No one likes blemishes, not on our face, not on our butt, and probably not on our back either. Facial and body acne are similar in ways that they both clog your pores and cause irritation. Prevention and treatment, however, can be totally different.
We've put together some top tips from dermatologists on how to combat acne as well as some avoidable shower mistakes that can trigger those bacne breakouts.
Don't shower in water that's too hot.
Cold water tightens your pores and reduces the overproduction of sebum and excretion of acne-causing bacteria. In contrast, hot water opens them and does the complete opposite, leaving your skin more prone to irritation. On top of that, frequent hot showers dry out your skin, causing it to become imbalanced, flakey, and dry. So, showering in lukewarm water is a great place to start.
Avoid 'over-cleansing.'
Less is more, as taking more than one shower per day can irritate your skin. The main issue with showering too frequently is that hot water strips away natural oils that protect and moisturizes your skin. This leads to skin dryness, irritates sensitive skin, and eczema.
Change up your body wash.
Look for key ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid in your body wash. Benzoyl peroxide effectively removes bacteria that cause breakouts on your body. Salicylic acid, on the other hand, helps unclog pores by dissolving blackheads.
Shower with better water.
"Water coming from the tap is hard in most areas are full of heavy metals that affect the proper rinsing of body cleansers," says Neil Sadick, MD, of Sadick Dermatology. Getting a shower filter can help prevent soap scum from wreaking havoc to your skin.
The Hello Klean Shower Filter eliminates over 90% of chlorine from your water as well as heavy metals and other impurities from your water.
