One of the most common questions that our skin coaches get is, “Will this make me break out?” Sometimes new products can cause breakouts to appear, but instead of freaking out and stopping usage, there are a few things to consider. Your breakout may be a sign that you are reacting negatively to an ingredient in the product, however it also could be your skin working towards becoming healthy.
Watch the video below for Breakout and Acne Basics:
Let’s look at a few different types of breakouts and how to deal with them.
Purging
What it is: Purging is the process of removing dead skin cells and bringing supressed bacteria to the surface. This often occurs when you accelerate the cell turnover cycle by beginning a resurfacing or retinol routine.
How to deal: Stick with it. Your skin is becoming healthier by getting out all of the trapped bacteria and oil beneath the surface. You need to get out the trapped bacteria to reduce inflammation and for your skin to be healthy and function properly.
Having a Adverse Reaction
What it is: Having an adverse reaction to a product is vastly different than purging in that the reaction will present all over the entire face: hives, rash, etc. and not in an isolated area.
How to deal: Stop using the product. In this case, if you have an allergic reaction to the product, you could be doing more harm than good by sticking with it.
Hormonal Breakouts
What it is: Typically these breakouts are cystic and in the mouth or jaw area. Hormones stimulate rapid cell growth of skin cells and bacterial cells, causing skin to become congested. Surface cell buildup holds in the infection and inhibits penetration of proper nourishment for healthy cell growth.
How to deal: Because these breakouts are the result of a hormonal imbalance, you need to heal them from the inside out. Internally, focus on a clean diet, regular exercise, and drinking plenty of water. Externally, focus on a consistent and thorough skin care routine. Some key ingredients to look for are salicylic acid (anti-inflammatory), retinols (clear excess cells that trap oil and bacteria), precipitated sulfur (kills bacteria with antiseptic and antifungal effect), and vitamin D. Vitamin D is particularly important because it is the only vitamin made in the skin and is converted to a hormone. When your vitamin D levels are balanced, it will significantly help with acne, among other health conditions.
What to Avoid Doing
We understand: getting a breakout at any time, particularly after starting a product that you hoped would make your skin better, can be extremely frustrating. Many people’s automatic reaction is to stress out, dry it up as quickly as possible, try to pop it, and pick at it until it goes away. All of these actions will actually end up making your breakout and the resulting damage worse.
Stress
Although it is a rumor that chocolate can cause acne, stress has been shown to cause those pesky blemishes. During a stressful time, the last thing you need to deal with is a breakout, so find ways to release stress. Aromatherapy, exercise, and meditation are common methods that allow you to release stress and calm your skin.
Drying
Stay away from alcohol and benzoyl peroxide, which are both extremely drying. Many breakouts are caused by surface dryness and the inability for oil to escape from under the dry surface. Further drying out your skin can actually result in more breakouts. If your skin senses that it is dry, it may overcompensate by producing even more oil that gets trapped beneath the dry surface layer.
Popping and Picking
You know the little dark mark that is left even after your breakout goes away? As annoying as that is, it will be much darker and longer lasting if you try to pop or pick at your breakouts. Popping and picking results in hyperpigmentation from injury to the skin and it takes longer for the breakout to heal. When you try to pop the breakout, you also may push the infection deeper into the skin, leading to more swelling and redness. When you try to pop cystic acne, since there is no head and nowhere for the infection to go, you may cause it to break under the skin, leading to infection of the surrounding follicles, meaning more breakouts.
If you are experiencing any of the above, contact a skin coach! They will be able to help you identify your problem and guide you towards healing it. Visit www.skinauthority.com/myskincoach to schedule a call, chat, or Skype session!