Acne breakouts can be an enormous disturbance but what’s even worse is when you have an important meeting or a date or you have a big presentation and then you wake up to an unsightly pimple or two or more! We’ve been there and we understand that when this happens, there is a huge temptation to try to handle it with force. This article is here to help you illuminate the most common mistakes to avoid so that you can save yourself from acne scarring, accidentally escalating breakouts, and more.
The Worst Ways To Manage Acne Breakouts
Offense #1: Picking or popping your pimples
Let’s start with the most obvious solution that should be avoided at all costs. Popping.
If you’ve woken up with something undesirable on the side of your face, the natural reaction is to get it off. Be kind to your skin and avoid this technique. Otherwise, you are likely to worsen your skin inflammation problems and create a breeding ground for further spots that could pop up within a few hours or weeks.
Think of popping spots as planting seeds for more spots. It’s a bad idea because it may give you short-term relief but in the long term, you will have acne scarring to deal with.
Offense #2: Intentionally over-exfoliating
Another method that many people resort to is exfoliating excessively in an attempt to dry out the affected area. Exfoliation should be limited to 2 or 3 times per week but when we have a pimple or a larger breakout, we tend to reflexively exfoliate rigorously.
This is a mistake because when we over-exfoliate, skin irritation follows. It may not follow straight away, but it is still likely to happen, and this can amplify your next acne breakout.
Most people who make this mistake end up with more sensitive-feeling skin or another acne breakout a week or two later and they don’t realize that they caused it themselves.
We need to increase our self-awareness when it comes to optimal skincare and the management of acne, otherwise we run the risk of doing ourselves more harm than good.
Offense #3: Intentionally skipping moisturizer
As you are probably already aware, moisturizing is a daily activity for optimal skincare. That means multiple times throughout the day, we ought to be moisturizing to keep our skin hydrated, supple, and protected – especially in climates such as Cambodia.
However, when acne breakouts occur, many of us buy into the misguided advice that skin should be left dry to avoid making the acne worse. You may be surprised to know that this is very risky because when you don’t properly hydrate your skin, it will respond by producing more oil – the result of which can be worse than the moisturizer.
A solution to this is to use a lighter-weight moisturizer than you usually use. You can buy just a small bottle and save it for those days when pimples or breakouts occur.
Also, make sure that your lightweight moisturizer and your regular daily moisturizer are both non-comedogenic.
What’s the best way to manage an acne breakout?
Here is a checklist of what you can consider if you have a breakout and you want to get it under control as quickly as possible.
Caution: not all of these methods work for every skin type and never attempt to use multiple medications in combination with each other.
- Keep using your gentle cleanser
- Keep moisturizing
- Keep using sun protection
- Use a topical treatment containing one of the following:
- Benzoyl Peroxide
- Salicylic Acid
- Retinoids. Over-the-counter options include adapalene (Differin).
- Avoid touching your face
- Stay hydrated
- Avoid all unhealthy fats and sugars
- Manage your stress with meditation
While we mention this loose list of suggestions, please remember this should not replace your long-term goal of overcoming acne permanently which is best achieved through healthy lifestyle choices and professional services from qualified skin experts.
Final Thoughts
Today, we’ve covered some of the common mistakes people make when dealing with acne breakouts. It’s always tempting to react but hopefully, now you have an elevated awareness of how to take better care of your skin. Think long-term and keep your eye on the prize – freedom from acne and clear, healthy skin that has a natural glow. It’s around the corner!
If you are looking for a skin clinic you can trust with hundreds of glowing testimonials on Google, choose The Era Clinic. Scroll down the page to contact us today. We can’t wait to help you make acne a thing of the past!
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