:Clear Skin Blog

Acne is related to stress, and it can be one of those self-perpetuating cycles. Stress can make you impatient, and when you’re stressed out and look in the mirror (and pimples meet your eye), you can get the urge to, well, do something about it. If that something includes taking B5 or using a gentle cleanser, then congratulations, you’ve got good instincts, but more often we want to see results right now.

I’ve said before that sometimes popping zits is not the taboo behavior that some people make it out to be. If the white of an acne pustule is clearly visible and right near the surface of the skin, there is usually little harm in forcing it out. You may even heal faster. But you have to pick your battles wisely. When you get stressed, the inclination is to attack any and all acne pustules that you find, and that never ends well. Acne that is too deep or too early in formation will usually survive your attack, and you’ll have managed to inflame the area around it, making your skin look ten times worse than it did before (and most of the time, it will stay like that ten times longer).

So when you’re feeling stressed out over your skin, try to keep this advice in mind:

1) Don’t storm over to the mirror and attack your face. Heck, stay away from the mirror altogether.

2) Don’t try to “preemptively” stop acne by squeezing pimples that are barely formed. Your efforts will have the opposite effect.

3) Don’t get fixated on an “immediate solution”. Even the best spot treatments seldom work overnight, and there is no miracle sure.

Keep your head on straight and only pop a pimple if it is mature and ready to break the surface of your skin anyway. Never try to force your skin to be clear by sheer acts of facial violence. Healthy skin takes a little time and effort. You didn’t get acne overnight, and you shouldn’t expect it to disappear overnight. If you are trying a new treatment, be patient and consistent, and don’t stress out like crazy if you don’t see a radical transformation in the first week.

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Have you ever noticed how acne can be effected by your haircut or how you comb your bangs? Some people with longer hair occasionally try to comb their hair down over their forehead in attempt to hide acne, but this can have unintended consequences, as that hair can leave your skin even more oily than it would normally be. Many guys who try this technique find that acne actually decreases on their forehead after getting their hair clipped shorter.

Likewise, many acne sufferers discover that the skin around their hairline is more prone to blemishes than elsewhere. It comes down to the excess oil that is secreted onto your hair. If you’re washing your face, but ignoring the task of keeping your hair clean, it’s going to come back to bite you. Gently washing - or at least rinsing - your hair each day can be just as important as washing your face in the morning.

Just as your body keeps a protective layer of oil on your skin, it naturally keeps your hair somewhat oily. Hair that is too dry becomes brittle and frizzy, forming loose ends and looking generally bad. You don’t have to get extreme in your hair washing, but neither should you go too long without giving your hair a good rinse, especially if that hair is frequently in contact with your face. Cleanse your hair regularly and try not to use it as a mask to hide forehead acne. Chances are, you’ll only be encouraging more acne to form in the same place.

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