What causes winter breakouts for your skin?
Since so many fall victim to winter acne breakouts, there are numerous causes as a result that can lead to these annoyances. Touching your face is perhaps one of the greatest causes of breakouts. Throughout the day, you are touching countless surfaces and objects (your smartphone, doorknobs and handles, public transportation handles, etc) which can contribute to different types of germs, dirt, and bacteria remaining on your hands.
Not only are you attracting invisible damage to your hands, but greasy hand lotion that is commonly used in the drier months can further exacerbate and lead to breakouts. If you find yourself touching your face often in the winter and are regularly moisturizing, you might want to cut back on a habit that many of us are guilty of partaking in.
A lack of moisture in the skin, as well as dehydration, are common causes of acne. Though typically mistaken for the same treatment, it’s essential to focus on moisturizing and hydrating the skin independently from one another.
In the winter months, our skin is constantly losing moisture. There is naturally less moisture in the air during this time of year, compromising the skin’s natural protective barrier. This makes for the skin’s barrier to not stand as much of a chance of fighting off bacteria and infections that can be harmful to the skin.
Once indoors, we are still not safe from the lack of moisture in the air. Modern central heating, while keeping us warm, further contributes to moisture loss, both in our environment and our skin. With all of this moisture leaking out of the skin in dry months, the skin loses its essential oils, leading to further dryness.
Stress is often a primary factor when it comes to skin-related issues. Those with chronic inflammatory skin conditions, such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema, can lead to further inflammation and irritation. Cold exposure during the winter months alone is considered a form of stress, especially if your body is not yet acclimated to the frigid temperatures early in the season.
Given how your skin feels in the winter and its craving for moisture, let alone the fact that most people are self-conscious when it comes to acne breakouts, it is tempting to cleanse the skin and apply as many products as possible to rid yourself of these occurrences once and for all.
There is, however, such a thing as too much cleansing, especially in the winter months. Lukewarm water should always be utilized over hot water, despite the temptation to be warmer in colder climates. Bathing in hot temperatures for too long can further dry and irritate the skin.