:Clear Skin Blog

My latest acne article discusses some of the less commonly considered barrier to clear skin. As usual, I’ll post more information on where to find it once it’s published, but in the meantime here’s a quick summary. This article touches on a number of things I’ve mentioned in recent blog posts.

A lot of people out there may be making their acne worse without even realizing it. Keeping your skin clear and healthy means considering your lifestyle as a whole, and it may mean looking beyond the common causes of acne. Here is a quick breakdown of some things to consider:

- Many women already know to consider whether or not the makeup they use is non-comedogenic, but for both women and men, considering the chemicals you put in your hair can also be of key importance, since hair gels and other styling products often contain adhesives that naturally clog your pores and lead to acne along your hairline. Take steps to keep hair products from negatively effecting your facial skin.

- Sweat trapped against your body is the perfect environment for growing bacteria. Always change out of sweaty clothes quickly after exercising, especially with tight clothing that keeps your skin from breathing. Also, keep in mind the everyday situations that have this effect even without exercise, such as sitting with your back against a chair most of the day. Take steps to make sure that sweat is not trapped against your skin with no opportunity for your pores to breathe.

- Besides the common step of limiting highly oily and sugary foods, consider that a diet high in processed grains can also exacerbate acne by increasing your insulin level, which has been shown to be linked with acne outbreaks. You may want to limit the amount of processed breads and cereals in your diet. Also, the simply drinking more water has powerful benefits for your skin. Make sure to get those eight glasses of water per day.