Why Alcohol or Witch Hazel Can Make Blemishes Worse

This beauty is surprised to hear how she created a skin problem.

 

How many of us have been guilty at some point in life of trying to dry up a blemish with a loaded cotton ball of alcohol or witch hazel?  Perhaps, you thought an alcohol-based astringent would be better. However, instead of helping your skin problem along those alcohol-based ingredients could be making matters worse.

Alcohol and witch hazel can strip away the skin’s protective surface oil enough to aggravate glands into further producing even more oil, causing pores to clog.  You can end up with more blemishes than you started with if used over an extended period of time.

The reason that witch hazel can make blemishes worse in this way is because of all the tannins it has. When used on a regular basis, witch hazel can appear to keep the skin’s oils more controlled. As it does, it can also be excessively drying just as much as regular use of alcohol that can compromise the skin’s protective layer since it is also formulated with about 15% alcohol.

If you don’t want to age prematurely, you might want to reconsider how often you turn to alcohol and witch hazel for your skin care. Otherwise, daily use of temporary measures like this exposes your complexion to a risk of free radical damage and harming the skin’s barrier. This is why alcohol or witch hazel is never a good idea and can make blemishes worse.