Hair Care Routines and Acne: What's the Connection?

 

Acne

We all know how bad acne can affect a person both physically and emotionally. Acne mostly occurs in teenagers and now commonly noticed in adults as well.

Acne is very hard to avoid as acne is always multi-factorial.  Prolonged acne can result in acne scars which makes it difficult to manage as the treatment duration and the prognosis depends on the severity of the scars.

That makes it more important to prevent acne than to cure it. You need to understand the causes of acne to prevent it.

The primary cause of acne is hormonal changes that cannot be prevented. You cannot stop going through hormonal changes. But there are many other causes of acne that are preventable such as our food habits, hair care habits, products that we use on the skin and environmental factors. Here we are discussing the various hair care routine that we follow and which could be a trigger for acne

How Hair Care Routine Result in Acne Breakout

Like skin, hair is also something people love to keep in great shape. So, people follow some hair care routines to keep it shiny and dense.

Sometimes people follow some routines without knowing the side effects it can cause. There are certain common hair care routines that can cause frequent break-outs. The common hair care routines that can cause acne breakout are:

• Overnight Oiling
• Hair Sprays and Gels
• Bangs

Overnight Oiling

Many people like to oil their hair at night and wash it the next day morning. This is a very common practice among people in Tamil Nadu. However, applying hair oil never gets into the hair roots, rather it stays on the scalp as a moisturiser and also gets on to the facial skin especially on the forehead. This can in turn result in clogging of the skin pores and breakouts.

Hair Sprays and Gels

Similarly, hair products such as hair styling gels and sprays will contain pomade ( oily chemicals) that can result in break-outs if it falls on the facial skin or on the upper back. 

Hair styles such as Bangs or Fringes:

The mere friction on the skin can irritate the skin pores and cause acne on the skin. Also, if there is scalp dandruff, rubbing of hair on the skin can result in acne on the facial skin.

If you follow one of these hair care routines, try to avoid it. Consult with a dermatologist to know whether your hair care routine can cause acne. Consult with the specialist to take care of your hair without damaging the skin.