5 Back to School Acne Skincare Tips that Will Transform Your Look

Going back to school means a lot of things-seeing old friends, making new ones, and unfortunately, homework. However, one thing that it shouldn't mean is a fear of acne breakouts. Thankfully, if you're smart and proactive about your skincare, there's no need to worry about pesky problems like that. Here are five tips to help ensure that your new school year is filled with clear skin and self-confidence.

Start your anti-acne campaign early.

If you want great skin by the time that school starts up, you need to begin taking care of it right now. Acne is not a condition that develops overnight, and similarly, it's not one that goes away quickly either. When dealing with it, you've got to be patient and plan for the future, and that means getting started as soon as possible-some zit zapping cream the night before classes begin is just not going to cut it.

Go easy on the makeup.

While it's perfectly understandable that you want to look your best when classes start, piling on layers of makeup is actually going to hurt you in the long run. Makeup has a bad habit of clogging your pores more than they already are, and this extra blockage can lead to your acne breakouts worsening or lasting for longer times. If you can't imagine a world without makeup don't fear-there are some things you can do to mitigate its effects. First, always go for products that are labeled as "noncomedogenic". These have been specially designed to be easy on your skin, and they won't clog your pores as badly as traditional makeup. Secondly, be sure to wash your makeup off daily, and if possible, don't wear it for the entire day.  And don't forget to wash it off at night - this is a MUST do!

Pamper your skin.

If you're in the middle of a particularly bad acne breakout, you may be tempted to focus all your efforts on combatting zits, blackheads, and cysts. However, don't neglect what a good daily skincare routine can do for breakouts. People with naturally oily skin should focus on a routine that helps get rid of some of that excess skin oil (or sebum) that can clog pores and help spur on a breakout. Conversely, people with naturally dry skin should focus on cleansing and moisturizing.
 

 

Resist the urge to pop.

The prospect of going to school with whiteheads and blackheads can be scary, no doubt, but it's in your best interest to resist the temptation to pop pimples. For one, the red, inflamed skin that's left behind after a pop is just as unsightly as the pimples themselves-it doesn't really improve your situation any. Secondly, popping pimples can actually cause the bacteria contained in them to travel to nearby pores, which then can start a new breakout. Treating your acne and covering it with a good noncomedogenic concealer is a much healthier and effective plan of action.

  

Treat the underlying causes of acne.

This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT tip we can share with you.  Attacking pimples with a whole host of topical products can only do so much for your acne breakouts. However, if you're not treating the underlying causes of acne, you can expect those breakouts to keep returning in the future. For example, many cases of acne stem from an imbalance of hormones in the body-specifically the presence of too much androgen. This imbalance sends signals to your skin's sebaceous glands to overproduce sebum, which clogs your pores and leads to acne. No amount of creams or cleansers can do anything about your hormones! Instead, you should be looking for products (such as AcnEase) that can treat the underlying causes of breakouts. This is the only way to really win the fight against acne. 

With a promise of clear skin,
Dr. A