Win against acne
At some point in our lives, we all had entertained the idea that once we get through our adolescent years, the painful pimples will leave us alone. Sadly, we could not have been more wrong and are still trying to figure out the best way around this problem.
So, here are a few simple and easy, yet effective steps that can help you prevent common adult acne.
Double-cleansing
Divide and conquer! Double cleansing quite literally translates to washing your face with two cleansers, an oil-based one followed by a water-based cleanser. The only thing to remember is that this sequence has to be maintained.
An oil-based cleanser on your already-oily skin may seem like a strange idea at first, but hear us out. According to dermatologists and makeup experts, oil-based cleanser attracts the excess oil, makeup, and any dirt residue from the face, making it easier to get rid of them without stripping the skin off of its moisture.
When you follow this up with a water-based cleanser, which is just your regular face wash, it helps to lift the impurities more easily, giving our skin a thorough clean up.
Salicylic acid
Cleansers, toners, or moisturisers containing salicylic acid are often seen as a one-stop solution to common acne problems. This acid works into the skin, helping to dissolve the dead skin cells and clearing out the pores. It can also prevent future breakouts.
Exfoliation
Exfoliating gently once or twice a week helps to remove the dead and dull skin cells while unclogging the pores. The best part is your skin starts to look and feel healthy almost immediately.
You can invest on a good face scrub suitable for your skin type, a popular choice these days are enzyme scrubs. Among homemade scrubs, oatmeal is incredibly effective on the skin without being too harsh.
One thing to avoid in a scrub is something with too many micro beads. A scrub with a grainy texture often leads to micro tears in our skin which are undetectable to bare eyes.
Clean products
Perhaps one of the most important factors for maintaining good skin hygiene is cleaning the things that come into contact with your face regularly. Dermatologists recommend washing makeup brushes a few times in a month, depending on how frequently they are used.
Dirty hair and greasy scalp can also cause breakouts. Almost all of us follow a weekly shampoo schedule. However, if your hair starts to feel greasy before the routine wash, do not think twice before washing it off.
Our smartphone screens often consist of bacteria, including the type that cause acne. Ideally, it is recommended that we clean it every day.
All things said and done, we have to remember that our skin is affected by factors beyond our control, such as mental stress, physical stress, hormonal changes, or even weather changes. As hard as it may be, try not to touch or poke the pimple. Instead, you can turn to acne patches for help.
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad
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