This Is Why You Get More Acne During Winter
Whether you are someone who suffers from more acne in winter or experience skin breaking out only during the cold days, believe me, you are not alone. So what are the reasons for winter acne and how can you deal with it?
1 || Yep, You Can Blame The Weather
Low temperatures mean less humidity and moisture in the environment around us. And dry weather causes your complexion to dehydrate. To combat this, your oil glands start to produce more sebum to keep your skin moisturized, and here lies the problem. This excess sebum clogs your pores and causing your skin to break out as a result. To solve this, you may want to use a humidifier to keep your room moisturized and thus your skin.
2 || Hot Showers & Processed Heat
Nothing brings more joy during a really cold day than taking a long hot shower or sitting in a well-heated room. I know it feels just right. However, studies have shown that dry skin causes 50% of acne cases. During cold weather, we are exposed to so much toasty heating in our homes, cars, or offices most of the day, add to that the windy dry climate of winter. This dehydrates your skin and strips away all the moisture in it causing it to breakout. We are not saying you should take icy showers, but make sure not to stand under the hot water for more than you actually need. And try not to sit directly under the AC.
3 || Picking
Your mom has repeated this hundreds if not thousands of times, and she\’s right. Your face is the dirtiest part of your body as it is being exposed to a lot of germs, pollution, and toxins throughout the day, so picking at or touching acne makes them worse as you may increase and spread the inflammation with your hands. I\’ve been there, it is waaaay easier said than done, but it takes practice. Try to physically push your hand away each time you involuntary touch your face.
4 || Not Moisturizing Enough
One rule: layer! Instead of reaching out for one heavy product, make it a point to choose more than one product for extra protection. Another thing is to choose products that have humectants such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, allantoin, propylene glycol, and sodium PCA in their ingredients. Humectants are ingredients that attract water and you need them not only during cold days but all year round for ultimate moisturizing.
5 || Using The Wrong Moisturizer
If you have acne-prone skin and you are using the wrong products then you may cause congestion, bumps, and breakouts. When choosing your winter moisturizers look for ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid, sorbitol, or exfoliating humectants like glycolic or lactic acid.
6 || Masking Your Entire Face
Spot treatments and masks are an option to solve your winter acne. But don\’t use these on your entire face as they will strip away all the moisture and leave you with drier than ever skin. And this is the last thing we want as we are trying to lock in every little moisture we can get. If you choose to use such treatments, make sure you use them only on the affected area. And use moisturizing masks on the areas of your skin that are more breakout-prone like the T-zone.
