Acne is more common in winter… we reveal best treatments as snow threatens to hit UK next week
You might think that sweaty hot summers are to blame for breakouts but you're more likely to suffer them in cold weather
IN the muggy, hot summer, it seems logical that you'd be prone to getting spots.
But it turns out that you're actually more likely to experience acne breakouts in colder weather (just what you needed to hear ahead of next week's cold snap...!).
Previous studies have found that rates of moderate-to-severe acne shoot up 11 per cent during the winter compared to summer - despite all the sweating you do during heatwave season.
Why? Well, it's your skin's way of protecting itself.
Cold weather makes you produce more oil
The drier and colder it is, the worst acne tends to get.
That's because your skin tries to overproduce sebum, the oil which small glands in the skin produce to keep it hydrated. While a little keeps your skin soft and moist, too much can clog up the pores.
Your T-zone (the area between your forehead, nose and chin) produces the most sebum, and that's the area you're most likely to get pimples when the temperature drops.
It also causes inflammation
For some people, exposure to cold, dry air can cause inflammation, and if you already struggle with acne, that could cause you to break out.
That's particularly the case when the cold has come on suddenly...like it's (hello -5'C temperatures!).
Cold exposure is a form of physical stress and if you suffer from things like acne or rosacea, that stress might increase inflammation.
Being sick can also make acne worse
When the temperature drops, that's when all the winter bugs start doing the rounds - and skin can also break out just as we start to go down with them.
According to the National Institutes of Health, acne is technically a disease that affects the skin's oil glands - and as with any infection, the cure comes from your immune system.
If you're busy fighting off cold or flu, you might not have the resources to battle against acne-promoting bacteria.
How to treat it
1. Avoid scrubbing your face
It's so tempting to give your face a good going over if it feels greasy and spotty, but you want to avoid causing even more inflammation.
Try to use a gentle cleanser that won't leave your skin feeling squeaky clean and stripped of all of its natural oils (it'll only try to produce more...).
2. Use light moisturisers
Avoid any chance of irritation or dehydration by using nourishing creams and light, oil-free moisturisers that won't clog the skin.
Try The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA, , £4.60, or Skin Repair Moisturiser Normal/Combination,, £21.
3. Drink plenty of water
If you've got acne because you're sick, then upping your intake of water is going to help flush your system. Most of us don't drink as much in the winter as we do in the summer, and that can leave our bodies trying to overcompensate with sebum.
Try to drink around eight to ten glasses a day.
4. Don't over do it on the acne treatment
It's tempting to overload your skin with spot treatment but you don't want to overload the skin with chemicals.
But one it might be worth trying is Sebopure, by (£12.95).
Sebum is a very organic substance that goes off quickly once it becomes contaminated with external bacteria and dirt on the surface of the skin, which causes pore blockages, inflammation and puss.
This new anti-acne treatment controls acne by keeping sebum production pure, using a patented preserver ingredient derived from wild mustard leaf oil.
By purifying the sebum your skin produces, pore blockages and inflammation are reduced and sebum production itself begins to naturally diminish.
5. Avoid super-hot showers
If sudden cold air is causing your breakouts, then sudden hot water isn't going to do your skin much good either. While you can't do much about facing -5'C winds, you can try to limit the amount of temperature stress you put your face under by being more moderate with the heat your shower or bath.
6. Avoid touching your face
It sounds daft, but overly touching your face could be having a damaging effect on your skin.
MORE ON ACNE
Our hands come into contact with millions of germs on a daily basis, which you're then transferring from your fingertips to your face.
Heal Your Skin author Dr. Ava Shamban warned: "If you are acne-prone, absolutely face-touching can lead to breakouts.
"Touching can make the face more prone to breakouts or other conditions, again because it spreads bacteria and other bugs."
For more products acne sufferers swear by, click here and here.
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