Suffering with spots? Plagued by pimples? Bothered by breakouts? Then this is the article for you.

Whatever you call the blasted blemishes, most of us have suffered from the uninvited presence of acne at some stage in our lives. And while having a good diet and a five-star skin-care regime are important, keeping the dreaded pimples at bay is by no means that simple.

Acne is a multi-factored beast, and our busy daily lives throw up many contributing causes – a number of which are not always that obvious.

Lucky for you, I’ve done some digging and uncovered a few sneaky hidden causes of acne, plus some accompanying solutions. So read on and let me help clear things up.

The top 4 hidden causes of acne are:

1. Heat and Humidity

While we all welcome the onset of summer and the chance to get our Vitamin D fix, unfortunately warmer temperatures aren’t always a friend to our face.

Heat and humidity bring an increase in oil secretion and sweat, both of which exacerbate skin conditions and can trigger outbreaks amongst those prone to acne.

Now unless you’re Storm from the X-Men, there’s nothing you can do to change the weather. But solutions are available, such as washing more regularly throughout the day and carrying around clean tissues to avoiding touching your face with your hands.

Too much heat during the nighttime can also cause problems, because we often overheat while we sleep. My advice? Try sleeping with the window open, or find yourself a nice fan. Fresh air = fresh face.

Another quick trick to solve those heat-led breakouts? Look to the magic of technology! Blue light therapy devices are a great way of tackling acne-causing bacteria that build up under summer skin. Problem sorted!

2. A Lack of Omega-3

Oily skin bad. Oily fish good.

Omega-3 fatty acids, also know as healthy fats, play an important role in tackling inflammatory conditions like acne. And if you lack Omega-3 in your diet, you’re missing an important weapon in your battle for a clear complexion.

Omega-3 deficiencies have been shown to decrease the production of sebum, which lowers the risk of getting unwanted pimples.

So like you looked to technology for a great fix, look to the sea now! Fish like tuna, salmon, sardines and anchovies are all high in Omega-3 – and therefore contribute to a healthy glow.

If you’re not a fish fan, you can get your Omega-3 fix from nuts such as almonds and walnuts. Allergic to nuts too?! Uh oh. Well fear not – a variety of supplements do exist, including krill oil, cod liver oil, fish oil and flaxseed.

Psst…As an added bonus, Omega-3 will help keep your joints nice and loose. Great skin, supple body – it does it all!

3. Dirty Pillows

Think about it. While you might diligently wash your face every night before heading off to la-la land, what is the very next thing your freshly cleaned skin comes into contact with? Yep, that’s right – your pillowcase.

And if you are neglecting to properly wash or swap your pillowcase on a regular basis, it’s the same as forgetting that cleansing regime of yours and going to bed with a full face of make-up.

Because your pillowcase is like a big sponge; soaking up everything your face throws at it through the night – sweat, drool, skin cells, oil – and yes, even residue of your nightly moisturiser. Gross.

So, if you want to avoid that breakout, then break out your inner washer woman and start washing that pillowcase at least once a week. And if you are really concerned, then try flipping your pillows more frequently. It’ll help you sleep better, too.

4. A Lack of Sleep

Speaking of better sleep, we’ve arrived at our fourth hidden cause of acne.

What does sleep have to do with acne, I hear you ask? Well, a lot actually.

Research have shown that poor sleep impacts on almost every aspect of our physical and mental health. Poor quality sleep has been proved to play a role in depression, obesity, our ability to fight disease, and yes, even our appearance.

A lack of sleep leads to increased stress, which results in the production of a stress hormone called glucocorticoid. This in turn can lead to the deterioration in the health of skin structure and function. Basically, bad sleep leads to bad skin. Got it?!

So how do we solve this problem? Well, there are no magical number of hours you need to sleep – everyone is different. However, if you’re regularly getting less than six hours sleep a night then this is probably preventing you from having blemish-free skin. It’s possibly affecting other aspects of your health, too.

After all, there’s a good reason why they call it ‘getting your beauty sleep’!

For more tips and tricks on getting a good sleep, visit this site. Once you learn how to get into a proper bedtime routine and how to have a decent sleep, every night, your skin will thank you for it.

So there you go – four hidden causes of acne that you may not have heard of before!

Now remember to prepare for hot weather, get some Omega-3 into you, wash that pillow and get more sleep.

I hope that’s clearer now. Your skin will be soon! 😉

Thanks for reading!

This article is guest-written by Sarah Cummings, co-creator of Sleep Advisor, a one-stop website for everything you need to know about achieving optimal sleep level and waking up each day with more energy and focus.

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