Don’t you just hate it when you have a big day coming up—a wedding, a big meeting, graduation, or even photo day—and suddenly, a spot appears on your face?
It’s happened to everyone, and somehow, they always choose the worst time to put in an appearance.
So, what helps with pimples?
Let’s first look at what might be making these spots arise followed by 6 basic skincare routine steps and helpful skincare products.
5 Tips For Getting Rid Of Your Spots + Bonus Tips
Why Do We Get Spots?
As you probably know, spots, or pimples, are a type of acne. Acne is generally focused on the upper body, like the face, chest, shoulders, and upper back, because most of the body’s sebaceous glands, or oil glands, are concentrated in these regions.
Usually, spots develop when hair follicles, which are connected to the sebaceous glands, get blocked and then inflamed or infected with bacteria. There are many factors that can trigger or worsen breakouts.
1. Diet
Some foods are worse for your skin than others. The worst ones are those with a high glycaemic index, which means they raise blood sugar levels rapidly. These are also often highly processed. They include white bread, white rice, white pasta, sugary desserts or beverages, potatoes, etc.
This is because when blood sugar spikes, the body’s insulin production increases, which is accompanied by greater oil production. Instead, try eating low glycaemic foods. These include whole grains, fruits & vegetables, lean meat, seafood, and nuts and seeds. Low glycaemic foods supply your body with essential nutrients, like fibre, vitamins, and minerals, as well as antioxidants, supporting gut health, which is linked to skin health.
2. Hormonal Changes
Some types of hormones, called androgens, increase during puberty. The increase in these hormones causes the sebaceous glands to get larger and produce more sebum. This sebum gets into the hair follicles, clogging them, and also trapping the skin cells that are produced and would usually be expelled from the follicle.
However, hormonal changes are not limited to puberty. Women experience hormonal changes every month, and hormone fluctuations due to pregnancy or the menstrual cycle can trigger pimples as well. Additionally, declining oestrogen levels can increase the risk of acne around menopause.
3. Dehydration
If you don’t drink much water throughout the day, your skin might not be adequately hydrated. When the skin is dehydrated, it can increase oil production, which, as we know, makes acne worse.
Drinking enough water, on the other hand, results in hydrated skin, limiting oil production and reducing changes of breakouts. It also improves immunity, helping to prevent bacterial infection that could result in acne.
One study found that drinking 2 additional litres of water a day significantly improved participants’ skin hydration in just 30 days. Research shows that fluid intake improves hydration of the skin’s outer layer and makes your skin smoother, reducing roughness.
4. Facial Hygiene
Facial hygiene is a delicate balance. It’s essential to wash away sweat, dirt, and excess oil from your face, in order to prevent your pores clogging and resulting in acne. But washing your face too much might also result in acne!
Excessive face washing can strip the skin of natural sebum, which triggers overproduction of oil in order to balance the skin out. In general, try to wash your face no more than twice a day using sulphate-free cleansers.
5. Stress
While stress doesn’t cause acne, it can aggravate breakouts. When stress gets worse, so does acne. Studies suggest that several factors could be a reason for stress worsening acne.
Certain hormones involved in stress reactions prompt increased oil production from the sebaceous glands and may negatively affect the skin’s defences. Stress may also worsen sebaceous gland inflammation.
So now that we know some of the reasons we might be dealing with spots, let’s discuss some ways that we can ward them off.
How Can I Improve My Skin: 6 Basic Skincare Routine Tips
There are a lot of ways pimples can be nipped in the bud, and most of them are fairly simple to do. Here are our top tips and skincare products to help prevent breakouts!
1. Take off your makeup at night
This is a big one. Although it’s a pretty obvious rule, we’re all guilty of breaking it from time to time. Sometimes, at the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is add one more thing to your to-do list before you just collapse into bed. But we may be underestimating just how bad that could be for our skin.
When we don’t cleanse our face before sleeping, it allows the irritants that have built up on our skin over the day to be absorbed overnight and damage the skin.
It can cause enlarged pores, infections, dry skin, inflammation, and increased breakouts. It doesn’t take long to cleanse and moisturise before going to bed, and your skin will thank you in the morning.
Our Facial Cleansing Gel is perfect for that because it's an acne prone skin face wash! Its foaming face wash formula works on all types of complexions to help minimize pores while removing makeup, oil, and dirt.
2. Keep things clean
When we talk about cleanliness, it’s not simply limited to our skin. We also have to be aware of what we’re putting on our skin. Sheets, pillow covers, towels, our own hair and hands, or even our phone screens can transfer bacteria onto the skin.
Make sure anything that touches your face is properly cleaned and disinfected before it makes contact with your skin.
3. Rinse, moisturise, repeat.
To make sure your skin stays clear and free from spots and blemishes, you have to figure out what kind of skin care routine works for you—and then stick with it! Different people with different skin types—oily, sensitive, dry, acne-prone, and more—need to tailor their regimens to their own skin.
There are a lot of products available in the market, and you will most likely be able to find the best combination of products that works for you. Although this might take a little experimentation, in the end, you will find something that keeps your skin smooth, hydrated, and healthy.
4. Stop picking!
Picking, prodding, and popping spots does more damage than good. It can cause real damage to your skin, like inflammation, acne scars, and even worse breakouts.
The skin can get infected from bacteria on your hands, the infection from the spot can spread to other places on your skin, or some of the pimple’s contents can get pushed further into the skin, worsening inflammation.
5. Chill out
While it may be (much!) easier said than done, you need to stop stressing. Although this isn’t an easy thing to do, there are a few ways that you can incorporate into your life to ensure you’re de-stressing as often as you need to.
One great way is to take a long bath with essential oils and candles. If you enjoy reading or listening to music, do that while you’re in there. Take a glass of your favourite beverage in the tub with you. Really make it an experience for your senses.
Another is to go for a jog, take a bike ride, do some yoga, or just get moving. In addition to boosting endorphin production and helping you alleviate stress, working out is also good for your skin. Exercise boosts your heart rate and improves blood circulation, which ensures the skin receives enough oxygen and nutrients. That, in turn, encourages cell regeneration and collagen production while leaving the skin glowing and healthy.
Just don’t work out with makeup on, and wash your face afterwards!
6. Use the right skin products for your face
It’s very important to use products that are formulated specifically for the face and for your skin type. Products for the body can be heavy and clog your pores. In general, avoid heavy, greasy products, as they can promote acne or make it worse.
When you’re checking labels, look for products marked “non-comedogenic”—indicating that they don’t cause acne—or those that contain glycerine and hyaluronic acid, which retain skin moisture.
That said, our Wake Eye Gel and Face Cream are great products to add into your routine. Both are sulphate- and paraben-free as well as are cruelty free!
The eye gel contains collagen—the substance in your skin that provides structural support to tissue and maintains elasticity—and vitamin E, an effective antioxidant.
Vitamin E is also known to reduce blemishes, so it could help reduce acne scars and other pigmentation.
The face cream is anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle, and it contains hyaluronic acid. The lightweight formulation makes it very wearable.
5 Tips For Getting Rid Of Your Spots: Conclusion
As we’ve seen, there can be many reasons for pimples, spots, or even full-blown breakouts. However, with a few adjustments to your skin care and other routines, it’s not too difficult to get clearer skin.
Tip: Try out different options and write down what works for your skin and what doesn't. In the end, it’s all about feeling comfortable in our own skin!
1 comment
Sounds good, as I have horrible skin , a must have to try and see the benefits