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Contrary to popular opinion, pimples are not caused by heat or dirt. This is a common misconception that seems to arise from the fact that pimples tend to appear most frequently in hot and unhygienic conditions. However, this does not necessarily mean that one causes the other. The reason why you tend to develop more pimples during hot weather is that your skin is constantly sweaty and oily, due to which dead skin cells tend to accumulate on the skin's surface. Normally, skin cells grow, die, and are discarded automatically - they do not remain on the skin. Sometimes, due to hormonal problems, or simply because of the weather, the skin gets oily and accumulates dead cells. These cells then end up blocking skin pores, which then accumulate sebum, forming a pimple. Contributing to the problem is the presence of bacteria on the skin, which is also partly the result of sweaty, oily, and dirty skin. These bacteria attack the accumulated sebum, resulting in the inflammation and itching commonly associated with pimples.
If you want to solve your pimple problem you need to keep your skin clean and also regularly exfoliate it. Exfoliation is the removal of the uppermost layer of dead skin cells; by doing this, you reduce the chances of dead cells blocking your pores.
Regular washing is the first thing you need to take up. Avoid using soap too often, as it will dry out your skin, which may cause it to get oilier in the long run. Instead, you can use a mild face wash once or twice a day and use plain water the rest of the time. This is a good option, because special cleansers are available for oily, acne prone skin. If the cleanser also seems to dry your skin, you can apply a small amount of light moisturizing lotion to your face after you have washed off the cleanser.
To exfoliate, you can use a homemade mixture of honey, lemon juice, and sugar. Mix the three into a paste - note that you do not need a smooth paste - the sugar will not completely dissolve, and these fine granules are necessary. Gently scrub the paste into your skin for a few minutes, and then wash it off with plain water. If you find that this does not work even after several weeks, you can try using an anti pimple cream containing salicylic acid.
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