6 Reasons Why Your Acne Won’t Clear Up

6 Reasons Why Your Acne Won’t Clear Up

Oily-skinned or not, almost everyone has suffered a zit or two at least once in their lives. While puberty is really the worst time as far as all things acne are concerned, for most of us our skin settles down when we grow out of that phase. However, some girls have it really hard with breakouts that just won’t let them be. You have my sympathies if you belong to this group. However, often times, we unknowingly worsen the condition in our zest to get rid of them. Surprised? Here’s how you are making your acne worse:

1. Using acne products only during breakouts

If you have acne-prone skin, your regular skincare regime should include products that are meant to tackle your problem. Using products meant for acne only when you get a pimple does not really prevent your skin from breaking out. Using a gentle cleanser that has salicylic acid will prevent your skin from getting irritated and breaking out often.

2. Scrubbing your zits

We’re all guilty of doing this. Haven’t we all scrubbed our skin raw in the hopes that it will take away the zit along with the top layer of skin? Obviously, this thought is flawed because you’ll only end up scarring your skin. And you might just cause the zit to flare up even more. Chuck abrasive exfoliators NOW.

3. Using highly concentrated benzoyl peroxide for spot treatment

It’s true that benzoyl peroxide works like a charm on zits. Using it as a spot treatment kills acne-causing bacteria. But don’t rush to get yourself the highest concentrate thinking it will be more effective or will work faster. Less is really more. The higher concentrate is as effective as the lower concentrate. The only thing a high-concentrate benzoyl peroxide product may do is cause irritation, which is something you want to avoid.

4. Popping pimples

When you’ve got breakouts, the best approach is to keep your hands off your face. Picking at your pimple — or worse, popping it — will cause the infection to spread deeper and can also cause scarring that can take forever to heal. I’ve got only one word for you — AVOID.

5. Blindly following online skincare hacks

Yes, Pinterest is a minefield of information, inspiration, et al. However, I find a lot of suggestions downright ridiculous, like that hack that requires you to spray brown sugar to straighten hair naturally. All I could think of is, “That’s one icky mess that has the potential to attract ants and all kinds of fleas!” Don’t believe everything you see/read on Pinterest, especially hacks that “cure” zits in a seemingly impossible timeframe.

6. Washing off your facewash too soon

If you use cleansers for acne-prone skin but are still breaking out, it’s probably because you aren’t using it right. Any cleanser requires some contact time with skin to really work. If you wash it off within seconds of applying it, the ingredients are obviously not going to work. Keep your facewash on for at least 3 minutes before rinsing it off.

Hauterfly Staff

Your insider guide to the best in fashion, beauty and lifestyle in India. Hauterfly is shopping, simplified!

Read More From Hauterfly
Seen it all?

We’ve got more!