Raspy voices, weird facial fluff, growth spurts, acne, you have had your fair bit of struggle with all of these things associated with puberty. Acne is something that can follow you well into adulthood and it can be much worse than when you were an adolescent. Wonder what is wrong with your skin care regime and why you are plagued with acne well into adulthood These could be the reasons

You Don’t Read the Label
Why do you pick up a skin andor hair product Your friend’s recommendation Smells good Looks fancy Everyone’s using it None of the above are legitimate reasons for wanting to buy a product. Most skin and hair products are heavy on oil since the idea is to moisturise. They can clog your pores, which eventually causes acne. Read the label carefully and look for words like oil-free or non-comedogenic, be it your face wash, moisturiser, sun screen, etc. Your products should not clog the pores on your face or scalp.

Hands Off Mister
Compulsively touching your face all the time could result in frequent breakouts. Sounds far-fetched Well, your hands are in contact with a lot of things since you use them for everything from eating to typing to opening doors and drawers. Do you sanitise them each time you touch your face Obviously you don’t. So, you are directly transferring oil and dirt from your hands to your facial pores. Touching your face often can aggravate acne and encourage bacterial infections. So keep your hands off your face.

Washing After Sweating
You just got back from your workout and right now nothing looks more enticing than the couch. Summon every bit of will power you have and get yourself into the shower. Sweat and oil are a deadly combination for your acne. You do not want sweat to dry off on your skin and trap the oil in the pores. Get out of sweaty, soggy clothes and get into the shower, bathe with warm water. Acne is not restricted to your face. You could get breakouts on your arms, chest and back as well.

Washing Over-zealously
While slacking is not good, being OCD about skin care is not any better. Exfoliating and scrubbing using harsh products and washing your face excessively work against your acne. You will send your sebaceous glands in overdrive and will find your face getting oilier. Use a gentle, non-foaming face wash twice or thrice a day and do not scrub very hard. Exfoliating twice a week should suffice. This helps in keeping the face clean and acne-free without stripping your skin of essential oils.

BDST: 1731 HRS, FEB 22, 2015