What’s a breakout?
Breakouts are skin irritations that are usually a result of acne. Acne is a skin condition that occurs when the hair follicles become plugged with oil and/or dead skin cells. This leads to whiteheads, blackheads or pimples, and they usually appear on the face, forehead, chest, upper back and shoulders.
Main factors causing acne:
– Excess oil production
– Hair follicles clogged by oil and dead skin cells
– Bacteria
– Excess activity of a type of hormone (androgens)
Acne typically appears on skin areas that have the most oil (sebaceous) glands. Hair follicles are connected to oil glands. The follicle wall may bulge and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead may look like dirt stuck in pores. But actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns brown when it’s exposed to the air. Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected with bacteria. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside hair follicles produce cystlike lumps beneath the surface of your skin.
What can I do to control my acne and prevent from breaking out?
1. Is your pillow dirty? If you don’t regularly wash your pillows, all the dir and oil from the skin will get transferred to your pillowcase and transferred back to your face again. This exposure, along with the friction of the face rubbing against the pillowcase can provoke inflammation and acne breakouts.
2. Do you smoke? Smoking causes the breakdown of collagen and elastin that leads to wrinkles and increased pore size.
3. How are your hormones? Androgens are hormones that increase in boys and girls during puberty and cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum. Hormonal changes related to pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives also can affect sebum production. And low amounts of androgens circulate in the blood of women and can worsen acne.
4. How’s your diet? Certain dietary factors, including skim milk, soya and carbohydrate-rich foods — such as bread, bagels and chips — may worsen acne.
5. Do your read your INCI’s? Maybe you are using the wrong ingredients, it’s very important that you use non-comedogenic products and read all the INCI’s before buying any new product. Instead look out for these ingredients:
AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids)
AHAs slough off dead skin cells that cause pimple-producing clogged pores and leave you with smoother, softer skin.
Allantoin
Allantoin helps remove dead cells and accelerate the growth of healthy tissue as well as stimulating the formation of collagen and elastin.
Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl Peroxide prevents acne by killing bacteria underneath the skin, as well as helping the pores shed dead skin cells and excess sebum.
Retinoids
Retinoids target the follicular dyskeratosis central to acne breakouts and also possesses anti-inflammatory properties.
Salicylic acid
This beta hydroxy acid works by reducing oil production and cleans out pores while acting very gently and respecting even the most sensitive skins.
Sulfur
This mineral decreases excess oil and inflammation and helps to exfoliate dead skin cells.
Vitamin C
Acts as a powerful antioxidant protecting the skin and shields it from environmental aggressors — including sun and pollution — to help it heal faster post-pimple.
Zinc PCA
Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid is a powerful bactericide that helps control acne and decrease sebum secretion while helping skin retain its moisture
Treat your acne with Uzza