Acne is something pretty much everyone goes through. Whether it’s severe or mild, everyone eventually faces acne in some way. If you have frequent acne, you may have already researched all the different triggers to try to avoid. However, you may be encountering daily triggers without even knowing it. Becoming more aware of them and maybe even changing a few simple things may help reduce or prevent your breakouts. Here are five things in our daily lives that you wouldn’t think could cause acne.
Toothpaste
Many people have heard about the at home remedy of putting toothpaste on a growing pimple to help treat it, however did you know that this is not only a myth, but can trigger acne? In fact, experts say a common reason for acne around the lips is from toothpaste from brushing your teeth. Not only can the ingredients in toothpaste be harmful to skin, but that mixed with your mouth bacteria will surely not help. This is why it’s important to wash your face after brushing your teeth, to make sure you’re not leaving behind any potential harmful bacteria behind.
Kids
Often, people touch their own faces throughout the day, not thinking that it could be an acne trigger. This is because we don’t have clean hands 24/7 and in between washes we subconsciously touch our faces. Now if you’ve been around kids, you know they love to touch anything and everything. Between their hand washes, they could’ve touched the floors, toys that may not be too clean and not to mention things when they go out as well. As much as you love to play with your kids, it’s important to keep in mind how their adventurous little hands could lead to a breakout on your face.
Working Out / Sweating With Dirty Skin
When it comes to working out it’s easy to say that your skincare isn’t at the forefront of your mind. However there are a few things you could do before, during and after a workout that could help you avoid a breakout. Keeping your face clean while working out may seem impossible, which is why it’s important to start with a fresh face. Removing any makeup and washing your face will prepare your face for any sweat endured during a workout. If you’re going to exercise outside it’s important to remember to put on sunscreen to protect your skin. During a workout try to remember to dab and pat away sweat with a clean towel rather than just wiping it away. This is to ensure that you’re not causing any unnecessary irritation to your skin, especially with sweat in the mix. Also try to remember to avoid touching your face in general during the workout and to wash your hands after. In fact it might be more beneficial to shower immediately after exercising and to apply your regular skin care routine after.
Indoor Air Pollution
When thinking of air pollution, we usually think of outdoor air pollution. However, not only is indoor pollution real, it can also be worse than outdoor air. Indoor pollution is caused by many factors which range from cooking with a gas stove/oven to cleaning supplies and air fresheners to off gassing from furniture and carpets. The pollution is amplified in homes that don’t open windows often to circulate fresh air. However, there are steps you could take to protect your skin more from this pollution. One way is to try to leave the house and go out in nature more often and to try to eat healthier. Another way is to try to purify the air indoors by using plants, which help filter the air, or to just get an air purifier. Either way, keeping the pollution inside your home may help to reduce some acne.
Hair Products
If you tend to get tiny bumps and whiteheads near your hairline/upper forehead, back of neck and shoulders then consider your hair products as the possible trigger. Most hair products are oil based which can clog your pores and lead to acne. Sometimes when you spray products on your hair, it lands on your skin instead, and often stays there until you wash your face. A trigger could also be from touching your skin after putting hair products on your hands, pillows and sweat. The first step to take is to look at all your hair products and pick out the ones that contain a lot of oil, usually a pomade, serums, hairspray etc. and try to stop using the product to see if the acne clears up. If it doesn’t, you may want to look into the oils in your shampoo and conditioner. It’s a good rule of thumb to try to get a shampoo and conditioner that’s sulfate and silicone free, noncomedogenic and made up of mostly organic ingredient.
Because you are so unique in this world and there is no one else just like you, you will experience different sensitivities and acne triggers. These 5 sneaky acne triggers will appear fast and go away fast if you know what is causing them. They are usually very superficial, and might be as small as a little white head that goes away immediately. So long as they are not deeper rooted and not cystic, changing up your routine will clear up your breakouts.
