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When it comes to breakouts, most of us know the typical habits that we should both do and avoid in order to have clear skin. Despite this however, sometimes spots are inevitable. Although breakouts are an unfortunate but inescapable part of many of our lives, there do exist some lesser-known factors that might be causing avoidable breakouts. Here are some of the more obscure causes of breakouts, and some of them may surprise you!
It's all too common in celebrity culture for well known figures to take us with them on their journey through pregnancy and motherhood, frequently expressing the joys they feel during both. Nonetheless, recently, as conversations around how carrying a child can affect a woman’s body both positively and negatively have become more frequent, some have also been opening up about the less instagrammable aspects of the process, giving a refreshing insight into just how resilient and awe-inspiring the female body can be.
Actress and Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh last year posted a candid caption on her Instagram about her experiences with the additional, lesser talked about, side effects that growing a human inside your uterus can have on your appearance, much to the praise of her 1.4 Million followers.
Speaking of the symptoms she’d experienced alongside the famed pregnancy glow, she wrote “Breakouts, it’s like the week before my period all the time! I seem to constantly have an angry chin spot... also not helped by wearing a mask! I have also noticed pimples on the backs of my arms, I had these towards the end of my last pregnancy and they didn’t completely go away after.”
Exfoliation
Exfoliation, the removal of built up, dead skin cells on the surface of the skin (frequently done using coarse sponges, clothes, wipes, or facial scrubs) makes room for oil and bacteria to potentially settle. Over exfoliation may also cause skin to become sore and irritated. It is recommended that we exfoliate only two or three times a week. It’s also vital to find a method of exfoliation that works for you and your skin, especially if you are using facial scrubs.
Talking on the phone
If you’re anything like me, your phone follows you around almost every hour of the day. Over the day, our phone screens will pick up a multitude of bacteria. When we press our phone to the side of our face and ear while taking a phone call, some of these bacteria may transfer onto our skin. What is more, we might subconsciously touch our faces with our hands and fingers after handling our phones, which could carry bacteria to our faces. Another possible consequence of spending too long with our phones pressed to our faces is that it may trigger spots caused by the friction between the phone and our skin. This is a phenomenon known as acne mechanica. To avoid this, make sure to limit the amount of time taking phone calls that require you to hold the phone to your face, opting instead for video calls or speaker-phone. Also ensure to regularly clean your phone screen to remove the bacteria that has built up over the day.
Dirty pillowcases
During the night, natural oils from our body can accumulate on our pillows. As a result, we may be putting our skin in contact with oils and bacteria that could cause breakouts every night. Thankfully, this is an easily solvable problem. Maintaining a skin routine that works for you just before bed can make the world of difference, as can switching our morning showers to evening showers. Also, it goes without saying, but it’s very important to frequently change and wash our pillowcases, keeping them fresh and cleaning any build-up of oil.
