One of the most common skin concerns her clients come to her with is acne, so we thought she would be a great person to turn to for a list of tips to treat and prevent break-outs.
1. Drying out your skin will result in more breakouts.
Be cautious with over-the-counter acne products. Although these can work to dry up the actual blemish, when used all over the face they can trap the oil in the pores by causing dead skin cell buildup, and cause more breakouts.
2. Change pillowcases nightly.
For problem skin, bacteria and oil can build up on your pillowcase and be re-introduced to your skin the following night. Invest in a nice stack of pillowcases, and make sure you wash them with a dye and fragrance-free laundry soap.
3. Avoid dairy products if your skin is prone to breakouts.
Many people have heard that greasy foods and chocolate cause breakouts. We don’t find that to be true. When the breakout is cyst-like in the chin and jaw line area, most often it is related to too much ice cream, yogurt, milk, and cheese. Try cutting back and watch your skin clear up.
4. Don’t pick at your skin.
The life of a breakout is just 3-5 days, but when you pick at a blemish, the red mark that lingers can be there for 1-2 months! We know it’s tempting, but you can make problem skin much worse by forcing bacteria deeper into the skin, resulting in scarring and further breakouts. A better solution for problem skin is a regular facial schedule, where your pores can be cleaned professionally.
5. Don’t wash with a cleanser that creates a lot of lather.
Bar soap and many foaming cleansers have high PH balances with harsh ingredients that strip the water out of the skin. And what you wash with is the MOST important part of your skin care routine. Why? Because if you wash with a foaming cleanser or soap that is too drying, it pulls all the water out of the skin and creates dead, dry skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly run and put your moisturizer on to put back in what you just took out! It makes no sense. Choose either lotion-based cleansers, or gel cleansers that avoid the harsh ingredient, Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate.
6. Drink hot lemon water first thing in the morning.
Squeeze fresh lemon into hot water and drink when you wake up. This will help flush out and purify the body internally, reducing toxins, which can cause skin sensitivities.
Although great for strengthening hair, panthenol can cause problems for some people.
8. Clean your cosmetics brushes once a week.
Bacteria and oil can build up on your cosmetic brushes, which can lead to clogged pores and break outs.
Using a mild liquid dish soap and cold water, carefully wash out your brushes and rinse thoroughly. Comb the bristles to prevent tangling. Stand brushes upright in a glass to let dry.
