Care Steps to Stop Acne
Nov 6, 2017 — by A.O
Oily skin is one of the most common skin types. If you are so “lucky” enough to have oily skin type, then you should know how troublesome oily skin is. This is because sebaceous glands in oily skin are over-active, producing excess sebum. Excess sebum can make the skin to appear shiny and greasy. Other than blackheads, whiteheads and enlarged pores, oily skin is acne prone. Excess sebum can form a plug with dead skin cells and impurities and block the follicle. This makes oily skin more susceptible to breakouts when the blocked follicle is irritated.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By having a good skincare routine and being gentle with oily skin can save you from breakouts. Hence, this article is going to share some skincare tips to take care of oily skin in order to avoid acne.
Gentle but deep cleansing:
It is important that you cleanse your face twice or thrice daily to get rid of accumulated dirt and excess oil which can leads to clogged pores and acnes. As mentioned in our previous article (Different Cleanser for Different Skin Type), gel-based cleansers is the most appropriate cleanser for oily skin. Moreover, if your skin is really very oily and causes acne outbreak, you may look for ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, tea-tree oil or salicylic acid that regulate sebum production and fight acne. However, do not over-cleanse your face or use abrasive cleansing techniques as this will strip your skin of its natural moisture which results in sebaceous glands producing more oil.
Exfoliating:
Excess sebum production leads to dead skin cells on the skin which can cause dull-looking skin and acne. Hence, you might want to include exfoliation in your skincare routine. Exfoliation can remove dead skin cells and impurities to renew your skin surface, as well as to keep breakouts at bay. However, don’t forget to be gentle to your skin as scrubbing too hard can remove healthy cells and make your skin easily irritated.
Weekly face mask:
After exfoliation, you can follow up with a relaxing face mask at least once a week. When choosing your face mask or making it at home, you might want to look for or use some ingredients, like clay, witch hazel, sandalwood and multani mitti, that are effective in absorbing excess oil and regulate sebum production.
Toning everyday:
Complementing the cleansing routine, toning is crucial for handling oily skin. Toning daily helps to eliminate excess oil and impurities from your skin. When choosing a suitable toner, rosewater makes a very good toner or you can also go for toners that are loaded with antioxidants and skin-replenishing ingredients to help the skin renew and recharge, minimize the appearance of enlarged pores and remove the makeup that can lead to clogged pores. However, you must avoid using any toner that contains alcohol or vinegar because these ingredients dry up your skin and stimulate oily skin to produce even more sebum.
Moisturizing:
Some may think that moisturizing will encourage excess sebum production and moisturizer can clog the pores and thus they skip their moisturizing routine. However, this is not true. Stripping your skin of moisture will actually further encourage the sebaceous glands to produce more oil to compensate. Besides, you also need to moisturize your skin to balance the drying effects of other products used in your skincare range, such as acne treatment products. For oily skin, choose a feather light water-based serum or gel moisturizer that is oil-free and non-comedogenic to give your face the moisture it needs.
Sun protection:
Like moisturizer, some people don’t like to put on sunscreen because fear of greasiness and the sunscreen clogging the pores. However, not using sunscreen can cause blemishes, brown spots, pigmentation, freckles and even skin cancer. Hence, people with oily skin can go for a gel-based sunscreen or sunscreen specially formulated for oily skin that will leave your face matte and offer adequate sun protection.
Yes, taking care of oily skin is a complex and tedious process. But, if you do follow this skincare routine properly with consistency, you should be able to take good care of your oily skin in order to avoid breakouts and enjoy a flawless skin. Besides, don’t feel bad for having oily skin because oily skin is less prone to wrinkles and other signs of aging because the oil tends to lock the moisture into the epidermis which is the outermost layer of the skin.
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No No Pop Pimples
We know pimples are super annoying. It not only brings you physical pain but also causes psychological and social issues. To get rid of these unsightly red dots or bumps, you might think that popping them will clear the infection and help them cure faster. Well, when performed properly by the professionals, extractions can clear certain types of pimples. However, bad techniques combined with attempts to pick non-pickable pimples can give you a nightmare. Improper popping could make everything a whole lot worse.
Here are the reasons why you shouldn't pop your pimples:
Working against body natural healing ability:
Acne is the body’s response to clogged pores and bacteria infection. The red bump means your body is working on these issues. When you are picking or popping your pimples, you are disturbing the body’s process to heal itself.
Aggravating existing pimples:
Instead of making progress, you might just end up forcing the bacteria and sebum down even further into the pores leading to an even larger pimple. As you press on the pimple, you are introducing bacteria and dirt from your finger into the zit as well. This causes the pimple to become redder, more inflamed and swollen with further infection.
Creating new pimples:
When you pop one pimple, more pimples can pop up in the surrounding area. This is because the bacteria, oil, and debris that are being contained by the acne papule, pustule or cyst once released, can spread and lead to more acne.
Tearing of the skin:
When popping a pimple, you are putting a lot of pressure on your skin which can actually tear the skin. The worst case is that you end up with an open wound instead of a bump. Which one is uglier now?
Scarring:
Since popping a pimple can tear your skin, it is possible that the wound becomes a scar after the skin undergoes a self-healing process. Scarring is especially a risk for people who have more severe acne problems, such as a deep cystic pimples. Scars are difficult to treat once they have occurred. Normal peeling treatment may not work and you may need to spend your savings on laser or filler treatment.
Therefore, it is crucial that you fight the urge to pop your pimples yourself as most of us do not know how to do it correctly. If you really feel that your pimples need to be cleared, you can seek help from skin doctors or beauticians armed with proper knowledge, skills and equipment. Anyway, fighting pimples needs patience and you should continue applying your acne products at home.
Are you sleeping right?
Many of the common aging factors are obvious, like sun exposure, smoking, squiting and the list goes on. However, there are things like your sleeping position that fly under the vadar. The way you sleep can affect how sleep lines and wrinkles form on your face. Sleep wrinkles are more difficult to treat than expression lines and the most effective way to prevent sleep lines is to sleep in the right position. To investigate, we are breaking down the most common sleeping positions to explain how they may contribute to fine lines and wrinkles as well as determine the best sleeping position.
Sleeping on Your Side
Sleeping on your side consistently push your face into the pillow, creating vertical creases down your cheeks and chin. This sleep position can also cause vertical expression wrinkles like frown lines and lines around lips. Favouring one side over the other can make one side of your face to experience faster aging than the other side. Moreover, when your face comes into contact with your cotton pillowcase, the cotton can draw moisture out from your skin and dry skin is more susceptible to premature aging.
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Sleeping on Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach with your face buried into the pillow is the worst position. Immediate vertical lines or sleep marks after sleep is a preview of sleep wrinkles, especially forehead lines. Sleeping on stomach can also cause body fluid to accumulate under your eyes, resulting in eye puffiness. Same as sleeping on the side, the pillowcase can remove moisture from the skin. Lastly, if you have oily skin or you apply overnight skincare, your face will transfer some of the oil and product residue to the pillow, which can exacerbate clog pores and cause blemishes.
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Sleeping on Your Back
Sleeping on your back is the best position. When you sleep on your back, there is no pressure exerted to your face throughout the night which will prevent formation of sleep wrinkles and lines. Besides, sleeping on the back help avoid back-and-forth exchange of oils, dirt and grime between your face and pillowcase, preventing blemishes.
