Acne is not just a problem for teenagers. It can emerge at any stage of your life, often at the worst moment possible. If you've suffered from acne for a long time, it is likely that you have already tried all of the typical cleansers, creams and treatments. Here are five unconventional ways to reduce your breakouts.
Change Your Diet
It seems too obvious to be true, but the food you eat really can impact the way your skin looks. You don't have to have a diagnosed allergy to any particular food for it to cause your skin to have a reaction. Many people find that eliminating dairy or processed sugar from their diets prevents the internal inflammation that results in external breakouts. Gluten in another frequent cause of stubborn acne.
Eliminate Silicones
Silicones are sneaky. They're in the ingredient rundown of almost every product that is meant to be smoothed over the face. This includes both makeup and skincare products. If you apply a product and it feels especially smooth and velvety, there's a good chance that it contains silicones. Silicones also give the skin a soft-focused, poreless appearance, and they're uniquely non-reactive on a chemical level. It makes sense that companies would pump their products full of silicones. The problem is that silicones like dimethicone and trimethicone form a film over the skin that is very difficult to wash away. They trap debris in your pores and lead to congestion. Cutting out silicones limits your product choices, but your pores will be happier for it.
Reduce Fatty Alcohol Usage
You might want to experiment with eliminating stearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol as well. These are not the typical drying alcohols. These alcohols are derived from plants and form the creamy components of most moisturizers. They moisturize and condition the skin, but they also take up residence in your pores. Try moisturizing with noncomedogenic argan oil instead.
Change Your Hair Products
If you think it's hard to avoid silicones in skincare, wait until you try to style your hair without them. In hair products, silicones give your hair the slip that allows you to comb through it easily. They can cause breakouts on your body and along your hairline when you use them daily. Organic conditioners are often silicone-free, as are oil-based conditioners.
See a Dermatologist
If all else fails, see a doctor or a dermatologist at a place like Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists of Moreno Valley. There are new advances in the science of skincare all the time, and the medical field gets first dibs on the best and strongest treatments. Don't waste your money on over-the-counter options when you can get the real stuff from a dermatologist.
Persistent acne usually has an internal trigger, so you can't treat it with a simple topical ointment. The key to reducing chronic acne is with long-term lifestyle changes and effective medication.
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