To help you get to the bottom of your breakout, we tapped derms for their expert advice.
What might cause a sudden breakout?
Stress
Technically a member of the hormonal fluctuations family, but stress deserves its own moment.
Reaction to a product
If a skin care (orhair care!)
product containscomedogenicor irritating ingredients, your skin may greet you with a string of blemishes.
Or you could have just started a retinol, which caused a"purge.
(Consequently, winter skin stripped of moisture may produceeven more oil to compensate.)
What you’re able to do regularly to prevent breakouts.
Use targeted topicals.
On that note, there are a few topicals that derms regard as acne-clearing mainstays.
Then you havebenzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid: The former actually kills acne-causing bacteria,P.
Swap your skin care with the seasons.
When the temperature changes, so should your skin care routine.
What you consume shows up on your skin.
(See here for our master list offoods for supple skin.)
Manage sleep and stress.
Other lifestyle interventions, like sleep and stress, can affect the look and feel of your skin.
How to treat sudden breakouts.
Again, the BHA can unclog the pores at the source while remaining relatively gentle on the skin.
To make a spot treatment, Zeichner recommends crushing the aspirin and mixing it in warm water.
Ice
Another age-old remedy for shrinking a pimple fast: ice.
Ice is another vasoconstrictor, as the cold temperature constricts blood vesselswhich effectively dials down the redness and inflammation.
Our favorite tips for covering up blemishes (if you want to).
When all else fails, there’s always makeup.
If a pimple or two bothers you, mind these tips:
The takeaway.
Sudden breakouts are a special kind of sneak attack.
