Tips for Fighting Adult Acne

Five key steps to clearer, healthier, younger looking skin.

Adult acne is a very common skin condition currently affecting one in five people between ages 25 and 45 in the United States. For many adults, acne is more than just blemishes; it can impact their quality of life on a multitude of different levels, from self-esteem issues, to mental health, and body image conflicts.

There are many factors that cause acne that are out of your control, but you can control how you treat and care for your skin, which does have a strong influence.

If you are battling with adult acne, the following five steps may be your path to clearer skin, better self-esteem, and an improved quality of life.

1. Examine Your Cosmetic Products

Every time you use any type of shampoo, gel, shaving product, lotion, or sun protectant that contains oil, you risk clogging your pores and stimulating a breakout.

If you find that some of the products you use daily do contain oil, by simply switching to an oil-free option, it will make a huge difference in your skin’s appearance. Another thing to consider is how important the products you use are to your daily life.

Minimizing the amount of makeup and moisturizers you use can make the difference between clear skin and acne-prone skin, so eliminating a few of the non-essentials is an easy fix to a big problem.

2. Sweat It Off

Following every workout or physical activity that may cause you to sweat, rinse off ASAP. When your body perspires, the moisture mixes with the oils on the surface of your skin and trap bacteria in your pores. This is usually a direct cause of most body acne.

In the event rinsing isn’t an option, your best bet would be to towel off and change into clean, dry clothes. Keeping your body inside sweaty clothes creates the perfect environment for acne to form on your back, chest, and neck, so by changing after a workout, you can eliminate the festering opportunity for a breakout to occur.

3. Stress Less

In a recent study, researchers revealed that emotional stress can have a powerful influence on acne. When you’re stressed out, your body produces cortisol, a stress hormone that stimulates your sebaceous glands and causes extra oil to form.

The oil then mixes with bacteria and dead skin to form build-up in the form of a white head or black head. To better manage your stress, try yoga or simple stretching while simultaneously practicing deep breathing techniques to calm your body and ease your mind. Exercise is a proven stress reducer as well, and it never hurt anyone.

4. Over Washing?

Believe it or not, dirt is not the main cause of acne, in fact, it doesn’t attribute to the skin’s condition at all. Which is why continuously washing your face each day, can do more harm than good.

When you over wash your skin, or use harsh scrubs and exfoliators, you’re prompting more blemishes to appear. The correct way to wash your face is gently with your hands in warm water twice a day, once with a mild cleanser, and once without.

5. Watch Your Hands

If you find yourself resting your hands on your chin or cheeks during the day, you may be sabotaging your clear skin. Your hands come into contact with billions of bacteria throughout the day, and by resting them on your face, you’re encouraging the bacteria to spread and inflame your skin, resulting in acne.

Enforcing a hands-off policy when it comes to your face will take some discipline, but the benefits are well worth the fight!