These easy, effective and fuss free tips promise blemish free skin.
Blemishes aren’t just a problem for hormonal teenagers. They can surface for anyone for a mountain of reasons, appearing in various shapes, sizes and degrees of aggressiveness.
When we think about blemishes, our minds usually cast to those bouldering pimples that are inflamed, angry and about to burst with congestion. Though, the term blemish parents a wider umbrella of skin conditions that include blackheads, congested or blocked pores, KP (keratosis pilaris), hyperpigmentation and a number of other lumps and bumps.
But what actually causes these blemishes? That depends on a number of factors like your skin type, genetic make up and hormones, where you live and of course how you look after your skin.
There are however, a number of ways that you can actively prevent these sorts of skin ailments. Most are protective measures outside of your skincare regime that avoid the transfer of bacteria, dirt and grime to the skin, but it's important to ensure that your skin health remains supported through additional treatments that specifically target and remedy these skin concerns.
Here, we break down the easiest, effective and fuss free tips that promise to keep blemishes at bay:
Wipe Down Your Phone Screen
Our phone screens are a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. A study by the University of Arizona found that our phones can carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats (yikes!). So for obvious reasons, transferring that to our faces is a big no no, not just for our skin health but for the preservation of our overall health. Though for skin, the build up of germs and other pollutants when in direct contact with skin allow these nasties to transfer to the skin, and are one of the easiest ways to welcome congested pores leading to blemishes, specifically: blackheads, whiteheads and angry pimples. So at the end of each day, wiping the surfaces of your phone and things you’re touching throughout the day like your keyboard can significantly reduce the chances of those irritants causing unwanted blemishes.
Style Your Hair Before Your Skin & Makeup Regime
Wherever there’s hair, there’s a sebaceous gland, which is the oil-producing gland that secretes a group of complex oils to protect against friction and look after the skin barrier. So naturally, our bodies produce the most oil in the places where there’s the most hair - which cascade a buildup of natural waxes and fatty complexes that do naturally exfoliate, although sometimes, migrating to our faces as the dermis (skin) renews.
So this, coupled with the addition of styling products and topical treatments, it’s important to first style your hair before double-cleansing to rid skin of impurities, dirt and that excess sebum bi-product to ensure you start with a clean slate before introducing make up.
The alternative? These irritants and pollutants can sit either on top of, or find their way to the skin and irk pores resulting in pesky blemishes.
Change Your Pillowcase Regularly
We spend so much time with our head resting upon our creature comfort: our pillow, however, our hair might be to blame here, with it being a culprit for housing oil and dirt. If you read back to the previous mention of hair and our sebaceous gland, the same applies here: it's a harbour for bacteria to live and irritate skin.
Dermatologist Dr Jaggi Rao explains that “throughout the night [your skin] releases skin cells, sweat and other bacteria, which find their way onto this breeding ground and thus back onto your face.”
So regularly washing pillowcases, even if it's not your full linen set, will help eliminate the build up of dirt and pollutants and minimise the contact-time your skin and these nasties have with each other.
Introduce a Niacinamide To Your Skincare Regime
Niacinamide, also known as Vitamin B3, is one of the most potent active ingredients to combat blemishes. This ingredient is the hero in our Blemish Rescue serum, and extensive research shows that it works to protect skin from environmental damage, promotes the natural production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, reduces enlarged pores and lessens skin discolouration.
For spots, apply liberally to the site and repeat till diminished or otherwise use in combination with your other favourite BOOST LAB serums and moisturisers.
In short, blemishes always seem to sneak their way onto our skin. But there are so many ways we can try and minimise their chances of creating a home on our faces.
Did these tips help you? We’d love to hear your tips on how to achieve blemish-free skin in the comments or head over to socials and leave us a comment via @boostlabco
