If you suffer from acne, it is very important to properly adjust your facial care and know which products and ingredients to use, how and with what to clean your skin, and how to take care of it as gently as possible. Find out below what are the most common mistakes in the treatment and daily care of acne-prone skin, and they are brought to you by master of pharmacy Marta Corbera Moreno from her professional experience.
Written by: Marta Corbera Moreno, mag. pharm.
- Using products that are too aggressive for the skin barrier
Sebum is essential for any skin type, including oily or acne-prone skin, because it prevents the skin from drying out. This is exactly why it is advisable to keep it on the skin in a small amount. Skin with acne suffers from excessive secretion of sebum, so it would be necessary to use products that will control excessive secretion, and not those that would completely remove sebum. It is preferable to use light moisturizing products (with a low lipid content) that contain niacinamide, an active ingredient known as a regulator of sebum secretion.
- Omission of soothing ingredients in the routine
Acne skin is usually inflamed skin that is often red and irritated. A reddish appearance on a certain area of the skin can be associated with a future pimple. Sometimes the whole skin is slightly reddish, which happens because the excess of synthesized lipids can be irritating . It is preferable to use moisturizing products that also contain soothing ingredients such as bisabolol, panthenol, allantoin, licorice extract...
- Avoiding creams with a protective factor
Depending on the type of acne, if the skin is inflamed, exposure to the sun without proper protection can trigger the appearance of gradual hyperpigmentation, better known as "acne spots". When exposed to the sun, it is necessary to use appropriate sun protection, i.e. products that have a low level of lipids in their formulation. The sun can help improve acne-prone skin, although in some cases the lesions worsen for some time after exposure.
This happens because the sun increases the thickness of the stratum corneum, and the sebum does not come out completely from the pores. When the skin stops absorbing solar radiation, the stratum corneum thins and returns to its normal thickness, and all the sebum accumulated during the summer comes to the surface. This is exactly the reason why acne often worsens after the summer period.
- Insufficient hydration of the skin
It is a misconception that oily or acne-prone skin does not need hydration. The synthesis of excess sebum is not directly related to skin hydration, you can even find dehydrated skin with acne. Therefore, it is recommended to use moisturizing cosmetics with a low lipid content (but not without lipids) in order to maintain an optimal level of skin hydration.
- Inadequate facial cleansing
For the oily type, the habit of cleaning the face is necessary to avoid accumulation of sebum on the surface of the skin. It is definitely necessary to avoid facial cleansing products that are too aggressive and drying because they would remove all the sebum from the skin, thereby damaging its hydrolipidic layer and protective function. The facial cleansing product should be chosen carefully, avoiding aggressive soaps and surfactants.
- Too aggressive exfoliation
With this problem, it is recommended to use exfoliation at least once a week in order to remove dead cells from the surface of the skin. This will prevent clogging of pores and the formation of new pimples. Avoid physical exfoliants or those with granules that can damage lesions or open pimples that already exist on the skin. The best alternative is to include chemical peels that have glycolic or salicylic acid in their formulation.