5 Skin Irritants Now That the Stay-at-Home Order is Over

Now that we're free to roam Atlanta (with precautions still, of course), I thought it would be a good time to remind you that now is an especially vulnerable time for your skin. You haven't been out in the elements for a while, so your skin hasn't been exposed to the toxins that we encounter throughout a normal day.

Here are 5 causes for breakouts to remember as you get social again.

Smoking. From the cigarette club to hookah smokers and the 420 friendly, smoking of all kinds is bad for your skin. It dehydrates you which dries your skin out, plus smoking constricts your blood flow and decreases circulation, making your skin dull and dry. On top of that, we’ve seen how long-time smoking causes wrinkles as you age. So, skin improvement and wrinkle prevention are two benefits of kicking the habit.

Pollution. Smog, like smoking, dries out the skin and air pollutants leave residue on the face that clog the pores cause breakouts. That’s why it’s critical that we wash our faces at night to remove all the air toxins that we come in contact with throughout the day.

Dry air and cold weather. It seems unfair that something like the weather can affect your skin. We appreciate being outside. We hang out with friends and family, we exercise, we live a portion of our lives outside and we can’t let the weather’s impact on our skin stop us from doing so. However, dry air and cold weather do dry out our skin significantly, so it’s important to add a body butter that’s rich in moisturizing nutrients to your skincare routine. Plant-based moisturizers like herbal floral water and toners can help combat what dry weather does to the skin.

Being too rough/harsh with the skin. Sometimes our bad skin habits are what’s stopping us from having clear skin. If you’re a face scratcher, a skin picker, if you wear a lot of makeup or use a lot of skincare products, you could be causing blemishes. You also want to be mindful of how much you exfoliate. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and embedded dirt from our pores, but too much could irritate the skin and trigger our sebaceous glands to produce too much sebum--the natural oil our skin produces. This can do more harm than good. Our faces are the most sensitive skin on our bodies so even though they seem durable, they should be treated gently and handled with care.

Constipation and not sweating enough. Ok, maybe a touchy subject but let’s talk about the body’s natural functions. Sweating and defecating are ways that the body removes waste and toxins from the body. Your body needs to do both regularly to ensure your system is free from what shouldn’t be there. This is why healthy habits like a whole food diet and regular exercise are so important. A nutritious diet encourages your digestive system to function properly and to excrete waste regularly. Exercising regularly encourages a healthy sweat which also removes toxins through the skin.