Working in an office can actually wreak havoc on your skin. There are several different acne causes that come with the territory of working in a public setting.
Although working in an office can can contribute to acne, there are several ways to prevent it. These are the 5 acne causes of working in an office and how to fix them!
1. Junk food
One of the best (and worst) things about working in a public setting is having an endless supply of food. There are usually sweet treats and high-sugar snacks in break rooms, vending machines, and don’t get me started on the office parties.
These sugary foods cause your insulin levels to rise, and these insulin spikes can make your skin break out. Processed foods trigger inflammation in your body, making your skin appear redder and make pimples angrier.
It’s perfectly fine to indulge in the occasional treat, but be careful of eating too many processed foods will be damaging to your skin.
How To Help:
Steer clear of the fatty foods and opt for some fruits and veggies. Meal prep your lunches for the week so that you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to have for lunch.
When you don’t have healthy food options available to you when you’re hungry, you will end up binging on something not as great for your skin.
2. Caffeine
Caffeine dehydrates and dries out the skin. I have never seen an office that doesn’t have a coffee pot. Whether you’re drinking soda, coffee, or energy drinks to stay focused at work, that could be causing your skin to dry out. Dry skin can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and even acne.
How To Help:
- Drink more water! Bring a water bottle with you to work, and drink it before you look for a caffeine fix. Aim to refill your water bottle several times during the day. Add some lemon, cucumber, berries, and mint to your water for added hydration and more delicious water.
- Get a good night’s rest. Shoot to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night so that you don’t have to rely as much on caffeine the next day.
- Eat more fruit. Most fruit contains a large volume of water. Bring some watermelon or strawberries as a snack to stay hydrated.
3. Emotional Stress
I don’t think it’s possible to have a career and not have some type of emotional stress. You will have some sort of mental or physical stress caused by deadlines, fellow employees, heavy workloads, office atmosphere, and just life occurrences in general.
Stress both directly and indirectly affects the health of your skin. One physical symptoms of stress is sweating, which can clog your pores and make your skin break out.
Stress also activates a hormone called Ghrelin in your body. Ghrelin also known as the “hunger hormone,” which is why you end up eating more comfort foods when you’re stressed or anxious.
Those under large amounts of emotional stress are more likely to drink alcohol and take anxiety-reducing medications. Alcohol dehydrates your skin and can cause flair-ups in acne-prone skin. Medications can negatively react with your skin and cause pimples, as well.
How To Help:
I have entire post on stress-reducing activities here.
4. Pollution
The intensity of the pollution near your office depends on the location of your workplace. Someone working in a metropolitan area will be more susceptible to pollution than someone who works on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Whether there is a lot or a little air pollution near your office, it is going to affect your skin.
Airborne pollution can affect your skin in many ways. The environmental toxins (food, waste, gasoline, etc.) are absorbed through our skin. This can contribute to cancer, acne, and the aging of the skin.
How To Help
Many sunscreens now protect the skin against air pollutants. Since you SHOULD be wearing sunscreen on your face and neck everyday, this will help keep your skin from being affected by airborne toxins.
There are also many skincare products that claim to protect the skin against pollution.
5. Germs
This is definitely an obvious cause of acne – especially since we’re still going through a pandemic. Just think of everything you touch all day in your office and then touch your face (keyboard, phone, doorknobs, bathroom door, staplers, printers, copiers, computer mouse, pens, fridge handle, and elevator button!)
I think it’s safe to say almost everyone touches their face at some point throughout the day, and we do this with germs on our hands. All that bacteria, dirt, and grime get on our faces and can cause acne breakouts.
How To Help
- WASH YOUR HANDS (please)
- Refrain from touching your face
- Sanitize your office supplies and phone (you can use a Clorox wipe to wipe down your phone)
[RELATED POST: 8 SNEAKY WAYS TO GET MORE STEPS DURING THE DAY TO BOOST YOUR FITNESS]
These were the 5 main acne causes that you will encounter in your office. Whether it is touching public appliances or just the air outside the building, working in a public setting can be harmful to your skin. With that being said, there are so many easy fixes to these acne-causing situations.
Be sure to let me know if any of these fixes help your skin, and don’t forget to leave a comment and follow me on Pinterest!
Xo,
Layton
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Working in an office can actually wreak havoc on your skin. There are several different acne causes that come with the territory of working in a public setting. Although working in an office can can contribute to acne, there are…Read the Post