5 Things That Make Acne Worse

Having acne can be such a whirlwind of emotions and information, and its hard to know if you are doing the right things to help yourself and your skin. 

I am an Acne Skin Specialist in the UK, and I have clients after clients who come in and tell me everything they are doing at home, and there is always a common theme, and so today I want you to look at this following list of five things, and start correcting these in your everyday life, so that you can be on your way to acne free clear healthy skin.

1)  Picking and Squeezing

When you are constantly touching your skin, the bacteria that will undoubtedly be on your hands, will go onto your face. Now, when we combine this with squeezing and picking your spots, this bacteria is more likely to get into your pores, causing more acne. When you squeeze and pick your skin you are increasing the chance to cause scarring and pigmentation on your skin too. Instead apply ice to the areas that are bothering you, and buy yourself a fidget toy to keep your hands occupied.

2) Changing Skincare Products

I see this so often in clinic with new acne clients who have tried so many different skincare products looking for the one which will clear their skin. 99% of the time your products aren't working for you because you are not using professional skin care products which can transform your skin. It's also important to note that you can't clear your skin with acne long-term, and so this is only one factor that needs to be adjusted in a larger scheme of things, but it is a great start! The best way to make sure you are using the right products for your skin is to see an Acne Skin Specialist who can prescribe you a personalised routine. This is something I offer which you can purchase here. 

3) Using Too Many Exfoliators

The second most common skincare mistake is using too many harsh ingredients such as exfoliators in your routine. More times than not my clients don't realise that there are more exfoliating ingredients in their products. You shouldn't be using more than two-three exfoliating ingredients in your products unless your Acne Specialist advises you otherwise. Exfoliating ingredients are things like AHA's, and BHA's, think of the likes of Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid etc. Again to eliminate this risk, get an Acne Specialist to prescribe you a skincare routine so you know that you aren't stripping, ruining and drying out your skin. 

4) Eating Too Much Processed Sugar

Having too much processed sugar in your diet can definitely be a cause for your acne. This causes a spike in blood sugar levels, which causes an inflammatory response in your body, which in turn causes your skin to produce more sebum (oil), which then leads to the formation of acne. 

5) Wearing Makeup 

Wearing makeup, especially makeup this is comedogenic won't help with your skin, and will most likely aggravate your acne due to the likeliness of it clogging your pores. Also if you are particularly oily, which is common for acne skin, then having makeup sitting in your oil all day will simply just cause more acne, and will also be more uncomfortable for you too. 

I hope these 5 things that make your acne worse were insightful for you, and help you on your skin journey. If you would love Acne Specialist help, I would absolutely love to be apart of your skin journey. Come join my online Acne Retreat programme which you can read more about here.