Winter cannot only be rough on normal skin; it can cause acne prone skin to have more breakouts. The combination of central heating, cold weather and harsh acne products can create a perfect storm all over your face. In addition to taking the normal precautions for acne (no picking, keeping hair off of your face, washing pillowcases regularly, etc.), the following suggestions for controlling acne during the winter will help you put your best face forward.
Many people assume that keeping their skin from being oily will prevent acne. While oil does clog pores and can make acne worse, dry skin that occurs in winter is not ideal for keeping acne at bay either. Put a vaporizer or humidifier in your bedroom during winter months to help keep central heat from over drying your skin. In addition, cracking your window for a few moments in the early mornings to allow fresh air to circulate in your room will also help you keep acne under control during the winter.
During the winter, people tend to let their exercise routines slide and drink less water. Both of these changes in your normal, healthy routine will increase acne breakouts. Exercising helps reduce stress and works to circulate blood better throughout the body. This increases oxygen to the skin, which may help prevent acne breakouts. Furthermore, drinking water will keep the body functioning properly; the skin hydrated and removes toxins from your body, which will help reduce acne. Therefore, do not let your exercise routines get lost during the holiday madness of winter or fail to drink your eight glasses of water each day.
Examine your skin care routine and change it for the winter months. During the summer, using cleansers that help keep oil under control are great for reducing acne. However, these same cleansers may actually increase breakouts during the winter by over drying your skin. Your skin will produce more oil if it is too dry which will only clog pores. This is why you need to moisturize even when you have acne. Also, consider using a heavier moisturizer during the winter. You may not need it during the summer but the dry months of winter call for heavier moisturizer. Of course, look for brands that are specifically designed for acne control. You may want to try Proactiv cleansing products or Murad products during the winter.
You may also want to scale back on the usage of topical acne treatments that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. These are great products for drying the excess oil, healing acne and preventing future breakouts. However, these products often dry the skin and during the winter may be too harsh with the already dry conditions that come naturally with colder weather. If you find your skin peeling, flaking or several dry, use less of your topical acne treatments or purchase products that have a lower concentration of ingredients. Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment is a mild acne treatment with only 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide and is great for treating winter breakouts.
Switch toners for the winter because your toner probably contains alcohol. While this works well for controlling your acne during the summer, it will make it worse during the winter. You still need a good toner that will balance the pH after you cleanse; however, you need one that does not have alcohol or very little. Neutrogena has a wonderful alcohol free toner or you can check to see if your skin care line has an alcohol free product.
