Why You’re Having Acne (Pimples, Blackheads, Whiteheads, etc.) and How to Stop It

Have you ever wondered what causes acne?

Do you almost hate yourself right now because acne breakouts have taken over your body and robbed you of your self-esteem and social life?

Are you wondering why acne has decided to choose you, of all people?

Then you’re at the right place…

You will be learning the reasons you keep having breakouts on your skin, in form of acne, or pimples, blackheads and whiteheads, and even acne residues like scars or black spots.

More importantly however, you’ll be learning how to prevent your skin from breaking out further.

Let’s roll!

What is Acne?

Acne is an irritable breakout of the skin that leads to lesions or swellings or spots on the skin.

The Webster Dictionary calls it "a disorder of the skin caused by an inflammation of the skin glands and hair follicles". And the dictionary goes further to say it is marked by pimples, especially on the face.

What Causes Acne?

Acne is actually a process, NOT a sudden occurrence.

Let me break it down for you in a very simple way.

Firstly, there’s a gland in your skin called sebaceous gland.

Its job is to produce an oily substance, called sebum, which is meant to protect your skin and keep it moisturized.

This sebum comes out to the skin through your skin pores – same channel through which your hair follicle produces hair.

Secondly, the skin normally sheds dead skin cells while new ones grow.

These two are normal functions of the body, and they keep your skin fresh.

But here’s where the problem comes:

Sometimes, your sebaceous glands are triggered to overproduce oil. Then your hair follicles get blocked from the excess oil, so the said oil cannot leave the pore.

Your skin pore then gets clogged, while dead skin cells also get trapped too. Then bacteria (called P. acnes) grows inside the hair follicles.

Your skin then reacts to this in form of breakouts.

That's what causes acne – and its related symptoms: pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and then later the scars or dark/black spots that come from acne (especially if you popped or peeled it).

As you can see, the process of acne formation isn’t something you can control directly, so what you should focus on more is the triggers.

That is, activities or objects or habits that trigger your skin to produce those excess oil that gets your pores clogged and lead to breakouts.

Identify these triggers and work at avoiding them.

That is the simple way to prevent acne – okay maybe not that simple, but that’s just the way.

So let’s talk about some common acne triggers.

Things Giving You Acne

1. Heredity

Well, it’s been found that you can inherit acne from your parents, just like you’d inherit their looks.

It's actually not the acne itself you inherited; it's skin type and other bodily functions that make you vulnerable to acne.

If one or both of your parents had breakouts, especially at puberty, you’re most likely to have it too.

2. Beauty Products

You can’t go a day without your makeup? Those beauty products might actually be costing you your real beauty.

Ironic, yea?

But it’s true: the ingredients of most beauty products, especially makeup and moisturizer, actually encourage acne-causing bacteria to grow on your body.

While I won’t preach against makeup (duh, I’m a makeup artist), there are ways to go about using makeup the right way.

• Go for makeup products that are water-based, not oil-based.

Check the label of your makeup product to ensure it’s tagged “noncomedogenic”.

Products labeled this way don’t clog your pores, unlike most other products that are filled with bad oils and silicone.

• Never make the mistake of not wiping off your makeup at the end of the day, especially before sleeping.

Sleeping with makeup on won’t give your skin that breathing space it needs while you’re asleep, and therefore, encourage bacterial growth and eventual skin breakouts.

3. Your Hair

Those many things we use to maintain our hair and make it look fresh and glossy, like shampoos, conditioners, hair creams, etc, may be good for the hair, but bad for your skin. The chemicals in them can enter the skin and block your pores.

Quick solutions:

• When washing your hair, bend your head and neck sideways; don’t let the lather or water from your hair get to your face, chest or back.
• Your face should be the last part you wash, after washing your hair. This will make you wash away every residue from your hair and keep your pores clean.
• Keep your hair away from your face while sleeping. Pack it all to the back and upwards.
• Change your pillow case frequently, as those oils (and even bacteria) from your hair get deposited there and your face can pick them up. (Why would you even sleep without covering your hair?!)

4. Bathing too much

Of course, not bathing enough can lead to acne; but bathing too often too can trigger acne.

Too many baths would make your skin very dry and trigger the sebaceous glands to produce more oil to moisturize your skin.

When the oil production gets too much, sure you now know what happens next!

Keep your bathing to the recommended twice daily.

5. Over-Scrubbing (scrubbing too hard)

You might think skin breakouts are caused by dirt on the skin and be tempted to scrub your body hard – especially affected areas. But it’s not always so; you already know it’s just your skin producing excess oil (that fact cannot be overemphasized).

Scrubbing your acne or pimples too hard will only make things worse. Firstly, it would further irritate your skin and might make peeled acne leave scars and spots on your body.

And secondly, you might be helping bacteria to spread on your skin through the now-open wound.

6. Popping and Itching

Acne or pimples naturally gives you a sensation that makes you want to pop or press it, or even itch it hard.

Doing any of these would only make your situation worse.

Popping it might spread the bacteria to the surface of your skin and make you get more breakouts.

Popping or pressing acne/pimples can also push bacteria down your skin which would then spread under your skin and cause it to break out at more areas.

Popping or itching or peeling might also leave a scar on your face when the acne/pimple is long gone.

7. Hormonal Change

Puberty, pregnancy, menstrual period or ovulation, medical conditions and every other thing that can cause hormonal imbalance can lead to your skin breaking out.

The body, in reacting to an unstable or imbalanced hormone, can produce more oils that would block your pores, and lead to acne, pimples, etc.

8. Smoking

It doesn’t just cause cancer and destroy vital organs, smoking irritates your skin and dries you out, forcing your skin to produce more oils than necessary…till your skin breaks out almost beyond repair.

If you’re not afraid of cancer but are obsessed with your skin, then you just got a reason to quit smoking!

9. Stress

You need to chill out more often if your skin breaks out uncontrollably. It could simply be stress.

Unfortunately, having acne can even get you more stressed.

And then it becomes an unending cycle. You don’t want to get trapped in that!

So...relax when under pressure, and try to enjoy life.

Okay, I can keep going on and on…but let me stop here, since we've actually covered the commonest causes of acne.

So...the next question is...

How Then Do You Stop Your Skin From Breaking Out Further?

It's simple!

You now know what causes acne and its 'children' (pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, rashes, black spots, etc.)

All you have to do is avoid those that can be avoided.

You already know how acne works: pores get clogged from excess oil.

So now you can always consciously do all you can to control the oil your skin produces and keep your skin pores unclogged.

Finally, reduce your use of oily products, unless you're sure the oil is safe for YOUR skin.

Also reduce your consumption of fatty foods. The less oil, the better.

How to Cure/Remove Acne (FREE Guide)

It's time to begin to take steps to cure and remove the acne, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, dark spots, and every other blemish already on your skin.

Space won't permit me to discuss that here. But it would be unfair to leave you without help.

If you're really interested in having a clean and spotless skin, there’s a short guide that will show you how to become – and remain – free of acne, pimples, and other related skin blemishes.

Click here to download it and learn how to claim your skin back from acne…till you become absolutely flawless and self-confident again: https://www.beaucrest.ng/ultimate-guide-acne-s/

Don't worry; it's short and you can finish it in less than 5 minutes. Go and grab your copy and start changing your life immediately.

Here's it again: https://www.beaucrest.ng/ultimate-guide-acne-s/