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There are a number of habits and health conditions that can worsen the severity of acne breakouts. In some cases, the behaviours we think are getting rid of acne are actually making the problem worse! This article will highlight a few of these bad habits and lifestyle factors to help you avoid them.
Regularly washing your skin will help you reduce the frequency and severity of acne breakouts. It will remove dead skin cells, bacteria, dirt, sweat, and excess oil from your skin. This helps to unclog the pores in your skin, reducing the likelihood of pimples appearing.
Unfortunately, some people assume that this means you should wash your face as often as possible. So they begin to wash their face three or four times a day. This can be quite harsh on the skin as it strips away all of the natural oils produced by the hair follicle.
Over-washing will eventually cause the skin to become dry and inflamed. The sebaceous gland will react to the skin being distressed by producing even more oil to protect it — the opposite of what you were trying to achieve. Before you know it, the amount of oil produced by your skin has dramatically increased, clogging your pores and producing more acne.
Pimples occur when a pore becomes clogged with excess oil, bacteria, dead skin cells, and pus. The pore is usually quite swollen and under pressure because of the material clogging it up. When you squeeze a pimple, you may force some of this material deeper into the follicle — which leads to a bigger pimple returning later on!
Squeezing a pimple may also cause the follicle wall to rupture, spreading debris into the dermis (the lower layer of skin). This can lead to nasty conditions like Cellulitis and Folliculitis. It can also cause a small pimple to become a nodule or acne cyst, which are large blemishes that are more difficult to get rid of. If all of that is not enough — your squeezed pimples are more likely to become permanent scars.
Instead of squeezing your pimples, use a natural acne spot treatment such as aleo vera gel. It will dry out the pimple and improve its appearance.
The relationship between sugar and acne is complex. Consuming sugar does not directly cause acne to become worse. Instead, over-consumption of sugar triggers certain biological changes in the body which in-turn can trigger an acne breakout.
For instance, consuming foods high in sugar can cause your hormones to fluctuate. This spike in hormonal activity may cause the sebaceous gland in the hair follicle to become more active. As a result, your skin will produce an excessive amount of sebum (the skin’s natural oils) — which potentially clogs up your pores and causes pim
ples to form.
Foods that are packed with sugar can also cause inflammation in the body. This may increase the frequency or severity of acne breakouts.
Additionally, when you eat food that has a high glycemic index, the body converts it to blood glucose very quickly. Your body will also release a lot of insulin to moderate blood sugar levels and determine how much blood glucose can enter cells. This will trigger inflammation throughout the body and leads to a spike in the production of skin oils — potentially clogging up your pores and causing more acne. Read more about the link between sugar and acne.
Certain medical conditions and lifestyle choices can cause a hormonal imbalance (when certain hormones become very high or very low). Some hormonal imbalances are completely natural, like puberty, menopause, pregnancy, and menstruation. Others are related to diseases or a poor lifestyle like eating disorders, stress, cancer, medications, and thyroiditis.
Having a hormonal imbalance often means that your androgens (sex hormones) are imbalanced. This can lead to an over-production of sebum by the sebaceous glands, causing more pimples to appear. Read more about androgens and how they relate to acne..
Some warning signs that may indicate you have a hormonal imbalance include:
AcnEase is an all-natural dietary supplement that works on the endocrine system to reduce the impact of hormones on the production of skin oil. It is a proprietary blend of natural ingredients that can reduce the severity of your acne breakouts dramatically. For more information about AcnEase, visit our products page.