These Mistakes Will Worsen Your Acne

[An extract showing my writing style an industry knowlege]

This guide is dedicated to all the acne darlings out there who've heard every common piece of advice under the sun about how to get rid their acne and NOTHING has worked! From washing your face with lukewarm water to using home remedies, to cleaning your make-up tools and avoiding peanut butter and dairy among other tips.

We're not about to BS you, here! No frills, no fakes. Just pure FACTS! So without further ado, here are some common mistakes you might be making that are worsening your acne, along with some pro tips (P.S. These aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions so please ensure that the following suggestions align with the needs of your specific skin condition. Seek advice from a dermatologist if necessary.).

No picking, pinching, popping… None of that! These rule seems a bit obvious to those of you who’ve dealt with acne for years but it’s probably the hardest to follow. In case you’re not aware, popping your pimples actually pushes SOME of the pus out, while the rest sinks deeper into the skin, causing it to spread to surrounding areas where more pimples will appear.

Can’t stop touching? Here are a few solutions you can try:

Long nails: Not only do they prevent you from being able to pop those pesky pimples but they’re a great way to take care of and protect your nails. Plus, they just look so cute and make you convinced you could be a hand model. 💅🏿

Pimple patches: These babies are a sure-fire way to reduce swelling in pimples. They’re great for people who have a few pimples scattered across the face. Not ideal if you have severe acne. You’d look kind of crazy with stickers all over your face. 🤪 (P.S. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE PIMPLE PATCHES FOR REGULAR STICKERS. Read that again!)

Wear gloves or finger mittens: They might feel a little weird or even annoying at first, but you gotta do what you gotta do to discipline yourself to not keep touching your face.

It can be tempting to cover up your blemishes and dark spots, especially when people keep staring. 🙄 Plus it triggers a whole bunch of annoying questions like “Don’t you wash your face?”, “Have you tried using home remedies?”, “Do you change your pillow cases?” and a whole load of inappropriate suggestions, like putting TOOTHPASTE ON YOUR PIMPLES?? 😖 Unacceptable… we do NOT do that, here!

What you can do instead, is:

Spend less money on makeup and more on skincare. Your skincare forms the base of your morning self-care routine. Right after showering, you do your skincare. This has to be your priority! It doesn’t matter how good your makeup looks if it’s causing your skin to be unhealthy.

Alternatively, you can use a concealer to spot conceal your pimples and dark marks then use a setting powder to gently brush over it, allowing it to blend seamlessly.

Brands like Elf and Clinique have acne-fighting foundations you can use if you really feel that using foundation is necessary.

If you can, invest in high quality makeup that prioritises your skin’s health over a pretty face. Make sure you’re supporting brands that share the same values as you.

The sad truth is… not everyone can afford high quality skincare to treat specific conditions. Times are hard. And it doesn’t help that there are so many remedies being shared on the internet that aren’t backed by science and may lead to hazardous* results.

Now, you’re probably thinking “But wait a minute. I’ve been using my family’s ancient, traditional remedies for years and they work just fine for my skin.” Or maybe more like “I use homemade recipes from Pinterest all the time and my skin’s never been healthier.” Don’t get me wrong, some of these remedies CAN be effective in targeting your skin concerns… however, most of them produce short-term results and can lead to side effects.

You’ll find plenty of recipes online that make wild claims like cutting a tomato in half, sprinkling it with turmeric spice and rubbing it onto your face will reduce acne and brighten your skin. Or that homemade carrot juice can be used as a toner. Sorry, darlings, but this isn’t true.

If you need safer and scientifically proven ways to reduce acne naturally without wasting your food, there are cosmetic versions of some of the food that’s in your kitchen, which are much safer, more beneficial and produce longer lasting results than any DIY remedy you’ll ever find on the internet.

You’ll be surprised to find that there’s such a thing as carrot extract, lemon extract, broccoli extract and colloidal oats, which are all used in modern-day skin and hair care regimens. And you can purchase these ingredients from any skincare ingredient supplier near you or online and immediately start formulating your own skincare products!

I’m sure you’ve been told countless times to wash your face in order to remove acne-causing germs, so you’re probably sick of it at this point. But let’s get one fact straight here: your acne isn’t a result of you being dirty. That is a vile rumour that people should stop spreading! The problem doesn’t lie in not washing your face… it’s in not washing your face CORRECTLY. For instance, washing your face too often, using a cleanser that isn’t formulated for your skin type or worse, using the WRONG SOAP like dish soap or hand soap! 😭

A poll conducted by Statista found that 52% of American consumers (66% being men and 34% being women) use bath wash or hand soap to cleanse their faces, while more than a third only use water. Proper cleansing and moisturising are crucial for maintaining healthy skin, regardless of gender. So, whether you prefer an extensive skincare routine or you like a quick and simple, 2-product routine, nourishing your skin is essential for healthy, glowing skin!

Cleansers for acne-prone skin should contain (but are not limited to) salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide and glycolic acid. But using a cleanser is not enough. You need to moisturise, darling! Which leads to the next point…

People have this false perception that a cleanser is all you need to get rid of acne but that’s wildly inaccurate. Cleansers tend to strip away the skin’s natural oils, which is fine because their job isn’t to moisturise. That’s what moisturisers are for… It’s in the name.

It’s common to believe that drying out oily skin will reduce the amount of excess oil and moisturisers will just make it worse by clogging pores, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The skin produces its own oils whenever it’s dry so by not nourishing and hydrating your skin, you’re triggering it to secrete more oils to make up for the lack of moisture.

If you don’t know much about moisturising, try using products containing anti-inflammatory, soothing ingredients as well as ingredients that heal acne scars and inflamed acne such as chamomile, green tea, cucumber, salicylic acid, aloe vera, centella asiatica, Licorice root, calendula and witch hazel.

Remember to moisturise every day and night! That’s right. Every day AND night. Many people believe that an evening skincare routine isn’t necessary so they can do without it. Yet another false assumption! Daytime moisturisers (should) contain antioxidants and SPF for protection against the sun’s UV rays and free radicals, while night-time ones focus on skin reparation and restoring moisture.

Use a combo moisturising cream with SPF 30 in the morning and a thicker, hydrating lotion at night (this isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule; feel free to use a lighter moisturise if it suits your needs).

Contrary to common belief, not all moisturisers are likely to clog up your pores. Every moisturiser is different. You just have to find the one that’s right for YOU.

Picture this. You’re at the gym and you’ve just finished your last set so you’re now resting. You’re exhausted, thirsty and sweating profusely so you grab your bottle of water and take a sip, swiping away the sweat dripping off your forehead, with the back of your hand. Since you’re done working out, you go to the locker room to get your stuff ready and head home, deciding that you’ll shower when you get there.

But by then, the sweat has completely dried up. In fact, you feel refreshed and not so icky anymore so you almost feel like showering might not be necessary at this point. You could just smack on some aqueous cream and you should be fine until tomorrow…right?

WRONG! From the moment you stopped to take a rest to the moment you got home, bacteria and germs have been attaching themselves to your body, especially the sweaty parts. This is bound to cause a breakout if you’re not showering or cleansing immediately after you’re done working out for the day.

Applying moisturiser onto unclean skin can trap bacteria and irritants, leading to potential skin issues. So unless you’re trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the worst skin health in the world, please do yourself a favour and take a shower after your workouts. If gym showers make you uncomfortable, make sure you get home IMMEDIATELY so you can shower. Don’t stop unless there’s a legitimate emergency and don’t let yourself get distracted once you’re home.

They probably mean well and are just trying to do their job, but honestly, you can’t expect a sales person at your local personal care store to have all the answers to your skin troubles and to know what’s suitable to each skin type, including each type of acne.

A sales person may advise you to use a chemical exfoliant, but the specific one recommended may be too harsh for you or may contain a chemical that clashes with something you already use in your skincare routine. Or they may recommend a cleanser purely based on the fact that it contains salicylic acid but salicylic acid may not work for YOUR type of acne.

Or they might recommend pore strips, which will rip away your skin’s barrier. While it may leave your skin soft and smooth, it will also make it prone to irritation and breakouts, because you haven’t just stripped away your pores, you’ve stripped away your natural oils.

That’s not to say that every sales person is bound to give you bad advice every time. They’re just doing their job but they may not know enough about your skin care history to make an appropriate judgement for what might work best for you. So take their advice with a grain of salt.

Switching skincare products too frequently can make it difficult to see what works and what doesn't. Your skin has a very tough protective exterior so products typically take 2-4 weeks to starting producing results.

So whether it’s because you’re excited to try a new product or you’re tired of waiting for results from a product you’re currently using, don’t abandon it so soon. If you're dismissing a product too soon, you’re not giving it a real chance to prove it works. And if you're already on the next product by then and you experience irritation, you'll never know if it was caused by the new product, the old one or the combination of both.

Consistency is also a crucial factor in your skincare so if you’re tossing out a product after having used it for a month but you haven’t using it regularly for that month, you’re slowing down progress for yourself and making it difficult to decide whether or not it actually works. And don’t toss aside the product just because progress is slow. In fact, I’d get a little suspicious if I had severe acne and my skin is suddenly completely cleared up and glowing within a week of using a brand new product. Usually, those kind of results don’t last long.

Be a little more patient when it comes to your skincare. Patient people always reap the best rewards.

Different types of acne may require different types of treatments. For example, instead of salicylic acid, you may want to treat whiteheads with products containing sulphur or ketoconazole.

It may also be rosacea which is a vascular (of the veins) condition characterised by inflamed red bumps that may lead to scarring if left untreated. This is treated with products containing natural ingredients such as calendula, green tea, azelaic acid or retinoids. Alternatively, it can also be treated by oral medications, electrosurgery and laser therapy. But please consult a medical professional for advice if you choose that route.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the miraculous benefits that tea tree oil can bring to all skin types, especially oily skin. It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to soothe inflamed acne plus it’s rich in antioxidants, which combat the breakout-causing germs.

While it may be tempting to buy a 15ml bottle of tea tree oil and lather it all over your face, that’s actually going to cause your skin to become more irritated. What you want to do instead, is dilute the tea tree with a linoleic carrier oil like jojoba oil or grapeseed oil.

“Wait, wait, wait… You’re asking me to put MORE oil on my already oily skin? Make it make sense!”

Yes, it’s true! There are certain types of oils that you should be incorporating into your skincare routine even if you have acne-prone skin. People with acne-prone skin tend to have low levels of linoleic acid in the sebum, meaning they need to use a carrier oil that contains linoleic acids to bring those levels up, which in turns fights off acne. These oils are usually identified by seeds e.g. hempseed oil, rosehip seed oil, grapeseed oil etc…

Make sure you do your research to ensure you choose the right oil for you. And remember to do a patch test before committing to a facial oil or any other skincare product, for that matter.

Have you ever woken up the morning after a crazy night out, to your face feeling SUPER oily, bumpy and dewy (but not in the way you’d like)? That night was probably amazing. You got drunk, made some epic memories, met some cute guy or girl and got his or her number and even got some fast food on your way home.

But at what cost?

Your skin (and general health) will now have to suffer severe consequences. You might be wondering how alcohol even has anything to do with this. While alcohol doesn’t directly cause acne, it can dehydrate the skin as well as bring your hormones out of balance, which can lead to breakouts.

Combined with that fatty fast food you ate afterwards, you shouldn’t be too surprised by the excess oil production on your face. So… are you SURE you want to go out again next Friday? 🤨

Coffee and energy drinks should also be cut out from your diet. No “buts” about it! There are healthier ways to boost your energy in the morning. You should consider getting enough sleep and eliminating junk food from your diet.

Caffeine can lead to pimples for the same reason as alcohol, but it also increases levels of cortisol in the body, which is the hormone responsible for stress. And we all know high stress levels lead to more pimples.

Maybe swap out your coffee for herbal tea. Yes, it tastes like wet leaves in the beginning but the more you drink it, the more you’ll get used to it and the healthier your skin (and gut health) will be.

When you’re desperate for a solution to your skincare problem, it can be easy to get tricked by unethical marketing into buying an unnecessarily expensive product that promises miraculous results within an unrealistic amount of time. They tend to sell the luxury associated with the product but never actually share the benefits.

For instance, a large beauty company may use sketchy marketing tactics to trick consumers into believing their product contains a revolutionary ingredient, like “raw gold dust” which creates a softness to the skin and gives it a natural-looking, shimmering glow, when really it’s just mica powder, which has no benefits at all.

Focus on whether or not the ingredients will provide any relief to your particular skin condition rather than the luxury or price of the product. Look for products with beneficial components like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, salicylic acid and other ingredients.

“Miracle cures” like supplements, spot treatments and serums in fancy bottles aren’t going to solve all your problems. No single product is going to be your perfect, forever cure. From now on, before you buy any skincare product, analyse why this product is worth your time and money.

Remember that skincare is not just on the surface, it’s internal as well. Skincare is in the way you take care of yourself in general.

Adopt healthy stress management skills, maintain a nutrient-rich diet, be more physically active, have a balanced social life and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. If you’re used to sleeping late and waking up early, instead of suddenly switching to 8 hours of sleep daily, add 30 more minutes to how much you usually sleep, from tonight and throughout the next 7 days. Then add another 30 minutes for the following 7 days, and so on until you’ve reached 8 hours of sleep. This is far less overwhelming than immediately committing to an 8 hour sleep schedule.

Use the same technique when switching to a healthy diet. Don’t blow your money on healthy food only to slip up once and never return to healthy eating again. Rather substitute your favourite junk snack for something healthy. Do this for a period of time then do another healthy snack swap. Continue this until you’re happy with your new diet.

Self-acceptance is just another difficult part of the journey; not the dream destination. Some days, you’ll feel confident in your skin, while other days, you’ll feel ashamed and regretful. No matter which kind of day you’re having, it’s always important to remind yourself how far you’ve come from where you used to be, and to treat yourself with care and kindness. Because that’s what skincare is about.

You’re exactly where you need to be to get to where you’d like to be.

The only way you’ll achieve your dream of having clear skin is by being consistent, doing research, being gentle on your skin and taking care of yourself holistically.