Acne Skin Tips

What causes it ?...clogged pores

How does it get clogged in the first place?

You may not notice it but your skin is completely covered with hair and your sebaceous glands are constantly producing oil. The oil that is produced is drawn to the roots of the hair follicle.  The oil attaches itself and travels up through the follicles, and then it emerges on the surface of your skin. But sometimes oil gets trapped on the way up to the skins surface, and that's where the problems start.

As the oil is stuck in the follicle it gets caught up with dead skin cells. The combination of the oil and dead skin cells form clumps that cause the hair follicle to close up altogether. The surrounding tissues of the closed pores then become irritated, bacteria develop, and swelling occurs.  Then your skin inflames and ahhhh!!! you have a 'pimple', 'zit', 'third eye', whatever you call it, just make it go away.

As the cells shed and oil continue to build up the pimple finally erupts.  Many people don't let it get to that stage before picking at it.  Popping or picking at a pimple is a big no, no.  This bad habit can lead to another infection or even worse scarring or pitting.  Darker skin is especially susceptible to keloid scarring (abnormally raised or thickened scar that is usually smooth and shiny).  But if you can't resist, avoid using your fingers or finger nails because they inhibit bacteria.  Instead use two Q-Tips and gently squeeze pimple.

You may feel like you are the only one that suffers from acne but it happens to every one, acne affects around 80% of the population.  So, everybody at one time or another has suffered some form of acne in life.  The common causes of acne are genetics, hormones, clogged pores and bacteria.  Lifestyle and environmental factors may also play a big role.

The areas most often hit are the chest shoulders, back and the most obvious feature the face.  They are most often hit because all these areas have larger oil producing glands than all other areas of the body.  More oil equals more mess. Acne can also appear in the form of blackheads or whiteheads.  Black heads are inflammations in which the clogged mass sits on the surface of the skin, in easy reach for treatment.  White heads sit beneath the surface in the skin make it more difficult to treat.  There are all sorts of treatments for mild and moderate acne.  Very severe cases should be seen by a dermatologist. 

Many of the products on the market to treat acne are very drying and only aggravate the skin more. Some of the acne treatments side effects may leave your skin irrated, dry and sometimes cause rashes.  So every time you try a new acne product you?re taking a gamble of possibly looking like a 'tomato face', and that can be scary.  

Try these tips and see if any of them alleviate the problem.

Maintaining the moisture balance in your skin is essential. If your skin is very dry (caused by being de-hydrated, not drinking enough water, using strong cleansers, etc?) your body responds to maintain the moisture balance by over compensating and producing more 'oil'. This in turn will increase your chances of the pores being clogged. Using a gentle cleanser like X-Trap/ Daily Gentle Face Wash is absolutely the first step to clear skin. Keeping your skin clean, without upsetting your skins moisture balance will go along way to keep your skin blemish free.

The second goal here is to keep your face clear of any bacteria that might get into a clogged pore causing an infection. That's why we recommend the Molecular Mist/ Hydrating Moisture Mist. Think of it as a light moisturizer, with anti-bacterial and calming benefits as well.

Along with keeping your skin clean, try to keep the pores from being clogged with light 2 times a week exfoliation. Sir Activ/ Zeolite Purifying Scrub is great as light mask that will exfoliate and pull impurities out of pores. Be very gentle when scrubbing your face, you don't want to irritate your blemish any more than it is. Or try Youth Accelerator Pumpkin/ Pore Refine Enzyme mask for a stronger mask. This mask will minimize the risk of rupturing the blemish and give your face a deep cleaning. It is rich in Vitamin A, known to alleviate acne and dissolve dead skin cells and oils.  The pumpkin mask is fun to apply because it smells and feels just like pumpkin pie. This product is potent and not be used more than once a week.

Not to toot our own horn here, but this award winning product is a god send.

 X-Zit/ Anti-bacterial Blemish Remover will zap that zit to pimple heaven. This anti-bacterial spot remover will kill bacteria and help heal and dry up pimples quick. I swear by this one, you have to try it works miracles. Oh by the way...Your welcome, you'll thank me later.

Beware of pore clogging ingredients with the names of 'lanolin' and 'petrolatum'.  Look for products that are non-comedogenic (won't clog pores), non-acnegenic (won't cause acne), hypo-allergenic (won't cause irritation, safe for sensitive skin) and fragrance free.

For those of you who wear make up that may be the culprit. Cream based blushes are not recommended for acne or oily skin.  Try gel and powder blushes they are less likely to clog pores. And choose a loose powder over a pressed powder because it absorbs excess oil.  Use Molecular Mist to set your make up and to blast any bacteria that may be roaming on your face.  We believe the best makeup approach is to use is mineral make up.  Mineral make up lines (try Colorscience or Jane Iredale) are good for your skin because they cover, protect and treat your skin naturally.  We don't want to apply anything that contains chemicals or contaminates my face, it defeats the purpose. I want something that nurtures and allows my skin to breathe; giving me the coverage I need without the chemicals of most regular make-up lines.