The way you live – the places you go and the things you do – can have a larger impact on the health of your skin than you may think. Your morning and evening skincare regime can only be as effective as your overall lifestyle allows. Here are a few common acne triggers you may encounter on any given day.

Workplace Comedones

Pay close attention to your environment – your skin is your largest organ and it spends most of the day exposed to the air – and whatever might be floating around in it. In fact, you may be exposing yourself to comedones (pore cloggers) every day without even knowing it. Clogged pores from airborne substances are not the sole cause of your acne, but they can make it worse. For instance, if you’re already prone to breakouts, the airborne grease in an industrial kitchen may aggravate your existing condition. Be aware of your surroundings and carry acne cleansing wipes in your purse just in case.

Sleep For Clear Skin

If you’re not getting at least eight hours of sleep at night, your schedule could be contributing to your complexion. Sleep can be your skin’s best friend. Your mother always told you to get your beauty rest and now scientists agree. At least eight hours of sleep a night gives your body the resources (and the time) to repair itself, to rebuild and to strengthen your immune system. And while getting your rest won’t necessarily prevent breakouts, it can give your body the time and opportunity to heal existing breakouts and to fight future infections. The best strategy is to stick to a schedule so that your body knows when it’s time to sleep and time to wake up.

Sun Exposure

A common acne fighting strategy is to get a tan – whether in the sun or in a tanning bed. And it’s true that, in small amounts and for a limited time, some sun exposure can help clear up a breakout. The problem is that once tanning works to clear up one breakout, many people try to use it as preventative maintenance or go too long. The result is that your skin begins to dry out and your sebaceous glands (the glands that produce oil) start working overtime to re-hydrate your skin. But your skin’s natural life cycle is also being sped up by the sun (or UV) exposure. The result can be the perfect storm of breakouts: excess oil trapping excess dead skin cells. So avoid the tanning bed and if you need to be in the sun, be sure to use an oil-free noncomedogenic sunscreen.

Stress Relief

Katie Rodan, a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University states, “Ninety percent of my patients complain about what stress does to their skin. It has a huge impact, and it’s becoming a bigger problem every day.” When you are stressed, your body starts a chain reaction that can result in a breakout. First, your adrenal glands release cortisol into your bloodstream. This hormone causes your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. And more oil is not your friend – it mixes with those dead skin cells and clogs your pores. And we all know where that leads…

Healthy Changes

Of course you can’t eliminate all stress from your life, but you can limit the way your body reacts to it. Make a commitment to getting at least eight hours of sleep. Get some exercise. And while you’re at it, protect your skin from the sun and be aware of your surroundings. Addressing these four common acne triggers can go a long way in your battle against breakouts.

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