Do you know what really works for acne? Acne! Treating acne-prone skin is anything but simple. When you are trying to get rid of breakouts, you often end up playing a long game of trial, error and small victories. Some mistakes in life we can accept and learn from. But when it comes to errors in how you treat your skin, it is usually better not to make them at all.
What to do with acne and how to care for acne-prone skin
Even with acne-prone skin, the same rule applies. The more you understand your skin, the better you can help it.
Watch how it reacts, try to understand what it needs, what condition it is in, what type of skin you actually have and then choose your products accordingly.
There are several types of acne, and each of them can trouble your skin in a slightly different way. But almost always, acne means your skin is dealing with several challenges at once, such as:
- Excess sebum production
- Clogged pores
- Inflammation
- Little bumps under the skin
- White-headed spots
- Blackheads
Getting acne under control requires a thoughtful choice of products with ingredients that acne-prone skin really benefits from. At the same time, it is important that there are not too many or too few ‘anti-acne’ ingredients or that their concentration is not too strong or too weak.
And remember, what helps with inflamed, angry spots does not necessarily work on non-inflamed ones.
So no, acne really is not simple. Treatment often fails because the type of acne and the skin type have n’o been clearly defined in the first place.
How to care for acne-prone skin – and which ingredients to focus on
1. Cleanse your skin with products designed for acne-prone skin
Cleansing is the first and very important step in caring for acne-prone skin or, if you like, in your ‘fight’ with acne. Your cleanser should be gentle, free from pore-clogging ingredients and, ideally, contain ingredients that can deal with acne-causing bacteria.
In a cleanser, you might want to look for, for example:
- Salicylic acid. In a cleanser, a concentration of about 0.5% is usually enough (for comparison, leave-on BHA exfoliants are often around 2%). Salicylic acid destroys acne bacteria and helps clear out the pores.
- Sage extract. Soothes irritation and helps prevent the skin around a spot from drying out.
- Provitamin B5 (panthenol/dexpanthenol). Helps regulate sebum production in the skin.
- Benzoyl peroxide. Fights acne-causing bacteria and dissolves sebum deep inside the pores so it can get out to the surface more easily. However, it is not the most suitable ingredient for very sensitive skin.
2. After cleansing, balance your skin’s pH with a toner or hydrosol
A toner for acne-prone skin can contain, for example:
- Green tea extract. Calms stressed-out skin, helps control sebum production and targets acne bacteria.
- Passionflower extract (Passiflora incarnata). Helps reduce inflammation.
- Aloe vera. Soothes irritated skin.
- Sage extract. Again, calms irritation and helps prevent the skin around a spot from drying out.
- Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola). Helps the skin cope with redness and speeds up healing.
3. Support your skin with a serum full of the right ingredients
The whole point of a serum is a higher concentration of active ingredients in a texture with smaller molecules so that the beneficial substances can get a bit deeper into the skin.
For acne-prone skin, look for serums that contain, for example:
- Benzoyl peroxide (around 3.5–5%) to destroy acne-causing bacteria
- Green tea extract to help control sebum production
- Tea tree oil to calm inflammation. Here, it is really important to watch the concentration
- Willow bark extract – a natural form of salicylic acid
- Vitamin E and vitamin C
- Niacinamide, which regulates sebum production and helps reduce redness and inflammation
- Centella asiatica / Gotu Kola, to reduce redness and support faster healing
- Azelaic acid, which effectively destroys acne bacteria
- Retinol, to help keep pores clear and speed up cell turnover
- Hyaluronic acid, to keep the skin nicely hydrated
4. Yes, acne-prone skin needs a moisturiser too
Someone might compare moisturising oily skin to bringing wood into a forest – completely unnecessary. But it really is not like that. A moisturiser is important.
Oily skin also needs hydration. If it does not get it, it can react by producing even more sebum to protect itself. It needs softening, and it also needs protection in the form of a physical barrier on the surface.
In moisturisers, you can look for many of the ingredients I mentioned with serums, plus, for example:
- Ceramides, to strengthen the skin and support a healthy skin barrier
- Glycerin, which hydrates and can help reduce the formation of new spots
- Panthenol (vitamin B5), to help regulate sebum production
- Squalane, which helps keep pores clear, locks moisture into the skin and creates a protective barrier
- Aloe vera, which has antibacterial and soothing effects
5. Treat your skin to a face mask chosen for your skin type and current condition
You can go for, for example:
- A soothing mask with chamomile, tea tree or pumpkin enzymes
- A clay or charcoal mask, which helps draw impurities and toxins out of the pores
- A mask with vitamin C
- A hydrating mask. This one is really important.
- A pore-cleansing mask with Dead Sea salt extracts
- A mask with BHA acids
- A mask with Gotu Kola / Centella asiatica / Cica
- A mask with niacinamide
- And similar combinations.
I know it is quite a lot to read and quite a lot of ingredients. But they do repeat, so for the woman who really needs them, remembering them may not be as hard as it looks.
Do you recognise and use any of the ingredients I have mentioned? Do you feel they are effective for you? Let me know at mirka@miriamritchie.com.
