First off, I'd like to make it clear that I'm not saying you should avoid scrubbing brushes altogether, nor am I saying they are bad for you. I'm simply trying to shed some light on a certain scenario that came to my attention recently. Back in September I did a post about creating your very own spa day at home (see that post HERE). One of the things I mentioned in the post was how I was using a body was scrubbing brush to scrub away your back's debris (which can be difficult at times, hence why mine was handled). Well I'm here today to tell you that I may have been wrong.
Again I'm not saying that this will happen to everyone, but perhaps those with acne prone or sensitive skin should keep this in mind. If it works for you, that's awesome! Sadly it did not for me.
I was aware of the whole "replace every 4 to 6 weeks" to keep bacteria from building up and you putting it back on your body, which I tried to adhere to. Frankly, I skipped a couple of months because I didn't want to keep spending $4 every few weeks, but I repurchased once semi-recently. I do replace my sponges within the same time frame, but they are only $1. You see my reasoning now?
Anyways, what I didn't know was that being too abrasive with your skin - especially acne prone and sensitive skin - can actually increase your risk of getting acne or more specifically in this case, "bacne".
I've battled with adult since my middle school years - yay hormones - which I've briefly talked about HERE. I always did my best to eat right, exercise, and keep my skin clean, so what I didn't understand was why I was getting breakouts on my back worse than before. Granted it's not all the brush's fault as my hormones have been out of whack - yay aging - but I was still getting acne that didn't seem true to my hormonal acne (yes I know the difference).
After a little research and talking to a few dermatologists, I found out that because I've been so abrasive with my back and scrubbing with something a tad bit harsh (for my personal sensitive skin), I was causing microscopic abrasions that were leading to bacteria getting trapped and causing the excess acne. I'll admit I was a bit bummed.
I liked having the back scrubber. It truly made me feel like I was getting "extra clean".
It was recommended that I don't do harsh body scrubs either and instead of scrubbing with Epsom salt, simply soak in a bath tub filled Epsom salt and create a soak. Essentially the same benefits without the negative results.
So my warning is this:
- If you buy a scrubber brush and you start to notice intensified acne, try taking a break from the scrubber brush and see if using a less harsh tactic helps heal them. It could take up a few weeks to see if it's working.
Regardless what you use - scrubbing brush, loofah, sponge, etc. - make sure to change them within the recommended amount of time. This will, like I said before, keep bacteria from building up and being continuously re-placed on your body. This also avoids mold spores.
I do know that people have no bad affects from using scrubbing brushes - lucky - but I thought I'd share this warning for those who may be pondering the same thing I once was about why my "bacne" was becoming more frequent. Like I said it wasn't just the brush and when I started to balance my hormones again the hormonal acne subsided, it was the leftovers that were frustrating the heck out of me. Now that I've ruled out the scrubbing brush, I can happily report that everything is calming down and it looks like I'm that much closer to clear skin once again! It's been roughly a week since I've stopped using my beloved scrubbing brush, but needless to say I'm happy to not wake up with new uninvited guests every day after using it.
Hopefully this serves as some form of help if you're struggling with what I've been going through. Perhaps you discovered it sooner than I did, but I hadn't been doing "spa days" every day and with the constant goings of everyday life, I just didn't think too much into the situation. That is until I started balancing my hormones (I thought maybe these "extras" were just weird forms of hormonal acne for a little bit) and they still stuck around.
Happy Monday everyone and remember to be one with the force Jedi's. You're beautiful and deserve to smile!
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