8 Zit-Causing Holiday Situations

winter acne indoor heating mall shopping

No. 2: The mall marathon zit

I’m finally done with my annual holiday shopping extravaganza. It’s a new record: six hours and forty minutes! But on my drive home is when I begin to feel it. Smack dab in the middle of my chin, up pops zit number two.

Most people don’t realize this, but indoor heating can make your skin itchy, red, and inflamed, which usually leads to picking, which leads to extra bacteria in your pores, which leads to zits. And when you’re dry and dehydrated, your breakouts look worse than usual because once you’re done picking at your zits, the scabs take longer to heal, says Dr. Jessica Wu, dermatologist and author of “Feed Your Face.”

Here are a few tips to keep your skin hydrated and less tempting to pick in the winter:

• Use a humidifier indoors. This helps moisten the air, even when your heater is running.

• Open the windows every morning to let in the fresh air and get the stale air out.

• Drink more water, at least eight glasses a day. It sounds like a lot, but it’s really the best thing you can do for your skin.

• For extra hydration, add a few drops of jojoba oil to your moisturizer. Jojoba oil is a unique plant extract that doesn’t evaporate as quickly as water-based moisturizers. Try one like Crabtree & Evelyn Jojoba Oil Moisturizing Body Cream, $22.