Break outs are never fun, especially when you have a major event right around the corner! Acne and break outs can be caused by numerous things, sometimes it’s the things that we least expect. You could go to sleep with a clear face and wake up with a pimple in the most noticeable place. Of course, there are remedies that can take care of them, but why even have to deal with the struggle in the first place? I’m shedding some light on common things that cause break outs, so you can steer clear!
6 things that cause break outs
Stress
Stress is a killer! It can literally kill you or break your skin out. Nothing about stress is great so why do we do it? It’s important for us to take time to breathe and relax from the things that stress us out. When your body is under pressure it tends to produce more hormones, which can be good and bad.
However, too much of anything can be terrible for you which leads to your body producing stress hormones that lead to clogged pores and pimples appearing. The next time you feel yourself getting stressed out, go outside and inhale deeply. You can also try these healthy drinks to help reduce your stress.
Excessive Oils
Don’t get me wrong, moisturizing your skin is a great, but too much oil can lead to your skin breaking out. Whether it’s from you not washing your face to get rid of the excessive oil, or your skin is in contact with oily substances more often than you think. Oils can come from hair products that have dripped onto your skin throughout the day, or from your boyfriend’s beard.
Loads of oil to your skin can cause your pores to clog and pimples to come. Be sure that you’re mindful of the amounts of oil your skin is getting in contact with, so you can prevent future break outs from happening. You can also leverage essential oils to help you combat breakouts – just be mindful about what works best for your skin!
Spicy Food
Spicy food may be tasty to some, but it’s one of the main reasons why people suffer from random break outs. Many times, people break out after eating spicy food because most spicy food contains acidic lycopene that can be as skin irritant to some. Of course, everyone is different, so you may not have a reaction to eating foods that are spicy.
If spicy food is the culprit to your breakouts, try to refrain from ingesting it. On the other hand some people have outbreaks due to dairy, bread or other types of foods. If you find a random pimple, think about the last meal you ate.
Smoking
In order for our skin to thrive and look flawless, it needs oxygen. Our skin needs to breathe and when you smoke cigarettes it prevents the oxygen from getting to the areas that need it most. Smoking can be a bad habit to pick up! Every time you smoke, it breaks down your collagen and elastin that leads to more wrinkles and a larger pore size.
Plus, the carcinogens in the smoke can irritate your skin, triggering your skin to produce more oil and possibly more break outs. If you do smoke and are noticing that you have been breaking out more often, try reducing the number of cigarettes you’re smoking a day and eventually try quitting altogether.
Picking other pimples
Sometimes we think we’re making the pimples go away faster by picking them but in fact we’re only making them worst. When you pick pimples on your own, you are increasing the chance of leaving a scar on your body. It’s important to avoid picking at your face when a pimple pops up because you can actually push the bacteria from the pimple deeper into your pores, and cause the pimple to stick around longer.
It can be tempting to pick, but remember it’s never a good idea to do it! Not picking your face will do wonders for your complexion and skin. Underneath our nails contains a ton of bacteria that can cause more irritation to our skin. Just ride it out! Check out the article How to Handle Unexpected Zits for the best way to deal with those pesky pimples!
Too much sun
Fun under the sun has its down sides as well. Too much sun can cause your skin to get damaged. Be sure when you’re exposing your skin to the rays of the sun that you’re protecting it with sunscreen. If you already have pimples and are under the sun, the sun can possibly make your acne worse.
The rays from the sun really dries your skin out, which makes your skin go into overdrive to produce more oil that leads to an increase in break outs. There are plenty of sensitive-skin sunscreens for you to choose from.
Related: The Best Anti-Acne Primers
Breaking out is inevitable, but keep in mind that your skin is constantly under pressure. Steering clear of this list of things that cause break outs can help. Also, remember that no one’s skin is perfect- even your favorite celebs experience breakouts from time to time. Did you hear Kendall Jenner’s acne story from the Golden Globes? As long as you take the proper steps in taking care of your skin, those break outs should be cleared in no time. Do you have any tips to share about what causes break outs? Post a comment below to share!