Acne can affect more than just your skin— even mild breakouts can make you feel less confident, uncomfortable and embarrassed about your skin.
We know the feeling.
Everyone including friends, family, neighbours and strangers always want to start conversations with – Use this cream or that.
But little do they know that their pity, mocking jokes and unsolicited acne remedy advice gives you more self-esteem issues. It could feel so bad that you hardly upload any bare faced pictures on Whatsapp or Instagram or even want to leave the house unnecessarily or even when you decide to go out putting on heavy makeup is a must.
We know you’re tired of hiding behind make-up every single day for months and have tried everything from expensive tablets, organic creams, and facials but nothing seems to work for your acne or sometimes it could feel like it’s working and after a week or two it’s back.
Don’t lose hope. This guide will help break down in detail step by step what causes breakouts in the first place, how to know the type of acne you’re battling (because each type requires different treatments) and exactly what to do to finally get long-lasting results with your acne issues.
The main thing that causes acne buildup is a clogged pore.
To get rid of acne, you need to keep the pores clear, balance oil, and accelerate the shedding of dead skin cells.
So just how do we go about doing all of those things? Keep scrolling, This might be the most revealing post you’ll find on the internet today on how to get rid of acne breakouts and maintain a clear healthy skin.
BUT FIRST, WHAT ARE PORES?
To defeat acne, you need to first understand what causes it and how skin pores and hair follicles contribute to acne buildup.
Pores are tiny openings on the skin whereas hair follicles are like pathways through which oil passes from the glands where they are produced and comes out to the skin surface via the pore openings to lubricate skin.
HOW HEALTHY PORES WORK
We’d use a simple analogy to explain better how pores work:
You’re familiar with gutters right? Most major roads around have them. The job of the gutter is to provide efficient passage of water into a canal or larger water body so stagnant water don’t spoil the road infrastructures.
When you pour more dirty water on the gutter and there is no way for it to move it fills up faster, stays stagnant and gets clogged up together with debris like sachet water, empty cans etc.
After a while bacteria starts to flourish on the clogged stagnant gutter causing serious pollution and health risk.
Your pores have a very important job just like the street gutters. The skin’s natural oil, called sebum travels up the follicle carrying dead skin cells with it and (in a perfect world) comes out through the pores to help keep the skin supple, moisturized, and healthy.
You don’t want to stop the production of sebum or shrink away pores, but rather to keep them functioning normally to have healthy skin.
Blocked Pores and How Acne Forms
Acne is a disorder of the pores. All acne blemishes begin as a pore blockage.
Usually, your pores do a great job of sweeping out oil, dead skin cells, and other debris that may end up there. But sometimes things could go wrong. Instead of being cleared up and out of the pore, oil and dead cells become trapped in the hair follicle and clogs the pore.
As more oil gets produced, it remains trapped. The trapped oil mixes with dead skin cells and other debris creating a breeding and feeding ground for bacteria. The growing bacteria irritate the follicle and oil gland which triggers redness and swelling causing acne.
As you can see, acne doesn’t happen overnight. It has a lifecycle.
It actually takes about 30 days for a pimple to form. You read that right, 30 days for that pimple to brew underneath your skin without your notice so when you change something in your routine and then experience a breakout a few days later, it’s not the change that brought it on. That breakout has been brewing for weeks.
So it makes more sense now why Acne comes from the Greek word akmḗ meaning “facial eruption”
And the acne you can see is the top of the volcano. The real problem is happening below the surface.
20 Surprising Acne Triggers
There are triggers that make it easier for pores to get clogged and cause acne. You want to pay extra attention to these 20 surprising triggers that could be some of the reasons why after treating acne it comes back.
- Hormones can cause the sebaceous glands go into overdrive, and the excess oil they produce can get blocked by dead skin cells, clogging up the pores and causing acne.
- In teenagers, the onset of puberty usually kickstarts the hormone rush that causes acne.
- Pregnancy, your menstrual cycle and starting or changing birth control pills can speed up oil production, causing pimples to form.
- Also, when you’re stressed (and who hasn’t been recently?), your body produces cortisol, which can stimulate the oil glands, leading to an outbreak.
- Your pores can also get clogged due to irritation or a reaction to a product or fabric (such as a hat or yes, a face mask)
- Cell Phones Can Transfer Acne-Causing Bacteria to Your Face
- A Diet High in Processed Food, dairy products and Refined Carbs can cause an overgrowth of yeast in the hair follicles which May Lead to Acne
- Heavier Sunscreens May Promote Acne Breakouts
- Hairstyling Products That Touch Your Skin Can Contribute to Acne
- Your makeup remover or not removing makeup and washing your face properly or using dirty makeup tools or not using the right face cleanser for your skin
- Resting your face on your hands
- Using the wrong products for your skin type.
- Pimple popping & Picking
- Dirty Pillowcases & towels
- Over exfoliating
- Using Body lotions on your face
- Comedogenic Ingredients
- Over Use of active ingredients
- Conditioner on your face from the shower
- Anything that compromises the skin’s protective barrier like harsh scrubs etc
Thankfully, it’s not hard to stop acne breakouts once you understand how it forms, works and it’s stages.
It is important to understand that not every acne has the same life span. Knowing which type of acne you’re suffering from will help determine the most appropriate treatments to get rid of it fast.
