Adult Acne is one problem that most people deal with from time to time. It can be found almost anywhere on your body, but it most commonly develops on different areas such as face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Sometimes, it will surface on areas that you do not expect, like your scalp, and even your armpits.
WHAT CAUSES ACNE?
Pimples grow when hair follicles get blocked, and oil builds up under the skin. Dead skin cells, sebum, and hair can clump together into a plug. This plug gets infected with bacteria, and swelling results. A pimple starts to develop when the plug begins to break down.
Other triggering factor includes, hormones, medications that contain androgen and lithium, greasy cosmetics, stress and menstruation. (Source: Medical News Today)
Some claim they never had any (they are so blessed!), but most people -me included – do not share their luck. I started having acne breakouts (mostly on my face and back) when I reached my puberty years. The backne I can handle, because it is concealed under my clothing. The face acne though, which was highly visible, really affected my self-esteem. Even the mildest breakouts were too embarrassing for me. It’s like I was a factory of pimples that time! – small zits to big zits. Some even left a permanent physical scar on my face which is kinda sad. ????
Moving on, now as an adult, I still do have some breakouts from time to time. 1-3 pimples max- plus the whiteheads and blackheads. Aside from I’m long past the puberty stage, I already have my skin care routine which I believe contributed a lot in preventing or at least reducing my adult acne recurrence.
So, here are my 8 tips on how to lessen or get rid of adult acne.
1.Wash your face regularly. Since oil or sebum is naturally excreted out by our sebaceous gland, and dirt can accumulate since it is literally everywhere, it is important to remove and properly cleanse your face from these contributing factors to lessen the occurrence of acne. Especially if you are wearing heavy makeup, you should wash your face on a regular basis- about twice daily. You may use a mild cleanser and warm water. Do not over wash your face because it may cause dryness and can aggravate pimples.
2. Avoid touching your face. Our hands are some of the dirtiest parts of our body, and we all know why. That’s because we touch different things which may contain germs, bacteria and viruses. You may not notice it, but you touch your chin, cheeks, nose and mouth several times throughout the day, transferring germs, viruses and bacteria from everywhere to your face. EEEWWW right? Plus, now that there’s a COVID-19 pandemic going on, it is A MUST to avoid touching your face. Especially without washing your hands thoroughly.
Wash your hands with antibacterial soap to kill these pimple-causing bacteria and prevent them from causing adult acne.
3. Moisturize your skin. Moisturizers can help skin stay hydrated. But lots of moisturizers contain oil, synthetic fragrance, or ingredients that may irritate skin and cause pimples. I suggest, that you use fragrance-free, non-comedogenic moisturizers after you wash your face or when your skin feels dry. If you do not want to use commercially made products, you may go for natural moisturizers such as honey, oats, aloe vera, cucumber and many more which you can find at your own home.
4. Stay Hydrated. When your skin is dehydrated, it looks dull, feels tight and dry. Once it happens, your body may signal your skin’s sebaceous glands to produce more oil to compensate the dehydration resulting to blemishes and breakouts.
How will you keep your body and skin well hydrated? Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. And when you drink more after exercise, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or you spend time and stay in a hot, humid environment.
5. Limit intake of acne-inducing food. When you eat a healthy diet, you are not just making your body strong and healthy, some studies suggest that it can also help prevent and treat acne.
If you consume a large amount of high-glycemic (high sugar) food and beverages such as white bread, white rice, cereals, potato chips, fries, doughnuts or other pastries, milkshakes, sodas, etc., these could raise your blood glucose level. And when there’s a sugar spike, it causes inflammation in your body and can also cause your oil glands to secrete more sebum resulting to acne.
However, studies suggest that when you consume a low-sugar diet, this may reduce the amount of acne you have. Low-glycemic food include most fresh vegetables, some fresh fruits, beans, and seafood rich in Omega-3 like mackerel, salmon, and sardines, etc.
6. Try an over-the-counter acne product. Most acne products usually don’t need a prescription, but I suggest that you consult a dermatologist first so that you’ll know the right diagnosis for your acne condition.
There are lots of OTC acne products in the market now, from soaps to ointments, and oral medications. Lactezin for example. Lactezin is a clinically tested over-the-counter anti-acne medication which uses a natural antibacterial active ingredient called Lactoferrin. This special ingredient is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory function which can boost your immune system. Not only that, when combined with Vitamin E and Zinc it will help lessen pore size, pimples, blackheads, giving you a clear skin in as early as 2 weeks when taken 2x daily.
Lactezin is available in leading drugstores nationwide for only P27.00 per capsule.
7. Don’t pop it!. Never squeeze out your whiteheads/blackheads or pop your pimples. Please don’t! even if you are tempted to do so. I know we are all guilty about this. Doing these may make your adult acne even worse. It may cause bleeding, severe scarring, clogging, inflammation or even infection. So if you see pimple breakouts, or whiteheads on your pores, don’t touch it.
8. Don’t stress yourself too much. Let me make this clear. Stress itself does not cause pimple, but it can make breakouts even worse. Research shown that when we are stressed, it stimulates our oil glands to produce more oil. And you know what that means right?. So we should learn to manage our stress and do something to relieve it. Do some relaxing activities such as massage, yoga, watch movies, read your favorite book, get enough sleep and many more.
So there you have it. I hope all of these 8 EASY & PRACTICAL Ways could help you as well in treating your acne at home. But of course, just a reminder if symptoms persist, please consult your doctor.
