Acne: Part 2

Teenage Acne
I've had some moms bring in teenagers and want a product that will magically keep all their acne away all the time. There is no such thing that will 100% keep away all their acne at all times. They are teenagers and they will get acne because their hormones are going all crazy! Something you can do to help if you are the parent or even the teenager reading this, getting a proper skin care regiment down now WILL help at least control your breakouts. Its important to wash your face twice a day no matter how tired you are.

If you play a sport I HIGHLY recommend getting some Cleansing cloths. Birts Bees has some really good natural ones that are inexpensive too! Throw them in your backpack and after a practice or game wipe all that sweat off your face so its not sitting there. especially if you wear helmets or any kind of face masks that can harbor old sweat.

Products I highly recommend for teenage acne:
-Tea tree oil (2 drops once a day)
-products with salicylic acid
-gel cleansers
-light moisturizers (dont not moisturize because you feel oily, your skin still needs it!)
-clay masks
-charcoal masks or cleansers
-toners (rebalances natural Ph of skin

Tips:
1)Dont exfoliate everyday. This strips away the natural oils you skin needs so your skin is overproducing oil. I recommend no more than 2 times a week.

2)Get a clay mask you can use once or twice a week. Clay helps absorb excess oil without drying you out!

3) Charcoal products act as a magnet to dirt and oil. This is great for those of you who are super active and need that extra something everyday. ( I will be doing some reviews of charcoal products next month)

Acne is annoying and frustrating. Dont give up! We've all been there and please email me if you want to get a perfect routine down for you!


Adult Acne
The first thing about adult acne is it is NOT the same as teenage acne. It should NOT be treated the same either. There are so many causes of acne just like there are so many different versions of a cold.

Birth control can take 6 months to a year for your skin to adjust when going on or off it. Adult acne could be a result of whats going on internally as well.

Adult acne could also be the result of a new food allergy. if you think this could be you I highly recommend going to a dermatologist so they can go through that process of figuring out what it is your allergic to.

If you have just given birth or are breast feeding, your hormones are going absolutely crazy resulting in acne. This could take a few months to clear up.

Stress and that time of the month are another major cause of adult acne. Usually  you will break out along your jaw and chin area.

This chart above is an acneic facial chart. It is believed that whatever part of your face is in a breakout is telling you something internally is off. For example, if you eat a lot of junk foods and you have a lot of acne in your cheeks (Red) your body is telling you it needs better food choices. There are different versions of this chart online this is just the one i reference the most :)

Products:

-lavender oil or Tea tree. If more severe, use tea tree. If less severe, use lavender.

-No salicylic acid. Its too harsh and meant more for teenage acne

-Determine your skin type ( see previous posts) and follow that regimen

-use more natural products such as whole foods brands. your skin could be more sensitive to drugstore brands. I like Alba botanical products and Earth Science products. 

-exfoliate once a week. no more than that or it could cause more acne. 

Acne: Part 1

You've tried it all; Serums, acids, anti-acne facial washes, cremes, and lotions. Acne is something I get asked about the most. There are so many factors as to why someone is breaking out. I will be doing several parts to this topic because there is so much information it couldn't all go in one post!

First lets go over some of the things that can cause acne:

~Stress
~Hormones
~certain medications
~Going on or off birth control (it can take 6 months to a year for your skin to adjust to this)
~Poor diet (i.e. greasy foods, junk foods)
~poor hygiene (not washing pillow case often enough, poor skincare routine)
~puberty
~hot weather
~vitamin A or E deficiency
~make-up on a regular basis
~not taking off make-up at night
~menopause
~certain degrees of rosacia

Make-Up

Removal:
 It is extremely crucial to take all make-up off at the end of the day. Skin rejuvenates itself while you sleep so sleeping with make-up when you have acneic skin not only keeps pores clogged but prevents the skin from rejuvenating. Even if you're exhausted you should still try and wash your face every night.

Every Day:
 Another thing to make sure of with make-up is if you are having an active acneic break out, try to not even wear make-up. Eye make-up should be fine to continue using; mainly steer clear from using foundations, primers, or concealers. Trust me, I know its not ideal but most of the time the acne is still pretty noticeable even with concealer, so just let your face breathe!!

Applicators:
If you use the wedges, use a new wedge for each application. Wedges harbor bacteria and are not meant to be cleaned and reused. Its a lot more cost efficient to get a blender sponge because you can clean those properly. I buy a new one once a month and clean it every morning after application with a tea tree cleanser I have. Brushes should be cleaned once a week. You can use any facial cleanser to clean them. I wouldn't use dish soap because it could break down the brush.

What cover up looks like on acne.

Pillowcases:

 How often do you wash your pillowcase? Once a week? Once a month? Longer than that? Pillow cases are harboring not only your dead skin cells but if you have extremely oily/acneic skin its holding that oil and bacteria from your acne as well. Oh! I should also mention that if you sleep in make-up and never wash your pillowcase, there is also old make-up just sitting with dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria. I highly recommend you wash your pillowcase every 2-3 days and sheets once a week.

I will go further in detail about how to care for each acneic type over the next few weeks! Remember everyones skin is different so what works for your friends acne might not work for you. Its all about finding the right routine for you and getting into good habits!