For some of us, clear skin is like a unicorn. We’ve heard lots of people talk about it, but we don’t believe it truly exists. It’s a myth, and we think this because – no matter how hard you try to avoid breakouts- your skin still seems to break out. You might not have acne, but you do have spots and pimples that like to make a grand entrance almost every day. As soon as you calm one breakout, another one sparks up!
So, how can you achieve clear skin – is it even possible? The good news is that it most certainly is achievable, without the use of any medication or surgical procedures. Below, we’re going to look at the main cause of spots, along with a few ideas that prevent breakouts and get rid of them as quickly as can be.
How To Avoid Breakouts & Maintain Clear Skin!
Clogged Pores
All of the causes of spots will all lead back to this. You can’t see them, but there are loads of pores on the surface of your skin, which are basically very tiny holes. Spots form when these pores get clogged, preventing oil and other natural things from coming out. As a result, the pores start to swell and become inflamed, which is usually what creates pimples and spots. It’s also why they often feel sore: your pores are literally restricting natural oils from coming out of your skin!
The annoying thing is, you can get clogged pores in a fair few ways. The most common reasons for this are:
- An overproduction of sebum (the natural oil in your skin cells)
- Dead skin & dirt
- Bacteria
Therefore, to prevent and get rid of spots, you need to stop these issues from happening. Here are some ideas to help with each of these problems:
Getting rid of spots when you produce too much sebum
Overproduction of sebum is common during puberty, but anyone can be unfortunate enough to have this problem. It’s commonly characterised by having oily skin. So, if your skin looks shiny or feels greasy all the time, you have this problem! What tends to happen is too much oil is produced, to the point where it blocks the pores by lingering on the surface. Thus, you get the clogged pore issue that creates lots of spots.
What can you do about this?
Clean your face
Oily skin needs to be washed regularly – twice a day preferably. Clean your face with a non-abrasive cleanser every morning and night to help remove excess oil and prevent your pores from clogging up. You can use cleansing pads if you don’t have time to wash your face.
You want to avoid makeup wipes as the truth about make up wipes is that they are no good for your skin. They are harsh, remove too much of the good oils from your skin and they are really bad for the environment and also cause clogs in your pipes!
Try CBD treatments
CBD has made huge strides in the beauty industry, with some studies suggesting it can help improve your skin. One of the main things associated with CBD is its ability to reduce sebum production. Therefore, products including this might help you control your skin’s oiliness. Currently, it’s believed that topical products work the best. Things like CBD gummies might help in the long-term, but ointments and creams with CBD infused in them seem to be preferred.
Try treatments that extract the oil
Here, you’re looking at things like witch hazel that act as an astringent. Effectively, this means they remove excess oil from the surface of your skin. It’s also noted that they temporarily tighten your pores.
Avoid oily things
Of course, another great way to prevent excessively oily skin is to avoid oily things. This relates to the products you use and the things you eat! Avoid being around pans of frying oil as this will make your skin very greasy. As for your beauty products, try to use ones without oil in them.
Follow these basic steps and you should see a reduction of spots and clearer skin thanks to lower sebum production!
Getting rid of spots caused by dead skin/dirt
Dead skin and debris both cause spots by lying over your pores and blocking them. The good news is that this is a much easier problem to handle than oily skin. Here’s what you can do:
Wash your face and exfoliate
Again, washing your face is important as it helps to remove debris and dirt from your face. It’s always recommended to do this twice a day because you can have dried sweat on your face after sleeping, along with any dust or dirt that might be on your pillows.
However, it also helps to exfoliate a few times per week. Exfoliation products actively work to unclog your pores and remove as much dead skin and dirt as possible. Experts suggest that you should do this two to three times a week. This is enough to see the benefits without damaging your skin.
Consider microdermabrasion treatment
This is a cosmetic treatment that doesn’t include surgery but can be slightly invasive. In essence, a special tool is used to remove the outer layer of your skin. It basically sands it down, getting rid of all the dead skin cells and dirt on your face. You’re left with new skin that looks more vibrant and is a lot clearer.
By doing this, you also tend to activate the body’s natural defence system in the skin. The cells recognise that skin has been removed, so they flood to the site to repair it. This leads to an increase in collagen production, which will also improve the skin’s appearance.
These are the two main things you should try if you have acne or spots from dead skin and dirt. They’re not hard to do, and you should see results very quickly.
Getting rid of spots from bacteria
Lastly, bacteria can get on your face and clog your spores, causing mass breakouts. These spots also tend to be the most painful as they might be infected. Thankfully, dealing with this problem follows many of the steps listed already. Washing your face is the main one, but here are a few other things to do:
Avoid touching your face
Try to avoid touching your face as much as you can. This will be hard for some people, but it’s how lots of us get spots. Our hands are covered in bacteria from other things we’ve touched. As a result, you transfer these germs to your face, causing spots. It’s a smart idea to wash your hands regularly – or use a hand sanitiser – to kill any germs on your hands. This way, if you do subconsciously touch your face, you shouldn’t put germs on it.
Don’t share things with others
Secondly, stop sharing things with other people. Most notably, don’t share towels! If other people are using the same towel as you, that towel is full of any germs they put on it. Again, put this on your face and you’re basically asking for spots to occur. You should also wash your towels as regularly as can be to keep them clean and free from bacteria.
Use these tips – along with general face-washing – and you will see a reduction in spots.
In summary, you should pretty much follow all of the advice in this guide. If you do, you should avoid getting spots because you’re addressing all the main causes. However, you might not need to follow the specific advice for oily skin if your skin isn’t oily. If you don’t show any signs of this issue, miss out the tips on how to reduce sebum production as you don’t need them! Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand breakouts and how to avoid them to achieve clear skin.
*This is a collaboration post
Copyright: Image by StockUnlimited
