While we were teens (and maybe even adults), we probably all faced what we thought was our worst nightmare: everyone gathers together at a holiday and someone decides to take a family picture…but you’ve got a horrible acne outbreak! But is it just a coincidence that you tend to get back acne around the holidays? Perhaps not.

No, it’s not a conspiracy to give your mother more embarrassing pictures of you to pass around. It actually has to do with diet. You’ve probably heard rumors like eating a lot of chocolate can cause bad acne. Some people will swear it’s the truth, while others will say it’s not. What’s the truth? Both may be correct! Every person’s body chemistry is different, and certain foods may cause an acne outbreak for some people. You may never get acne after eating large amounts of chocolate (though you may get a stomach ache), but you might have a major flare-up after eating peanut butter. What sets off acne truly varies from person to person, and it can be hard tracking down the causes.

If you do know that certain foods tend to lead to acne, do your best to avoid them or only eat a little bit of them. This may be especially difficult during the holidays. We tend to be expected to eat a huge meal or two, and a lot of the desserts are rich in sugar and fat, two things that often contribute to acne.

Stress is another factor in acne. Being stressed around the holiday period, especially if you’re doing a lot of the meal preparation or aren’t particularly pleased to be dealing with some of your family members, can cause an acne outbreak of tremendous proportions. There’s not much that can be done about this acne cause other than for you to take a deep breath, relax for a moment, and try not to get stressed out.

Sweat and oils also factor into acne, and just like large amounts of food, they tend to occur around the holidays. Think of all the people crammed into one fairly small place. You’ve got a crowded home, the oven or stove has been on for an hour or more, and you may be wearing a sweater or other heavy shirt because of the cold weather. You’re bound to start sweating, and that means your pores have a better chance of being clogged up by all that sweat.

If you’re at home during a holiday meal or party and start feeling sweaty, you can always run to the bathroom and wash your face. If you’re a woman, you can then reapply your makeup. However, women who are away from home and don’t have extra makeup to wear, oil strips can be a lifesaver. These little strips soak up the oils on your face before they can clog your pores. They don’t remove makeup, they’re fairly cheap, and they will fit in most small purses. Sweat and oils are also a factor during warmer seasons, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors. If you do, wash your face as soon as you get inside to keep sweat and oil buildup on your face to a minimum.

It’s also recommended that you purchase some concealer and bump your acne treatments around the holidays. You may even want to get a facial or two to really clear out your pores and open everything up. Not only will this relax you and make your skin look better overall, it will also eliminate many of the oils and other gunk that cause blackheads, and it can prevent future acne from appearing. In fact, if you have the time for it, a day at the spa can provide wonders. You will have your pores opened up, have all that oil cleaned out, and relax, eliminating several contributing factors to acne at once.

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