how to avoid breakouts
Breaking out, unfortunately, happens. For some people, pimples don’t just stop occurring after their teenage years. Some people suffer all their life with acne or the occasional pimple. I have 5 simple tips to help prevent breakouts from popping up. Check them out below:
1. Pillowcases- Washing your pillowcases more often than not, is a simple yet way to keep pimples away. Think about it, if you’re going to sleep (hopefully with a cleansed face) night after night, dirt oil and bacteria can build over time if you’re not washing the case often enough then this would contribute to a breakout.
2. Cellphone- Everyone has a cellphone nowadays, even young preteens and teenagers. Sanitizing them is a surefire way to help stop the spread of dirt and germs. Even if you don’t put the phone to your ear, just touching them with your hands and fingers all day and putting them down on countertops and desks, etc. will collect tons of bacteria. Disinfecting the cellphone at least once per day will help with breakouts.
3. Makeup- If you wear makeup think about how you apply it. If you apply makeup with your fingers, make sure your hands have been thoroughly cleansed. If you apply makeup with a beauty blender or other kind of makeup sponge, make sure you’re disinfecting and cleansing that sponge as often as possible. If you apply makeup with brushes, again you’re going to want to cleanse and disinfect the brushes as often as you can. Not only does it help keep the dirt and bacteria at bay, but taking care of your brushes extends their life. Sephora and Ulta both sell makeup brush shampoo (do not use baby shampoo or any other shampoo that is not specifically for brushes). I have a post on how to cleanse your brushes, here.
4. Towels- It goes without saying, but if you’re not washing your towel often enough you're putting your face at risk for breaking out. Just like your pillowcases, make sure you’re cleaning them more often than not.
5. Hair- If you have hair that falls on your forehead (for instance bangs, or some male patients I see have longer hair that swoops over their forehead), try to opt to keep the hair off the face especially if you break out on the forehead. If you’re someone that doesn’t wash their hair every day, make sure on days when the hair is especially oily that it is swept up off and away from the face. If you tend to use hair products such as gel, hairspray, mousse, etc. be sure to wash it off before sleeping in it. All of these precautions can help keep breakouts from happening especially on the forehead and the sides of the face.
Obviously, doing these 5 tips won’t completely end your breakouts, but it can definitely help stop the spread. We breakout for tons of different reasons whether it be stress, hormones, not taking care of your skin correctly (i.e. washing it morning and night), and diet. But, I can assure you, that if you are cleansing morning and night with the appropriate skin care products, getting regular facials, eating a normal diet and drinking water throughout the day and adding these 5 simple tips you’re creating healthy habits that should lead you on a journey of beautiful, clear skin.