Vale Middle School Reading Article (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Sneaky Reasons You Get Zits

Notes on my thoughts,

might be fresh from the shower, but if the towel isn't clean you're just wiping

reactions and questions as I

germs onto your face.

read:

Annet King, director of The International Dermal Institute, suggests changing

your pillowcase once or twice a week and using a fresh towel daily. However,

that's only one part of the problem. If you use fabric softeners and dryer sheets

they could also be causing breakouts. Turns out, the stuff that makes your

clothes soft is tallow, which is -- wait for it -- animal fat. Ew. I don't know about

you, but I don't want that on my face. Plus, detergents and fabric softeners with

lots of fragrance can cause irritation as well.

Sneaky Acne Cause No. 4: Over-Drying Your Skin

Sure, it makes sense at first glance: if you dry out oily skin with harsh cleansers,

alcohol-based toners and skip the moisturizer, your skin won't be oily anymore.

But ... it doesn't really work like that.

Instead, drying out your skin this way will cause it to up its oil production,

making the whole situation worse. King explains that the skin tries to correct

itself and so if it feels dry it will begin to produce more oil to balance things out.

Sneaky Acne Cause No. 5: Tanning

Back in the day, people used to recommend tanning to clear up skin. And in the

short term it does kind of work. The sun dries out your skin and UV rays do

have an antibacterial element, but tanning is so not the way to go. For one, we

already learned that over-drying your skin will cause it to produce more oil.

Also, tanning causes your skin to increase cell production (which means more

dead skin cells), so while you might get a bit clearer at first, tanning will end up

giving you more breakouts. And don't even get me started on all the skin

damage, cancer risks and wrinkle issues.

Sneaky Acne Cause No. 6: Your Hair Products

What's that you say? You don't put hair products on your skin? Well, unless you

consistently wear your hair in a slicked back ponytail and never let a strand near

your face, I'd say that's just not true.

King says hair products with oil, silicones and plasticizers can clog your pores,

and if you wear your hair down, have bangs or even sleep with your hair loose it

can get on your face and work it's non-magic. So keep the products to a

minimum and keep your hair off your face as much as possible.

Sneaky Reasons You Get Zits. Nov. 30,2010. Available at: . Jan. 23, 2011.

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