You can wash your face religiously but still get pimples, this article looks at why that happens.
If you wash your face and still get pimples then your face wash may contain comedogenic ingredients, comedogenic ingredients cause breakouts. In addition, you may be washing your face too much, this can dry your skin and trigger your skin to produce excess sebum, this excess sebum can clog your pores causing acne
“I wash my face and still get pimples” is this you? I know the feeling. You’re religiously washing your face but nothing seems to be changing. The truth is there are more factors to clear skin than just washing your face, clear skin is an all-round fulltime job.
Table of Contents
I wash my face and still get pimples
You need good all-round skincare:
Skincare is not only about washing your face. Yes, you need to wash your face but it is necessary to have other steps accompanying it as well. The order and what you need to use is:
Facial cleansing oil: The oil cleansing method is done to remove makeup and all the toxins of the outside world. This is a well-loved oil cleanser you can use.
Cleanser: This can be a foam cleanser or a cream cleanser. If you are using a foam cleanser make sure that it isn’t drying on the skin. You can use a cream cleanser that does not foam up but still cleans just as well. A good cleanser like this one will help you achieve great skin.
Exfoliate: This should only be done 2/3 times a week if your skin is not sensitive. If it is sensitive then it’s better to exfoliate your skin once a week. This removes all the dead skin cells off of your skin. Here are some great drugstore facial exfoliators for oily skin, here are some great Korean chemical exfoliators. Here are some great body exfoliators.
Toner: This will remove any excess product leftover from the products used before. It will also balance the pH of the skin
Mask: This is a great product that can be used to hydrate the skin, they can come in the form of sheet masks or a cream that you apply on your skin. A mask should also be done one to three times a week.
Moisturiser: This is essential for all skin types to ensure that your skin is hydrated and plump. Using moisturiser prevents overproduction of oil on oily skin and it prevents dry skin from over-drying.
Sunscreen: Very important in helping you prevent sun damage and helps to prevent cancer from forming. If you want beautiful clear healthy looking skin find a good sunscreen like this one.
Tips and tricks for keeping your skin clear:
Be sure to wash your face when it comes into contact with any grease: Do this especially if you are working in a fast-food restaurant as the grease or oil in the air will sit on your skin all day.
Avoid touching your face: Your hands can get very dirty throughout the day and the last thing you want is for all that dirt to be transferred onto your skin.
Use makeup sparingly or not at all: Makeup can clog your pores and cause acne, especially if it isn’t properly removed at the end of the day. Minimize the use of foundation, powder and blush as they cover a lot of surface area and can clog pores easily.
Don’t use products with oils: Products are available on the market that hydrate your skin without using oils. Pick oil-free skincare options when shopping.
Be wary of hair products: Hair gels or hair products can clog your pores if they transfer from your hair to your face. Keep your hair away from your face. Read this article on how long hair can affect acne.
Popping pimples: I know it’s difficult to do but it is necessary. Popping pimples can push the puss deeper into your skin or cause the bacteria to spread on your face causing more acne. This article offers a list of products that you can use to get rid of pimples fast. Read this article on what to do if you pop a pimple and it leaves a hole
Avoid products that contain alcohol: Products which contain alcohol are very drying. Alcohol dries out the skin, the skin, in response, produces an excess amount of oil to compensate for the dryness and moisturise itself. This excess sebum causes acne. If you have dry, combination or normal skin the alcohol will dry your skin out causing flaky skin.
Soaps: Don’t use harsh soaps as this can irritate and dry out your skin and thus result in an additional crop of acne.
Stay out of the sun: If you are using harsh acne medications on your skin or your skin products contain vitamin c then your skin will be more sensitive to light. This sensitivity can create more blemishes on the skin. Wear long sleeves, hats and sunscreen. You can find an article on how to prevent the infamous sunscreen shine by clicking this link.
Avoid switching products: Most skincare products require you to wait four to six weeks to see if the product is working on your skin. If you are constantly switching products while your skin is still purging then you might not see the difference. Also, you might think that purging is the product making your acne worse. Read more about acne vs purging here
If you want to use a new product then use a once-off product that will remove pimples quickly, this drying lotion will help. This is not a long term acne cure though. If you want long term solutions you need to know why pimples are emerging in different areas on your face and what to do about them. Click this link for that information.
Not washing your face after a workout: Activity warms up the skin and this makes the skin more prone to breakouts. In addition, if you wipe your towel across your face it can irritate the skin, rather pat dry.
Sharing make up brushes: You won’t get acne from another person but other people’s brushes might contain the bacteria that can cause acne. Don’t share brushes and make sure to wash your brushes after use.
Washing your face too much: There is a fine line between washing your face too much and just enough. Sometimes that tingling feeling is not the best when washing your face. You need to know what ingredients cause tingling as well as which are acceptable and which are not. Click this link to find out more.
Not giving your skin moisture: It’s necessary to keep your skin moisturised so it isn’t irritated and thus won’t cause acne. Drying it out with alcohol or astringent will just irritate drier skin types.
Can face wash cause pimples?
Yes, face wash can cause pimples. If you’re using a face wash that hasn’t been formulated for your skin then your skin won’t react well. The top things that can cause your face wash to break you out are comedogenic ingredients and sulphates
Comoegenic ingredients are ingredients that clog the pores and cause breakouts. These will include coconut oil, mineral oil or beeswax amoung others. If your skin is prone to breakouts then using products with comedogenic ingredients will make your breakouts worse.
The skin produces sebum (skin oils) to moisturise the skin. If you add a comedogenic ingredient to the skin it will mix with the sebum, acne-causing bacteria and the dead skin cells on your face, clog the pore and cause pimples
Sulphates give your face wash lather, they help the face wash foam up giving you that squeaky clean feeling. Unfortunately, experiencing that squeaky clean feeling on your face is not a good thing, it can actually be the reason for your breakouts.
This feeling is a signal that your face is stripped of its natural oils and that your skin is dry and dehydrated. This triggers the skin to overcompensate by producing excess oil on your skin which will clog your pores giving you pimples
What face wash do dermatologists recommend for acne?
The best face wash for acne, and the one that is recommended by dermatologists, is one that is hydrating, gentle and creamy, one that won’t clog your pores.
It might seem counteractive but your skin still needs hydration and moisture when you have acne but you shouldn’t use oils that will clog the pores. The best face wash is the CeraVe Acne foaming cream cleanser acne treatment face wash
The product contains Benzoyl Peroxide, Hyaluronic Acid, and Niacinamide. The benzoyl peroxide in the product kills off the acne-causing bacteria on the skin. Preventing any acne-causing bacteria from mixing with your dead skin cells and the sebum on your skin and clogging your pores causing acne.
Niacinamide helps balance the lipid barrier on the skin and it regulates oil, this ensures that your skin isn’t overproducing sebum, it also keeps redness and blotchiness on the skin at a minimum.
The hyaluronic acid is a great hydrator and thus prevents against dry skin. It can hold 6 parts water to one part hyaluronic acid, and it deposits this moisture deep into the skin preventing your skin from drying out.
Can washing your face with just water help acne?
For some people, it can. The products that many of us use can be quite irritating on the skin and having that squeaky clean feeling on the skin is actually damaging to the skin.
For some people using only water to wash their face has resulted in the face being able to better regulate itself and reduce the acne. For others water only washing won’t work, they need the products to really remove the oils, and dead skin cells from their face.
It really differs from person to person, how your skin reacts to this differs because of your skin type, genetics, age, and your environment. If you would like more information on not washing your face to cure acne read more here.
What is the best medicine for acne and pimples?
The best and easiest to access treatment for your acne is an over the counter retinol cream. Retinol is made from vitamin A and can have a number of beneficial effects on your skin like faster cell turnover. The product helps speed up cell turnover on the skin revealing better more clear and healthy skin. Here is a well-loved retinol cream.
Acne develops in our skin over time, it can take 8 weeks for a pimple to form. Speeding up turnover makes the acne under your skin come to the surface. When this acne clears up you’ll be left with smoother and clear skin. It also improves the skin tone, texture and evenness of your skin
Retinol is a better choice because it is an over the counter product so it’s easy to access and it’s less harsh than other vitamin A acne products such as tretinoin or similar. You can use it in the comfort of your own home and it’s usually more affordable than others as well. Note: you ca experience purging and flaking when you first use it, read how to manage it here.
Does drinking water help acne?
Yes, drinking water can help with acne. Drinking water keeps to keep the skin moisturized and hydrated, this prevents the need for an overproduction of sebum by your skin in an effort to moistures itself. As an added bonus it keeps your skin soft, moisturised and supple.
Does toothpaste get rid of pimples?
Using toothpaste as an acne treatment has been said to help dry out pimples on your face, but toothpaste isn’t a good treatment to get rid of your pimples. Toothpaste able to dry out pimples to a certain extent. It can also help decrease any inflammation on the skin as well as any redness on the skin.
The ingredients that help toothpaste do this is hydrogen peroxide, menthol, baking soda, essential oils, alcohol a tricolon. Unfortunately, these ingredients can also lead to irritation, peeling of the skin and over-drying of the pimple which may make it worse.
Does ice help pimples?
Ice can help with acne, ice helps with all inflammatory blemishes which include pimples, pustules and cysts. When you apply ice to your face it helps cool and calm the inflammation. This will make the acne less red and angry helping to shorten its life and decrease its size. It also helps to decrease the pain of the acne as well.
Note: you shouldn’t apply the ice directly on your face if you have acne. If ice is applied directly on your acne you can wind up suffering from frostbite, the delicate skin on your face and the tissue can also become damaged as a result of the ice. If you want to use ice on your acne I suggest wrapping it in a cloth to create a barrier between the ice and your skin.
Why do I break out on my cheeks?
We break out on different areas on our faces depending on the reason for the breakouts. The pimples that occur on your cheeks are because of your phone.
Phones can get pretty gross and many of us don’t clean them as often as we should. Our phones can harbour bacteria and even traces of E.coli. All this bacteria mixed in with the dead skin cells and sebum on your skin will cause you to break out.
You can also get acne in your cheek area as a result of dirty pillowcases and touching your face often. If you want to know more about the reason behind your pimple location read this article.
I hope you found the solution to the question as to why you still get pimples when you wash your face. I also hope that you found this article interesting and helpful, please share so we can all have good clear skin.
