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There’s are a lot of misleading advice out there that claim to help with acne or acne-prone skin. How do you know what will actually work for you? Trial and error, but mostly an education about what causes acne in your skin in the first place will help you figure out what’s worth trying.
Here are my top 5 can’t-live-without recommendations that helped me with my acne-prone skin that are tried and true. I’ve been able to help my own skin with these tips but also my clients that suffer from acne.
***Disclaimer: I am a licensed Esthetician, but I am not your Esthetician (unless you want to work with me directly) and I believe all treatments should be personalized. While my claims in this post are true, results will vary. I will be making more posts in the future that dive deeper into different types of acne and how to treat them, but this is a great place to start getting some general knowledge around acne-prone skin***
First of All, What Makes You Acne-Prone?
Chances are, if you are reading this, you know you are acne-prone and you’re searching for answers. But if you aren’t sure, let’s quickly break down how to know if you’re acne prone and why. Getting the obvious out of the way… if you get acne often, you are likely acne-prone.
How Do I know if I have Acne-Prone Skin?
Not always, but most of the time, acne manifests in people with oily or combination skin. People with oily skin usually have a genetic predisposition to acne, enlarged pores, and a skin texture that is thick, rough, and resembles an orange peel. If a person has a combination skin type, they can experience patches of oiliness (and more acne) on some parts of the face, while other areas are normal or dry in type and different in texture.
Those with dry skin can experience acne, too. But the product recommendations and tips I have in this post are geared more toward oily skin types and help the most common cause of acne: clogged pores due to an imbalance of oil and water in the skin.
The Key to Caring for Acne-Prone Skin: Balancing Oil and Water
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The goal in treating oily skin is to reduce the overactivity of the oil glands, promote a healthy oil–water balance, and keep pores from becoming clogged so that you can minimize acne.
It can be confusing when you are shopping for products that claim to help with acne or acne-prone skin, and there is a lot of bad advice out there that leaves you frustrated with treating your acne-prone skin. So, let’s keep this as simple as possible. Stick to these keys:
1) Cleanse, but don’t strip the skin of all its oils
2) Exfoliate, but don’t overdo it
3) Don’t skip moisturizer
4) Protect your skin with SPF
5) Keep your environment clean
Next, I’ll break down what I recommend by the 5 steps in a skincare routine where the oil to water imbalance can happen.
Caring for Acne-Prone Skin: The Best Simple Skincare Routine
Cleanse:
The goal is to cleanse the skin and remove any dirt, makeup or product build-up, sweat, and excess oil that could clog pores. For oily and combination skin, you need a gel cleanser. It will cleanse the skin without disrupting the skin barrier or over-stripping your skin of a healthy amount of oil. Remember, the goal is not to remove all oil, it’s to balance the amount of oil on the skin. My favorite thing to use EVERY TIME I wash my face are these REUSABLE COTTON ROUNDS. They not only ensure I remove everything and get my face completely clean, but using a clean one each day prevents spreading bacteria onto the face. (Think about that damp washcloth that you use every day and wash once a week that’s a breeding ground for mold and bacteria🤢.) Another reason I love these washable cotton rounds is because they provide gentle physical exfoliation, which leads me to my next point…
Exfoliate:
This step is very important because you need to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. The goal is to properly clean out the pores and prevent excess oil from becoming trapped under a layer of dead skin. You want to introduce a gentle exfoliator and work up to the strength/frequency of use that your skin can handle. There are two types of exfoliation: physical (actual scrubbing with an object like beads or a bristle brush on your skin), and chemical (the chemicals in a product break down the dead skin).
As I said, I love the reusable cotton pads for my acne-prone skin. They provide a way to physically clear out any excess dirt and oil from the skin as I remove my cleanser. But I do combine that physical exfoliation with chemical exfoliation to go deeper and dissolve the “glue” (desmosomes) that hold dead skin cells together. By the way, you should only be exfoliating at night, no more than 3 times a week. If you are brand new to this, start with one night per week and work your way up.
One of most effective chemical exfoliant ingredients for active acne and acne-prone skin is Salicylic acid. I hands down recommend THIS PRODUCT. It’s easy to incorporate into your nighttime routine. You have a low risk of irritation with this product, unless you are allergic to aspirin- then use a AHA-based chemical exfoliant like Glycolic or Lactic Acid. Here’s a good one. Just use it after cleansing and before moisturizing. Speaking of Moisturizing…
Hydrate:
The last step in the holy trinity of balancing your skin is moisturizing, and this is where many people with oily skin go wrong. Many think “If I have oily skin, I don’t need to moisturize”, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There is a big difference between oil content and water content but what you need to know for the purpose of this post is hydration is vital to:
1) heal and repair existing blemishes
2) combat irritation and inflammation
3) stimulate metabolic processes in the skin (cell turnover of dead skin)
The best product to add hydration for acne-prone skin is THIS PRODUCT. Your cells will get the hydration they need to balance the amount of oil your skin naturally produces. Without proper hydration, your skin has a tough time healing and producing new, healthy skin cells. Those with acne often also suffer from hyperpigmentation or post-inflammatory marks. Both of which are much easier to treat and heal when the skin is properly hydrated.
*HOT TIP: Hydration is not only skin deep. Drinking more water is extremely effective in providing your skin with the hydration it needs. nourish it from the inside out.
Unexpected Ways To Protect Your Acne-Prone Skin
The last recommendations are not typical steps in your routine per se, but are still game-changing in keeping your acne-prone skin as clear as possible.
Protect Your Skin
Especially for broken skin/active acne, sunscreen is not optional. I have no clue how the myth that sun tanning helps your acne started going around but it’s not true. Acne is an inflammatory response to something (usually excess oil trapped in the skin, which is what we are talking about in this post). So it stands to reason that you wouldn’t want to expose compromised skin to the damage-causing sun. Sun damage on top of acne can cause hyperpigmentation and worsen scarring.
You need hydration for balanced skin and to heal any active breakouts you may have. Sun exposure really does dry out your skin, which doesn’t provide the ideal environment for it. Not to mention you are at risk of getting skin cancer when you don’t wear SPF. Whether you have active acne or are just prone to acne, you MUST wear SPF! I’m loving this one at the moment. There is an age-old debate about whether acne-prone folks should use a mineral SPF, or a chemical one, but I’ll get into that in another post!
Keep Your Environment Clean
Lastly, you could be counteracting all the work you’re doing for your skin if you don’t keep your environment clean. I’m going to give you some tough love here… How often do you clean your makeup brushes or sponges? The best advice I have is to deep clean your tools once a week so you don’t keep adding to the amount of excess dirt and oil build-up on your face. In fact, you want to clean anything that touches your face frequently. Wash your pillowcases once a week, and clean your phone screen at least daily. If you are wearing sunglasses, a face mask, or face jewelry, think about all of these things that come into contact with your skin. Consider cleaning them as often as possible. And if you work out, wash your face asap afterward! The fewer bacteria on your face or chances of it spreading, the better.
Remember, it’s about Balance
The main thing to remember when caring for your acne-prone skin is that you have to balance the oil and water levels in your skin while keeping your face clean and exfoliated. This advice may sound simple, but when done right, all the little things add up and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the difference these small changes can make! I love this routine because it doesn’t require a complex 10-step process. It just takes a couple of steps, some consistency, and some patience to allow your skin to adjust. Stick with it and you’ll thank me later. I can’t tell you how many times a client has told me that it’s the small shifts over time that make the biggest difference.
You Got This!
If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Or better yet, share your before and after results with me by tagging me on Instagram @makeupaswego. I can’t wait to see how these tips can help you. After all, that’s my goal with my content- to bring you the info and resources you need to take a shortcut to all your beauty and skincare goals.”
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