rae Beam from VouPre. It offers three different modes, one of which is geared toward tackling the look of inflammation. Thanks to a combination of blue LED light and stainless steel chillers, this device will quickly leave your skin feeling calmer and better balanced.
Friction Against the Skin
Have you heard of acne mechanica? It’s a type of acne that’s triggered by friction, which occurs when the skin rubs against something. Be it your pillowcase, your phone, or anything else that your face comes into contact with, this friction could be responsible for your breakouts. This is why acne mechanica most commonly occurs on the cheeks, although it can develop in other areas too.
What Can You Do About This?
The only way to put a stop to acne mechanica is to address the cause of the friction that your skin is responding to. Pillowcases are a common culprit, so try switching your regular cotton pillowcase for a silk or satin version. Why? Because those fabrics are much smoother. When your skin rubs against them, they don’t lead to friction in the same way as other materials do. They’re also less absorbent, which will help to keep your skin better hydrated while you sleep.
If you’ve already switched up your pillowcase but are still experiencing acne mechanica, consider other sources of friction too. From clothing to accessories, identify what’s causing you to keep breaking out and then figure out a way to put a stop to that.
Hair Products Clogging Your Pores
Another type of acne worth familiarizing yourself with, especially if your breakouts tend to be concentrated around your forehead or hairline, is pomade acne. This is when pimples are caused by the use of certain hair products. These cosmetics tend to be heavy in oils and waxes. Once they touch the skin, they block pores and trigger breakouts.
What Can You Do About This?
The good news is that pomade acne is becoming increasingly recognized. Many hair brands have now responded with non-comedogenic hair products. This means that they consist of ingredients that won’t clog your pores if they come into contact with your face.
It would also be worth making an effort to keep your locks away from your face as much as possible. Experiment with various hairstyles that you can turn to during the day and, at night, consider sleeping in a hair wrap or bonnet. Make sure that you’re also regularly cleaning your pillowcase as any hair products that rub off onto it will soon end up on your face.
Consistently High Stress Levels
Can stress on its own cause acne? Some experts say yes while others say no. Either way, there’s no ignoring the fact that there’s a strong connection between stress and acne, with multiple studies available to prove this. It all comes down to how stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that sends your sebaceous glands into overdrive. In addition to the extra oil that your skin has to deal with during times of stress, inflammation increases too, making it hardly surprising that breakouts become so prevalent.
What Can You Do About This?
If you suspect that stress may be behind your acne breakouts, understanding how to keep your stress levels down will go a long way in helping you to achieve a clearer complexion. There are a number of stress-busting techniques that you can turn to and while they won’t all work for you, some will!
Here are a few to try:
- Do some moderate exercise
- Spend some time outside in nature
- Spend some time on a hobby that you enjoy
- Write your worries down in a journal
- Watch a funny and uplifting movie/TV series
- Pamper yourself – a spa day, complete with a decadent face mask, can work wonders
A Poor or Imbalanced Diet
Certain foods are known for triggering and worsening acne. While more studies need to be done on the topic, there is a growing amount of evidence out there that points to how changing your diet could have a huge impact on your complexion.
What Can You Do About This?
The first step would be to cut the common acne-causing foods out of your diet. Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and white pasta, should be a no-go. Dairy products can also make acne worse, as can soy. Anything fried and greasy can also be bad news as these foods have a high glycemic index. Meanwhile, saturated fats, such as those found in red meat, can increase inflammation in the body.
If you want to stop breaking out, work on making small improvements to your diet. Focus on foods that are fresh and as natural as possible. It won’t just be your skin that starts to look better – your entire body will feel the benefits of this too!
Summary
If you can’t seem to stop your skin from breaking out, this could be because you haven’t yet figured out the reason behind your acne. Once you do, you’ll be able to put together an action plan that will soon have you on your way to clearer-looking skin.
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