No one likes acne and it’s not just a teenager problem. For this reason, let’s look at skincare options we have available to us to prevent pimples.
Skincare to Prevent Pimples
Many people often get frustrated upon seeing that much-dreaded pimple right smack in your face or a cold sore at the corner of your mouth as you wake up one morning. While all pimples are unwanted, they seem to have a knack for showing up at the most inopportune time, like before an important meeting or date.
As with most skincare issues, while inconvenient, you will get through it like the rest of us. There are practical and effective ways to prevent pimples from coming out and ruining your day.
What Causes Pimples?
Pimples occur when the skin pores are clogged with an oil called sebum. Sebum is normally secreted by the skin to lubricate the hair and skin. This is common and present among adolescents as they enter puberty where hormones tend to overproduce sebum.
The most common and susceptible location for pimples is your face. The forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin are where many of the sebaceous glands producing sebum can be found.
Even with the over-production of sebum, raging hormones (if you’re a teenager), and an active lifestyle, there are ways to prevent pimples from ever becoming a problem. These are the most common and practical ways we have found to prevent pimples or acne from breaking out.
9 Ways to Prevent Pimples from Ruining Your Day
Wash your face twice a day. Our active lifestyles will cause our faces and pores to become clogged with sweat, dirt, and grime. Always wash your face with warm water and a mild soap or cleanser.
When you are washing your face, make sure to gently massage the face with circular motions and do not attempt to scrub, since scrubbing or even overwashing can irritate or damage the skin.
Once you have cleaned your face, to further prevent pimples from starting or coming back, apply an over-the-counter topical ointment or cream with benzoyl peroxide. This will help to decrease skin oil and bacteria as you go about your day.
Pimples are unsightly, especially when they look like they are ready to pop. You should resist the urge to pop or squeeze out the pimple, no matter how tempting or irresistible it may seem. Popping pimples will cause more harm to your skin. By popping pimples, it can make them more swollen and noticeable.
Popping your pimples can spread the bacteria by driving the infected sebum deeper into your pores as well as other locations on your skin. This can result in more redness in the existing pimple and spread it to other locations on your skin, causing more acne.
Lastly, it can cause permanent damage to your skin by leaving scars.
Always avoid touching your face with your bare fingers, especially without washing your hands thoroughly. Following this thinking further, do not allow your face to come in direct contact with objects that would tend to collect sebum from other people, like the handset of a telephone or borrowing a facial towel. While this may sound gross, it can happen easier than you think.
This extra contamination can cause your pimples to become more irritated or infected.
If you often wear glasses or sunglasses, make sure to keep them clean all the time. Care should be given to the parts of your eyewear that come into contact with the skin. The obvious reason here is oil and dirt from your skin can cause flare-ups of acne. If you keep your glasses clean and you still see break-outs around your glasses you could have an allergy to the material of your glasses.
If this is the case, consult with your eye doctor to understand what options you have with your glasses. If you cannot change your glasses, you may need to ask a dermatologist for more advanced options.
For people who get acne on other parts of their body, make sure to avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes that prevent your skin from breathing. These tight-fitting clothes cause further infection resulting in more pimples. Also avoid wearing scarves, caps, headbands, and any piece of clothing that would prevent the skin from breathing and may collect oil or dirt.
If you wear make-up, you must be diligent in removing all make-up before going to sleep. Look for makeup products that are labeled “noncomedogenic” or “non-acnegenic” since these are formulated to prevent pimples.
While it can be expensive and hurt the wallet, make-up does expire. Don’t hesitate to throw away old makeup that smells or looks different from when it was first bought.
Keep your hair clean and away from making contact with the face to prevent dirt and oil from clogging the pores.
Lastly, protect the skin from the sun. Although many believe that a tan can conceal acne, it’s temporary and may even cause the body to produce extra sebum. Worse, too much exposure to the sun can increase the risk of getting skin cancer.
While these are simple skincare tips for preventing pimples, the key is consistency. Always following these tips over the long run will help support your healthy skin. Choosing skincare products like Skindulgence is a great tool to keep you ahead of acne breakouts and keep your skin looking its best.