5 Shocking Reasons Why You May Have Acne

Acne and pimples are not the same thing. Pimples are a symptom of acne. Acne is described as multiple breakouts that emerge on the skin, whereas a pimple is usually a single infected bump. The commonality is that both are caused by clogged pores! Oil producing glands are connected to your pores that naturally hydrate your skin. When too much oil is produced, this can mix with dead skin cells and daily debris you encounter leading to build-up on your skin.

Well, how do you monitor this and decrease the probability of producing acne/pimples on your skin? The obvious answer is using our Mastic Face Cleanser, duh! But here are a few other reasons you could be experiencing this and steps you can take to reverse course.

1. Touching Your Face

We use our hands for everything. Because of this, our hands naturally collect germs and bacteria throughout the day. Now with all that gathered on our hands, we proceed to touch our faces and transfer those germs and bacteria - ah! The worst part is that half the time we do it without noticing! Wash your hands regularly with antibacterial soap and stop the spread!

2. Sleeping With Dirty Pillowcases

Naturally, we sweat while we sleep at night. Also, if we don’t wash our faces before bed, we again, are transferring germs and bacteria to our pillowcases. Now multiply that by every night that you may be doing this and that's a lot of bacteria being built up! We recommend you wash your pillowcase every weekend. We also recommend purchasing a silk pillowcase - silk pillowcases absorb less of the moisture and dirt and may be a better choice for people that are acne prone.

3. Overexposure to the Sun

You might think this is odd, right? Well, sun exposure is generally good given its a source of Vitamin D for the skin (a good one too!). However, overexposure to the sun can have adverse effects on acne and pimples. If your skin is not moisturized, the sun will dry out your skin, thus causing your skin to produce more oil that can lead to even more breakouts. Moisturize and monitor your sun exposure.

4. Stress

Yes, if life wasn’t stressful enough, now we have to stress about how our stress is affecting our beautiful faces, ugh! Unfortunately, stress can worsen acne and pimples. Our bodies release stress hormones when it senses we are under pressure, which leads to stimulating the oil glands causing increased oil production that ultimately clogs your pores. Always take a moment throughout the day to de-stress. Go for a walk. Go for a run. Meditate. Lay down for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Anything that can momentarily remove yourself from the crazy that life throws at you. It goes a long way, trust us.

5. Dirty Towels and Over-Scrubbing

After you wash your face, it's important to gently dab it with a clean towel to dry. Avoid scrubbing your face as this can cause skin irritation and if you are using a dirty towel, you are just applying this more excessively across your face. We recommend that you have dedicated face towels in your bathroom and make sure to clean them as often as possible. At least weekly! The moisture from drying your face can lead to germ and bacteria buildup so it's important to regulate this.

Start a Routine. Uphold it. Thank us later!

Every person's skin is different and in order to maintain a healthy balance, it's important to develop a routine unique to you that you can uphold. As you can see, there are many factors that can go into preserving your skin and having it at its best at all times. Acne is no fun and its just as much work to get rid of it as it is to prevent it, so do your work on the front end.

It's as simple as what you put in, is what you will get out. If you do not water a seed, you cannot expect it to blossom, right? Well, think of your skin as the seed and it needs all the TLC you can give it. It will thank you in the long run (and us).

With love,

FēLē