Blemishes can be frustrating, from feeling painful, to looking obvious no matter how much concealer you cake on. For acne-prone skin, it may seem obvious to go with the harshest products possible. That’s not true! Treat blemishes with acne-fighting ingredients, especially in something you use every day - your face wash!
The Best Face Wash Ingredients for Blemishes
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant-rich ingredient that increases skin cell turnover, meaning your skin renews faster to heal blemishes and brighten acne scars. The antioxidant properties protect your skin from free radicals and UV damage that worsen acne scarring With less melanin in the dark spots, the skin becomes more even-toned, youthful, and rejuvenated. WOW Skin Science’s Vitamin C Face Wash is a perfect way to introduce a daily dose of vitamin c, plus soothing aloe to refine pores, and boost your glow!
Activated Charcoal
How do you get rid of pesky blackheads and clogged pores? Activated charcoal is the best way to remove impurities, like dirt, pollutants, and excess sebum from your pores, which become infected to cause acne. The best way to tackle blemishes is to cleanse your skin so your pores are cleared of unwanted grime. Activated charcoal works like a magnet to draw out dirt from your skin and leave you with smooth, healthy skin, which is why it's in our Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash!
What Causes Acne?
Blemishes happen to almost everyone, but some people have it worse than others. Blemishes are not one size fits all, and are caused by many different factors. You can use the information to try and combat your blemishes with the right strategies!
Genes
Genetics can play a big role in how your body functions, including how much sebum your skin produces, and how much acne you have. While your troubles may seem unique to you, if you ask around in your family, you may discover that they may have dealt with the same exact thing! This may not be what you desire to have inherited from your parents, but they may have some helpful insight as to how long they had it or what helped them battle it.
Pore-Clogging Makeup
Makeup can hide your blemishes to help you feel more confident, but it can cause or worsen your acne. Not all makeup is pore-clogging, but there are many comedogenic products that could be worsening your struggle to have clear skin. Makeup can clog your pores just like any other impurities, so look for non-comedogenic, oil-free makeup, and always cleanse and tone when you get home or before you go to sleep. Make sure to wash your makeup brushes regularly, and anything else that could touch your face like your phone, pillowcase, and yoga mat!
Too Much Skincare
More skin care is not always a good thing. Of course, it is important to find a few holy grail products for your everyday routine, and trying new things all the time can bring irritation, especially to acne-prone skin. Instead, focus on selecting a few products that are intentional with their purpose, high-quality, and non-comedogenic. Make sure to apply your skincare in the proper order to get the most out of your routine!
Your Daily Routine
Believe it or not, different occupations can impact if you have acne or not. Those that work hard labor jobs that create a lot of sweat and steam can increase your likelihood of acne. Also, if you work with chemicals, excessive sun, or metals, you can be at increased risk of blemishes as well, since your skin absorbs what is in the air around it.
So, be aware of the environment in which you work, and choose products that contain antioxidants such as a vitamin C serum or vitamin C face wash to help combat those environmental stressors! Make sure to use SPF 30+ at least.
Wearing a Mask
Everywhere you go, you are expected to wear a face mask to protect the health of yourself and others. These face masks have great health benefits by protecting against disease, but they can also contribute to the formation of maskne. Masks can cause friction by rubbing against your skin, leading to irritation and redness. The hot, humid environment inside your mask is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast to form. To combat this, check out our full maskne routine here!
Hormonal Changes
Fluctuations in hormones are normal and don’t stop past puberty! They can come with birth control, menopause, and consuming hormonal foods like milk! These hormonal changes cause more active sweat and oil glands, creating the right environment for acne to appear. Keeping your oil production under control is most important, by properly cleansing and balancing your pH levels with toner. However, do not forget to moisturize and keep your skin nice and hydrated to protect your skin’s natural barrier, too!
Stress
Stress is inevitable, and releases stress hormones called cortisol! Think of this as our fight or flight instinct, meaning it throws your skin out of balance with excess sweat, which can clog pores to cause acne. How can you mitigate stress? First, keep up with your skin care even in times of stress -- think of it as necessary self-care. The second thing is to use stress reduction techniques such as yoga or deep breathing to help reduce stress in the first place!
Climate
Your climate can also impact if you have acne or not. Extreme hot or cold can be damaging to your skin, so consider where you live when choosing your skin care products. Very hot climates are moist and can increase the amount of bacterial growth on your skin, as well as increase sweat and sebum that leads to acne. In harsh cold climates, the dry air can bring irritating dryness and wind-chapped skin, breaking down the integrity of the skin. Find the perfect skincare products for your needs with our easy quiz!
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When dealing with acne, ensure that you are choosing the best products for your given skin type, location, and skin needs. When in doubt, choose an activated charcoal or vitamin C face wash to help reset your skin from outside irritants!
For natural skin care products with all the blemish-fighting ingredients you need, check out WOW Skin Science Skin Care.
Sources
https://share.upmc.com/2016/10/testosterone-and-acne/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/
https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/suffering-from-breakouts-under-your-mask-how-fight-maskne
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