Hot, sticky weather often means our skin is at its pimple peak. To avoid major breakout catastrophes, it’s best to be proactive and step up your cleansing game starting right now. By incorporating these 5 changes into your cleansing routine, you can effectively prevent acne from rearing its ugly little head this summer.
5 Ways to Prevent Summer Breakouts
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Clean Deeply
As the temperature hits a high note, so do the oil glands on your face, clogging your pores with acne-causing gunk. Totally gross right? Which is why the first thing you should do is upgrade your cleanser for one that contains acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid. Even if you don't tend to breakout, by switching to a zit-fighting cleanser in the summer, you'll keep your skin from looking like a frying pan. That being said, beware of harsh and stringent soaps that can lead to irritation, adding to the problem, rather than eliminating.
Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam ($19.50) is gentle enough so it won't strip your skin but is also medicated to prevent and fight existing forms of acne.
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Brush Gently
Another great way to get rid of all that trapped bacteria is to use a cleansing brush. Not only do these miracle tools clean your skin up to 6 times more deeply than just your lathered-up hands, they also act as exfoliants, removing dead skin cells, which also clog up our pores.
Clarisonic Mia2 Skin Cleaning Brush ($149) uses advanced technology to gently remove impurities from pores left behind by traditional cleansers, so that creams, moisturizers and even acne medication act more effectively.
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Tone Up
Using toner in the summer is key! Swipe some on in the morning to keep your face matte all day by removing any excess oil. If your skin is particularly oily and acne-prone, you might want to consider a double duty toner pad that also contains acne-fighting medication. Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Toner Pads ($6.97) work quickly to open blocked pores, giving you visibly clearer skin.
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Treat Now
Don't just sit around waiting for a pimple to appear. Be proactive and avoid flare-ups by applying a very thin layer of benzoyl peroxide spot treatment where you usually get breakouts. By putting this stuff on before heading to bed, you will give this acne-treatment a good amount of time to dry up those impending suckers.
Murad Acne Spot Treatment ($18) contains a powerful combination of acne-fighting ingredients like sulfur, which minimizes the severity of breakouts, and zinc oxide, which soothes and reduces inflammation.
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Masks Aboard
Twice a week (at least), follow up with a clay mask, preferably one that also contains salicylic acid, to help decrease the oil production on your face. GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Treatment Mask ($69) prevents, targets and heals major problem skin, including blackheads and whiteheads, uneven skin tone, discoloration and, of course, pimples. The great thing about this product is that you can use it either as a full mask or a spot treatment.
