Make Your Breakout Game Plan

As the weather slowly changes from dry and chilly to humid and warm, it's common for your skin to react... especially if you are wearing a mask throughout the day. We're going to walk you through how to identify which kind of breakout you're having and how to approach it with certain ingredients and techniques.

Factors that may be causing you to breakout

First, you should look at what may be causing your breakout. There could be multiple factors at play…

Your mask: One of the biggest take-aways from the past year is that mascne is REAL. It makes sense... the constant chafing, the moisture from your trapped breathe. Especially if you aren't washing your mask regularly.

Diet: "You are what you eat" really rings true here. Higher intake of high-fat (milk, meat) and high-sugar foods and beverages (sweets, soda) are associated with a higher incidence of acne. Also try to avoid oily foods and chocolate because they trigger breakouts and can make existing acne worse.

You aren't washing your face thoroughly enough: Make sure you have a solid morning and nighttime skin routine, using the right ingredients, and that you're cleansing for at least two minutes.

Your pillow case hasn't been washed in awhile: Pillow cases can collect dirt and oil, so it's important to regularly wash them. Go a step further and make sure your pillow case is made of natural fabrics. These materials themselves breathe better and transfer less oil.

Lack of sleep: Poor sleep may indirectly affect your skin. When you are stressed, your body produces cortisol and inflammatory proteins . Sleep deprivation can also significantly raise cortisol levels. This cortisol increase can negatively impact your immune system’s fighting power, which can lead to increased skin problems

Your skin is dehydrated: Your body will sometimes overproduce oil in order to compensate for dry skin, thereby causing breakouts. So your breakout might mean it's time to drink a glass of water and make sure you're well hydrated.

Hormones: The hormones that cause this type of acne are fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone, which both vary widely throughout the menstrual cycle month. In addition, the ratio of each of these hormones to each other can also affect women’s testosterone levels, and can also be causative in hormonal acne.” Lastly, cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect all of these hormones, too.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common hormones affecting the skin, their triggers, and their effects:

Estrogen-is generally good for the skin except when there is too much or too little.

Testosterone- is an androgen hormone responsible for the production of sebum. Too much can lead to acne, too little can lead to the breakdown of collagen and aging.

Progesterone-When balanced with estrogen, it helps support skin firmness, elasticity, and skin barrier function.

Cortisol-It helps calm the body during times of stress and aids in a number of areas including the regulation of blood sugar and metabolism and keeping inflammation and blood pressure under control. In normal amounts, cortisol has a positive influence on the body, but in excess, it’s a trigger for acne and aging.

Inflammation: Recent clinical evidence indicates that inflammation is integral to the formation and early development of all acne lesions. Inflammation is not a symptom of acne. It’s a trigger.

It all starts with systemic inflammation; inflammation at the cellular level which creates oxidative stress in the sebum follicle. Oxidized, or damaged, sebum boosts the proliferation of keratinocytes, dead skin cells. This keratolytic over-abundance is what leads to the clogged pores that allow acne bacteria to thrive.

So, if we can reduce inflammation at the cellular level, we can impede the process that leads to red, swollen, bumpy skin. What causes cellular inflammation? Things like stress, a poor diet including excess sugar, UV damage, harmful chemicals, and smoking are all contributors. To reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, pay attention to both internal and external factors.

Sweaty workouts: Not cleansing before and after your exercise sessions may cause "sweat breakouts" to form. Dried sweat mixed with makeup residue and all the dirt and germs you pick up along the way is enough to clog up your pores.

Picking at your face: Let's be honest, even excessively touching your face can cause a breakout. Let alone squeezing at an already inflamed part of your skin. Picking generally delays the healing of acne lesions, makes them look worse, and can result in new lesions from constant irritation.

Identify which kind of breakout it is

There are many different types of breakouts, and not all of them should necessarily be treated the same. The appearance and location could serve as key indicators as to why you are breaking out in the first place. First, let's locate where your breakout is...

Hairline: It could be the hair products you are using.

T-Zone (forehead, nose, chin): You're likely producing excess oil. This can happen if your skin is usually more oily, or if your skin is so dehydrated that your face is over-producing oil to compensate.

Cheeks: Rubbing our friction against irritating surfaces (pillow case, mask, cell phone).

Jawline and Neck: Hormonal disruption.

Now let's asses what it looks like. Is it a cluster of small bumps? Cystic? Whiteheads? Read below to learn more about each type and how to go about treating it.

Cluster of small bumps

These are formally called Papules. Papules are comedones that become inflamed, forming small red or pink bumps on the skin. This type of pimple may be sensitive to the touch. Picking or squeezing can make the inflammation worse and may lead to scarring. A large number of papules may indicate moderate to severe acne.

They can turn into Pustules, which are another kind of inflamed pimple. They resemble a whitehead with a red ring around the bump. The bump is typically filled with white or yellow pus. Avoid picking or squeezing pustules. Picking can cause scars or dark spots to develop on the skin.

cystic

Cysts are large, pus-filled lesions that look similar to boils. Cysts can be painful and should be treated professionally since they also can scar. People who develop cysts are usually considered to have a more severe form of acne. It's characterized by the development of "tender, inflammatory nodules underneath the skin."

When it comes to treating this type of breakout at home, your typical acne skin-care routine might not cut it. As satisfying as it might feel, do not try to pop your pimples — especially if they are cystic. When you try to squeeze a cystic pimple, the result is trauma and more inflammation, leading to scarring and skin discoloration.

Something you can do at home if you feel one coming on, is to grab an ice cube and apply it to the area for several seconds. This will constrict the small blood vessels that are feeding the cyst and will immediately decrease the redness and size.

Whiteheads

This happens when oil and skin cells prevent a clogged hair follicle from opening. In whiteheads the pore is covered by a thin layer of skin that traps the plug beneath the surface. As the plug is not exposed to air it remains white or sometimes a yellowish color (the natural color of oil and dead skin cells), which is why it’s called a “whitehead.”

Benzoyl peroxide is an ingredient that is effective for getting rid of whiteheads because it kills the bacteria that cause acne and inhibit the production of oil. Salicylic acid is also good for whitehead treatment because it’s a natural exfoliant that encourages dead skin cells to loosen and shed so they won’t combine with oil and plug the pores.

Blackheads

Blackheads are comedones, or basic acne lesions, that are open at the surface of the skin. They are filled with excess oil and dead skin cells. It's not dirt that causes the comedone to turn black. The black hue results from the irregular reflection of light coming from clogged hair follicles.

For treatment, try a salicylic scrub or a retinoid cream, and always use a moisturizer to block out dirt.