This Is Why Your Skin Is Breaking Out Right Now, and Here's What to Do About It

Since I have found myself with some spare time on my hands, it’s safe to say that I have been spending more time than one probably should scrolling through social media. After a week or so into nationwide social distancing, I started to notice a common topic of conversation taking place across all of my social networks: Since staying at home, people’s skin is starting to seriously freak out, and nobody really knows what to do about it. 

And actually, for the first time in months, mine has too. Despite the fact that my skin had been behaving itself for months and looked the best it had for years, the minute I started working from home and only leaving the house for an hour a day, my chin developed what can only be described as a mountain range of cystic spots. So what is going on? Why are we all breaking out like it’s nobody’s business? And what can we do about it? It turns out there’s a very simple explanation for it all. Keep scrolling to discover the four most-likely reasons your skin isn’t behaving itself right now.

Stress

There’s no doubt that we’re all feeling a little bit more stressed than normal right now. From health to work, we’re all stressing about something, even if we’re not physically showing it. And unfortunately, stress has a lot to do with the condition of our skin. Get ready to stick your science cap on. Pamela Marshall, clinical aesthetician and co-founder of Mortar & Milk, explains, "When we experience stress, our body releases its fight-or-flight hormone, cortisol. When it’s in abundance, cortisol lowers our oestrogen production, which subsequently makes our androgen levels high.”

Keeping up? "Androgen has many functions, but one of them is to send messages to our sebaceous glands. This means under stress, our sebaceous glands are overproducing oil,” says Marshall. As soon as our pores detect an abundance of any one thing, they swell to a close in order to try and protect themselves, resulting in an inflammatory response and, low and behold, a spot.

Diet

Another big reason we’re all more prone to spots right now? If you have recently changed your diet (which many of us have), your skin might not be agreeing with it. Not only do limited shopping hours make it difficult to get hold of the foods that we might usually buy, but the situation also makes it all too easy to eat out of habit. "When we are rundown for whatever reason, we have an innate need to comfort-eat. Comfort-eating is bad for the gut and the skin and will ultimately add to hormonal changes,” reveals Marshall.

And it turns out it’s not just what we’re eating right now that could be causing issues; it’s what we’re drinking, too. Susan Mayou, consultant dermatologist at the Cadogan Clinic, explains, "With people not having to rise as early in the morning for commutes, they may be drinking more than normal in the evenings. (Wine shelves at supermarkets have certainly indicated an increase in consumption.)” Increased alcohol consumption can lead to skin dehydration, which can cause a long chain of issues, including spots. "Alcohol can deprive your skin of vitamins and nutrients, dull the complexion and cause puffiness,” says Mayou.

Being Inside

The thing that confused me the most about my own breakouts was how aggressively they came on despite the fact I wasn’t inflicting polluted commuter air upon my skin every day. However, it turns out that not giving my skin the fresh air (and light) that it’s used to could be where my issues lie. "UV exposure helps our bodies to synthesise vitamin D, which is necessary to cell health, its metabolism and repair,” says Marshall.

Not only that, but vitamin D is also crucial in the production of serotonin. A reduction of serotonin can lead to a feeling of depression and anxiety which increases cortisol and starts a whole new reason for breakouts.

Sleep

Among complaints of spot breakouts on social media were also comments about troubled sleep patterns. With heightened stress and anxiety, getting the right amount and quality of sleep can be tricky, and it turns out this issue could also be contributing to skin troubles. Consultant dermatologist Catherine Borysiewicz at Cadogan Clinic explains, "The body repairs itself as we sleep, so when we are sleep-deprived, it quickly shows in our appearance. Studies have suggested that a lack of sleep impairs wound healing, affects skin barrier function and reduces the skin’s ability to repair itself.”

What Can Be Done?

It’s true that, right now, it’s harder than ever to control the external factors that could be causing spots. And yes, the experts do advise that keeping up a regular skincare routine might help minimise your skin issues. "While makeup may not have been applied through the day, dead skin cells, dirt, bacteria and skincare products should be cleansed off both morning and night,” says Mayou.

Above all, though, the expert advice is to try and find some sense of normality in your routine. "Humans feel safe with some sort of routine. Don’t become lax in your skincare routines. Continue with your daily, morning and evening routines, but keep it simple. Make sure you’re getting in plenty of water, omegas and sleep,” advises Marshall.

In the meantime, if you’re desperately looking for a way to keep your spots at bay, keep scrolling for the best products for breakout-prone skin.

Next up, the three skincare products beauty editors can't be without.