Having a few spots is perfectly normal and can be brought on by many things such as hormone’s, diet, stress, or the environment.
Having a few spots is very different than having Acne.
I can’t even count the number of people that have come to see me claiming that they have developed an oily skin which has brought on Acne, so they have rushed to Boots and brought the whole acne range. However on closer inspection of their skin, I can tell it is not acne they need to treat their skin for, its dehydration.
By treating the spots they are treating the symptoms but the dehydration is the cause.
I realise this may sound funny but it is actually quite common to have an oily/ dehydrated skin, and here’s why…
The skin has become dehydrated, so starts over-producing sebum (oil) to try and replenish itself.
This overproduction of oil can then lead to spots and blackheads.
To try and get rid of the excess oil you then start using harsh acne/ drying products to strip the oil off the face. The skin thinks, where did all that oil go, i’ll produce some more.
The more you remove, the more oil the skin will produce.
However, if you ignore the oil and spots and concentrate on rehydrating. The skin won’t need to replenish itself so, won’t produce as much oil which will lead to fewer spots and blackheads.
How to tell if your skin is oily and dehydrated
Your skin looks oily but feels tight
Face feels really dry after washing
Easily see large and small pores
Fine lines appear on the skin
Dry lips
Ways to re-hydrate the skin
You want to be using a hydrating cleanser, a soothing toner and a light moisturiser. Something I love to do before going to bed if I can see my skin is oily and dehydrated is to apply coconut oil all over my face. Yes, that’s right. Coconut oil is high in vitamins and is completely free from chemicals and fragrance. Also if your skin is getting oil from an external source it will not have the need to produce as much. Fight fire with fire, fight oil with oil!
Use products that contain hylaronic acid as this helps to retain moisture in the skin
Of course, your diet can heavily influence your skin so be sure to drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh food.
Next time you have a few breakouts think about what could have caused them before you rush off getting you a prescription for Accutane. Are your stressed? Is it that time of the month? Have you started using a new product? Have you been a bit run down? Or if your skin dehydrated?
