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10 Ways to Keep Breakouts at Bay (Before Your Big Day)

Nothing can ruin a special day quite like a gleaming pimple right in the center of your face. Whether you’re preparing for a wedding or big job interview, you’re likely to be unprepared for the unexpected breakouts that seem to appear at the most inconvenient time. Although you can’t predict when your next one will be, our guide on how to stop acne breakouts will come in handy before your big day.

1. Keep Your Face clean

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I’ll be the first to admit that washing my face before bed can be a tedious task, especially after a long day; but it is the one beauty rule that should be followed religiously if one wants to keep pesky breakouts at bay.

Make sure to use a makeup remover or cleanser specific to your skin type to get rid of makeup, bacteria, dirt, dead skin, and other debris seeking shelter in your pores. The longer you allow your skin to fester with oil, sweat, and other pore-cloggers, the more prone you are to wake up the next day with blackheads, whiteheads, and acne.

2. Change Your Pillowcases

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Bed linen accumulates with acne-causing deposits like sweat, oil, and your hair and skin products if not laundered regularly, which ends up transferring onto your skin and causing flare-ups.

Flip your pillow over, turn it inside out, change it, and give it a wash in warm water to remove all the bacteria.

3. Keep Hair and Hands Away From Your Face

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Your hair can deposit oil as well as debris from your styling products onto your face, resulting in unwanted breakouts.

Avoid bangs and other face-framing cuts and keep your hair in a loose pony or topknot. And no matter how tempting it might be to pop that taunting pimple, keep your hands to yourself. Aggravating a blemish only causes further breakouts.

4. Check Your Shampoo

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Shampoo contains fragrances and other ingredients that can irritate the skin, causing breakouts along your cheeks, jaw, and back. Check the ingredients in your shampoo (Read: check for sodium sulfates) that leave a film on your skin, which causes acne.

To prevent shampoo-induced breakouts, wash and rinse your hair in the shower immediately. Then tie your hair up and proceed to wash your face and body of any oil left behind.

5. Avoid Hair Removal

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Waxing, threading, and other hair removal methods increase inflammation to the area where the hair was plucked, resulting in bumps and acne. In case of breakouts, leave at least a week between your threading appointment and big day for the flare-ups to subside. You can lower the risk of unwanted acne by thoroughly cleansing your face prior to hair removal, and applying a hydrocortisone cream to avoid swelling.

6. Stay Hydrated

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The secret to flawless skin is as simple as increasing your daily water consumption. Water flushes out toxins and waste products, which can be trapped within your skin if you don’t intake an adequate amount of water. Additionally, dehydration causes damage as well as pre-mature aging.

7. Replace Towels

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A damp towel retains moisture, making it a breeding ground for bacteria. Use three separate towels for your hands, body, and hair, or have a designated towel strictly for your face only. Facial towels should be replaced with a fresh one after each use.

8. Go Makeup Free

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This one isn’t easy—especially if you’re the type of girl who wears a full face of makeup to the grocery store (guilty). But going au natural allows your skin to breathe. If you require coverage, opt for a light powder or a BB cream instead of a heavy-duty foundation.

9. Use the Right Products

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You can replace all your bed linens, wash your face every night, and tweak your diet, but if you’re using the wrong products on your face, you will get acne. Always make sure that your cosmetics are non-comedogenic to avoid clogging your pores. Those with oily skin should avoid oil-based products and opt for water-based or mineral formulas.

Investigate your products and read the ingredients of your cleansers and cosmetics carefully to avoid putting anything on your skin that may irritate it and cause breakouts.

10. Keep Calm

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It’s not a coincidence that you always seem to break out a day before a job interview or other important event. Stress and acne are correlated so it’s important that you partake in activities that help you relax. Lower stress levels translate to a lower level of cortisol, thereby limiting oil secretion and keeping acne at bay.

—Khaoula Ghanem

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