You’ve probably already cracked down on some of the most common causes of spots. For example, your phone probably spends a good deal of time glued to the side of your face – and if you don’t give it a frequent clean it can become a hotbed for spot-causing bacteria.
Likewise, if you’re not changing your pillowcases frequently enough (ie at least once a week), you could find that you’re experiencing breakouts more than normal, as well as having to wash your hair a little more often.
But what other less-obvious daily activities are giving you spots? We spoke to facialist Kate Kerr about the main causes of facial breakouts, and she revealed that the daily commute is a key cause of spots – which is why many people notice they become a lot more spot-prone when they start working in the city.
“There are lots of day-to-day activities that can cause breakouts and sometimes we don’t even know that we’re doing them.
“Touching our faces with dirty hands is a big one – think about the bacteria on an escalator handrail for example, if you touch that and then your face, you can imagine the bacteria you’re transferring to your skin?”
Sliding your hand along the escalator as you head down to the tube? Guilty!
Kate also reminded us about the importance of cleaning your skin before and after exercise: “Another key cause can be exercising without removing your makeup or moisturiser. The sweat combined with the often comedogenic ingredients found in these formulas is a recipe for outbreaks.”
She also recommends a rethink of your skincare and makeup regime if you’re suffering from constant breakouts. Is contouring giving you spots?
“It’s also important to consider what you use on your face,” Kate told us. “A lot of primers and moisturisers contain silicone to fill in flaws and create a smooth finish but they also fill in pores! Blushes and the new trend for contouring can also lead to a line of spots in the application area due to congestion.”
So there you have it – wash your face before and after the gym, wash your hands after your commute and give your makeup bag a clean-out to check for any pore-clogging culprits.
Basically, it’s time for a spring clean.
PS. You’re down with what actually causes spots, right? Just in case, Kate explains it for us here: “Spots are basically the result of an over production of oil and our skin cells not shedding efficiently, resulting in a build up of debris within the pores.
“This leads to clogged pores, or comedones, in the skin (black and white heads. The acne bacteria from our skin’s surface invade the comedones, which lead to inflammation and angry spots.”