Break-outs, blemishes, spots; they are the bane of so many people's lives, and this apparent theory that you'll grow out of it? Absolutely hogwash. I spent all my 20s waiting to suddenly have "adult" skin, and now that I'm in my 30s... still waiting. Sure, my skin is better, but it still decides, to deliver me a whopper spot whenever I'm stressed or have a special occasion coming up.
I'm well past the why me/its not fair stage though, and being a curious soul have made it a mission to find out if there were any additional ways, (aside from the standard things like double cleansing, drinking more water and getting enough sleep), to avoid said breakouts where possible. After canvasing a variety of skin care professionals, fellow make-up artists and skincare enthusiasts over the years, here are three of the simplest things that could be causing a breakout and how to avoid them:
Make-up Brushes/Powder Puffs: It's no surprise that as a make-up artist I'd mention clean brushes, is it? But we all know that having the same foundation brush knocking about in your bag, unwashed for a month isn't great. I'm not here to give you a lecture or to point fingers, but this is one of the easiest ways to harbour spot causing bacteria. If you do suffer from break outs I'd suggest paying extra attention to any brushes that are used for base products like foundation/concealer and powder. The worst offenders are often the little sponges and powder puffs that come in powder compacts - most of us carry them around in our bag for touch ups and never remember to give them a clean.
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Pillow Cases: This tip came from a skin clinician I know and was a a total surprise! She told me that one of the things she always recommends for clients who suffer from acne or problematic skin is the ensure they change their pillow case as regularly as possible, be it every couple of days or at least weekly. I don't want to gross anyone out, but you'd be surprised how much oil/sweat/skin cells they collect and of course, we're resting our faces on them every night.
Technology: Laptop key boards, mobile phones, office phones - these are all potential hot spots, and phone-dation is totally a thing these days! I seem to remember reading an article at some point that said our phones and keyboards can have as much bacteria on them as a Euro coin does - and that isn't a pleasant thought. So, if you ever notice that you're getting a little patch of spots around the place that your phone sits or that your skin is clearer on the weekends/holidays... this could potentially be a factor. The easiest thing to do is to get some little anti-bactieral hand wipes or a hand sanitiser to keep on your desk if you're worried this could be causing your skin to break out.
Do you suffer from the dreaded break-outs?
