Fight Acne: Eliminate Skincare Ingredients that Cause Breakouts!

Fighting acne is a struggle, especially when it’s not obvious what may be triggering your breakouts.  So many factors come into play, when you’re dealing with the delicate organ that is your skin!

Acne may be linked to hormonal imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, certain medications, allergies, and/or skin sensitivities, to name a few.  In order to get to the root of the problem, it takes some time and involves a process of elimination.

To fight acne, you want to start by assessing what products you’re currently using on your skin.  Chances are, if you’re using a slew of beauty products on your face every day, some ingredients found in them may be the main offenders.

Ingredients That Trigger Acne Breakouts

Parabens

Parabens are preservatives commonly used in skincare formulas to lengthen their shelf life.  They show up in ingredient listings under various names ending with the suffix ‘paraben’ (i.e. methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, etc.).  Parabens mimic estrogen in your body and can interfere with hormone function and disrupt their intricate balance.  A hormonal imbalance may trigger an increase in sebum production and cause acne flare-ups.

Fragrance and Parfum

Fragrance and parfum are used to make beauty products smell nice and/or to mask their unpleasant smell.  The problem with these, is that most products won’t list each ingredient in their ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ because they are usually a proprietary blend – an undisclosed mixture of scented chemicals.  This cocktail of unknown chemicals may contain potential skin irritants which may exacerbate your skin and make your acne worse.

Silicones

While silicones may improve your skin’s texture by smoothing out the area, and making it appear better superficially, they could be doing harm beneath the surface of your skin.  Because silicones have occlusive properties (water + air resistant), they create a barrier on the surface of your skin which may lead to clogged pores.

Sulfates

Sulfates are surfactants used in many cleansers, body washes, and shampoos on the market today.  They’re the chemicals responsible for the foamy suds in your beauty products.  Sulfates are harsh on your skin and may damage your skin’s lipid barrier.  If your lipid barrier is compromised, your skin becomes dry.  To compensate for the dryness, your sebaceous glands kick into overdrive and secrete more sebum.  When excess oils are produced, your pores can become clogged which may trigger a breakout.

Alcohols

Alcohols in your skincare products can kill acne-causing bacteria on the surface of your skin, however, long-term use may outweigh its benefits.  They have a similar effect to that of sulfates, in that they are very drying to the skin.  Not only that, alcohols also irritate your skin and can make your acne worse.

When trying to resolve your acne problem, eliminating beauty products containing the ingredients listed above is a step in the right direction.  However, if you continue to fight acne and still struggle to see improvements, consult with your dermatologist and seek professional advice.