Because sometimes your body hasn’t realized it’s NOT going through puberty anymore.
Anyone who's dealt with acne knows how much it can suck.
Whether you just get occasional spots or you deal with unrelenting breakouts, acne can be damaging to not just your skin, but your self esteem, too.
The good news is that it doesn't need to ruin your life. BuzzFeed Life spoke with Dr. Rachel Nazarian, F.A.A.D., of the Schweiger Dermatology Group and Dr. Michele Green, Chief Resident in Dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and rounded up these simple things you can do every day to prevent and reduce your risk of acne — wherever it pops up.
Alright, let's get to it!
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First, understand what acne is and what causes it.
Acne can have many different causes — changes in hormones, genetics, dirt and bacteria on your skin, etc. Nazarian says that the tips below will help prevent and get rid of both non-inflammatory acne (which is characterized by blackheads and whiteheads that don’t tend to leave scars) and inflammatory acne (which is characterized by tender, red pimples that do tend to leave scars, like hormonal or cystic acne).
The important thing to note here is that there's obviously a difference between the occasional breakout and chronic inflammatory acne. If you have the latter, these tips may still be helpful for you, but your best bet would be to book a dermatologist appointment so they can treat your own unique skin.
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Be wary of DIY acne cures and home remedies.
Common home remedies can actually make acne worse, says Nazarian. For example, lemon and sugar scrubs don't work because the acid and rough sugar will tear your skin, and sanitizing gels are much too strong and can irritate your skin.
Instead of concocting something risky, Green suggests applying Neosporin to a pimple when in need of a fast remedy. Neosporin – an antibiotic cream – is a great quick solution because it will kill bacteria and help make it go away faster.
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Stop exfoliating so much.
"Exfoliating is great because it gets the dead skin and oil off your body, allowing your body wash to better clear out your pores," Nazarian says. "But you only want to do it a maximum of once per week because it can inflame your bumps, making them redder and more visible." So scrub sparingly.