Waking up to new acne is never fun, especially if you don’t know what caused it. Sometimes it’s easy to figure out why you’re breaking out. It could be because it’s your time of the month, or because you changed face cleansers. But sometimes, we have no idea what causes new pimples to grow, which can be very frustrating We here at Dr. Dayan’s office and True Skin Care Center have come up with a list of 6 surprising causes of acne breakouts and ways you can stop them. Hopefully, this will help you to have less breakout surprises and more clear skin.
Your Cell Phone
Think about all of the places you put your phone every day. When you touch it to your face to have a conversation with someone, all of the bacteria that has gathered on it over the days or weeks gets transferred to your face. This bacteria can aggravate the area of your skin that the phone touches and cause breakouts.
Along with bacteria, the constant pressure of your cell phone against your cheek can also cause your skin to break out. Pimples can pop up because pores can’t breathe, and the friction of the phone can irritate your skin.
Simple Solution: Keep your phone clean by wiping it off every day with an antibacterial wipe. For the best prevention, go hands free with a headset or keep your phone on speaker when you can.
Your Partner
Though they may love you, your partner might be ruining your skin. If your loved one wears hair gel or has oily hair, those oils can get on your face while you’re cuddling or sharing pillows. The same goes for their skin. If they are using cleansers with oil, it may well be getting on your skin when you are cheek to cheek.
Simple Solution: Try not to touch your partner’s hair with your face. If you notice that you break out more after touching faces with your loved one, ask them to switch to oil-free, non-comedogenic products. This should help both you and your partner. Also, try not to share towels and pillowcases with them. If you do choose to continue sharing these items, make sure to wash them regularly.
Empty Carbs and Dairy Products
A growing body of research is showing that foods high in carbohydrates and dairy products may trigger acne, according to Mayo Clinic . Foods with a lot of empty carbs can spike up your blood pressure and hormone levels, according to NPR. When your hormones are increased, they can stimulate oil production, which can cause more acne. Dairy is also thought to trigger breakouts because it stimulates the increased production of acne-producing hormones.
Simple Solution: When it comes to carbs, eat whole-wheat bread, bagels and chips. If you can, try reducing your carbohydrate intake all together and see if it helps your skin. To reduce the amount of dairy you eat, replace dairy with dairy-free products when possible. Instead of drinking dairy milk, try switching to almond or soy milk, and eat sorbet instead of ice cream.
Your Glasses and Sunglasses
Just like with cell phones, glasses and sunglasses can cause oils and bacteria to build up as a result of constant pressure. Glasses make it much easier for oil, dead skin and bacteria to clog the pores underneath your frames. They also keep pores from being able to breathe and can irritate your skin with friction, causing breakouts.
Simple Solution: Use those antibacterial wipes you bought for your cell phone on your glasses too. Try to clean them at least once a day. Also, when you wash your face, give the area of the skin that will be touching your glasses extra attention. If none of these solutions work, try switching to contacts.
Your Medication
The medication that should be helping you may be causing you to break out. According to Mayo Clinic, drugs that contain corticosteroids, androgens and lithium are known to trigger acne. Check the ingredients on your medication to see if it could be causing your acne to flare up.
Simple Solution: If possible, stop using drugs with ingredients that have been found to cause acne. Ask your doctor if you can replace your medication with something else that doesn’t include those ingredients.
Hair Products
Many women assume facial makeup is what is causing their acne. But what they don’t recognize is that their hair products include ingredients that can easily induce breakouts. The oil in oil-based products that you use on your hair can transfer to your skin whenever your hair touches your face. This often occurs while you are sleeping.
Simple Solution: Try using oil-free and water-based hair products and don’t apply too much near your hairline. After you apply your hair products, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly.
At DeNova Research, we have an upcoming Acne Study. If you are interested in learning more, call 855-DENOVA-1. If you have a question for Selika Gutierrez-Borst, please email myclinicalteam@drdayan.com with the subject line “Question for Selika”
