Winter is enjoyable. It is time to do scatting, snowboarding, ice fishing, and more. But all these get ruined if you have acne, because It may flare up during the winter season.
Do you know why you get more acne in the winter? You should know it to prevent acne exacerbation. Here you will know the reason for acne breakout in winter and how to prevent or minimize if you have it. I hope this will help a lot to enjoy the winter without any complications.
Factors Behind Winter Acne Flare Up
01. Excess Sebum (Oil) Production
We all know one of the main causes of acne is excess oil secretion from the oil glands of the skin. And the rate of secretion is increased in the dry winter season. Do you know why? Let me tell you. Winter weather is dry, it sucks out moisture as much as possible from your skin, and it becomes dehydrated and rough. This condition activates your skin’s defense system. To overcome the dryness, your skin secretes more oil from the oil gland. This is why your skin gets dehydrated but oily in the dry winter season, and the acne blooms.
02. Dead Skin Cells
Acne never forms unless your skin pores get clogged, and skin pores can get clogged at any time by anything. In winter due to the dryness, your skin produces more dead skin cells than at any other time. These huge dead skin cells are stuck within the skin with the help of greasy or oily skincare products. And finally, it clogs your pores and forms acne or makes your existing acne worse.
03. Bacterial Growth
Usually, winter suppresses bacterial growth in nature because it is covered by snow and ice all around. But, do you know our skin faces the opposite scenario? Bacteria grow vigorously on our skin surface and cause infections and skin problems including winter acne. It is because, winter weather provokes our skin to produce more sebum, the delicious food for bacteria to grow rapidly. That’s why it colonizes in the clogged pores creates infections which finally results in acne (source).
Besides this, our body’s immune system gets weaker in the winter season. It makes our body prone to microbial attack which is responsible for various skin problems including acne (source).
In the winter season, the intensity of UV rays decreases. It partially contributes to bacterial growth as well as acne.
04. Cold Shock
I didn’t find any well-established data, but according to some people, the cold shock might be a reason for the winter acne breakout. I think it happens due to the stress and hormonal imbalance caused by cold shock in winter.
05. Hot Shower
It is very hard to avoid the tempting hot shower in winter. It gives you quick relief from the cold bite of winter. But, it does harm to your skin. It makes your skin unprotected by stripping off the natural oil which makes it prone to moisture loss. And dehydrated skin has a direct correlation with winter acne breakout.
06. Use of Wrong Skincare Product
It is very much essential to use several skincare products to protect and nourish your skin from dry winter weather. But, if you pick the wrong one, it will worsen the situation of acne. For your acne-prone skin, choose a water-based moisturizer instead of oil-based. And make sure your moisturizer, winter cream, or lotion is non-comedogenic and organic. Always stay away from products with harsh chemicals otherwise it will trigger acne formation.
How to Fight Winter Acne Flare up
Winter is a crucial time for skin, it needs special care than any other time. And if you have acne-prone skin, you need to be cautious more. In the previous section, you knew the causes behind the winter acne flare-up. And here you will know how to overcome that situation, unfortunately, if you have it.
01. Beware of Winter Weather
Do not neglect the harsh cold winter weather. It literary sucks the life of your skin. So you need to create a barrier between your skin and winter weather. You can do it in several ways – by wearing warm clothing, using skincare products, and maintaining the temperature and humidity of the indoor environment.
At first, try to stay at home as much as possible. Use a room heater or fireplace to maintain the optimum room temperature. Besides heating up the room, don’t forget to set a humidifier in your room. It will maintain the moisture content of the indoor environment.
02. Don’t Overheat Your Room
A warm environment is really enjoyable in winter. A fireplace or room heater can help you with this. But don’t overheat the room. It will make your skin dry and harsh which worsens the condition of your acne.
03. Stop Taking Hot Shower
A hot shower may give you quick relief in cold winter weather, but it will do harm to your skin. Taking a hot shower will strip off the natural oil of your skin and make it dry and dehydrated. And you knew already dehydrated skin is one of the major causes of acne. That’s why to use warm water instead of hot and limit the time of bathing. After bathing always moisturizes your entire body with your regular moisturizer. For the acne-affected part, I mean face, use a water-based moisturizer instead of oil-based products.
04. Stop Touching with Hands
Touching face with hands is more common in winter. Generally, we try to check the dryness and harshness of the skin with the hand. It is a bad habit. Our hands contain tons of germs and bacteria. They can easily transfer to the skin when it gets touched by fingers. Never ever touch your face with your hands to stay safe from acne exacerbation. If it needs badly, wash your hands with an anti-bacterial handwash first, then touch.
05. Use Right Skincare Products
You need to use lots of skincare products in winter. It included face wash, cleanser, lotion, moisturizer, cream, toner, lip balm, etc. For acne-prone skin, you shouldn’t use randomly picked products to care for your skin. It will make your acne worse. General acne care product has the tendency to dry your skin, avoid them. Don’t pick a product with harsh chemicals. So, what you should do. Buy a skincare product that is non-comedogenic and must be organic or at least natural.
And I said It again and again, use water-based moisturizer for acne-prone skin which contains humectants like hyaluronic acid, retinol, etc. If you have oil-based moisturizers, throw them off for the winter season.
06. Talk to a Dermatologist
After doing all these things, if you don’t get the expected result, talk to a dermatologist. He may suggest any topical or oral medication to overcome this situation.
Don’t use any medicated cream or ointment by reading blogs or watching YouTube videos. Because, as a blogger, I cannot see the actual condition of your skin, so how can I help you properly.
The Last Words
I just tell you one thing, don’t let acne ruin your life especially the chill of winter. Stay safe and be happy.
Read Also
01. Dry Skin Vs Dehydrated Skin.
02. Cucumber Face Pack to Calm Your Face.