Following are some at-home tips for acne prevention and care:
1. Make sure your skin is clean
Gently wash your face up to twice daily and after sweating. Choose a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser. Apply it with your fingertips, as scrubbing with washcloths, sponges, and other tools can irritate your skin.
2. Keep your hands off your face
Touching your face throughout the day can cause acne to flare. While it can be tempting to pick, pop, or squeeze your acne, doing so will make the acne take longer to clear and increase your risk for scarring and dark spots called post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.
3. Choose the right skin care
Use gentle skin care products and ones that say “alcohol-free” on the label. Avoid products that can irritate your skin, including astringents, toners, and exfoliants. These products can dry your skin and make acne appear worse.
4. Do not try new acne-treatments
Trying new acne treatments too often can irritate your skin and cause breakouts. Give your treatment time to work. It may take several weeks to few months before you see a difference.
5. Shampoo regularly
The oil from your hair can cause acne on your forehead. If you have oily hair, shampoo more often than you do now and keep your hair away from your face.
BEST MOISTURIZER FOR ACNE-PRONE SKIN
To prevent a moisturizer from causing breakouts, look for one of these descriptions on the container:
Oil-free
Non-comedogenic
Does not clog pores
When you see one of these descriptions, it means that the moisturizer is unlikely to cause acne.
Moisturizing your skin everyday reduces the chance of developing overly dry or oily skin, both of which can lead to acne breakouts. If you have acne-prone skin, whether it’s oily or dry, moisturizing should be an essential part of your skincare routine because it balances your skin’s natural oil production, which is the underlying issue with both oily and dry skin types. On top of that, moisturizing helps calm inflammation in the skin keeps the skin looking young, and plump and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
SOME INGREDIENTS TO LOOK FOR IN A MOISTURIZER:
The best moisturizers that work effectively for acne-prone skin type should be gentle yet should have acne-fighting ingredients. This makes sure that your skin is hydrated no matter whether your skin is oil or dry. Additionally, the best moisturizers for acne-prone skin will not clog pores and will contain lightweight, hydrating ingredients.
Panthenol: Helps to retain your skin’s moisture along with strengthening your skin’s protective barrier.
Squalane: Despite it being oil, squalane is lightweight and noncomedogenic so it won’t clog your pores. It also has anti-inflammatory and properties that can reduce redness and swelling.
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs):The best moisturizers for acne-prone skin contain a very low percentage of AHAs like lactic acid, glycolic acid or mandelic acid. Including a small amount of these ingredients helps to treat acne while simultaneously hydrating. Furthermore, including AHAs lowers the pH of the product, helping to protect the skin’s protective barrier.
Glycerin & Hyaluronic acid: These increase water content and increase hydration in your skin leaving a subtle glow alongside making your skin look fresh.
SOME INGREDIENTS IN MOISTURIZERS TO STEER CLEAR OF:
Fragrance:artificial fragrances are often a trigger for allergies, sensitivities and acne. Acne-prone and sensitive skin types should steer clear from words like “parfum” and “linalool” and actively look for products that are labeled “fragrance-free.”
Petroleum:although it does help reduce water loss from a person’s skin, it can also clog pores for acne-prone skin types.
Coconut oil and Shea Butter:these are comedogenic ingredients that clog pores and form blackheads.
Petrolatum:the oil in moisturizers is usually petrolatum, which can have a greasy, heavy feeling on the skin and is typically not recommended for oily skin types.
Methylparabens/parabens. These preservatives can also cause allergic reactions and irritate your pores.
Retinoic acid. Often used for anti-aging, retinoic acid can be incredibly irritating.
Salicylic acid. While it is an effective exfoliant, it can irritate sensitive or acne-ridden skin.
BEST SUNSCREEN FOR ACNE-PRONE SKIN
The UV rays from the sun can cause acne scars to become more visible and darker, making them less likely to fade and can also cause acne breakouts due to clogged pores and debris on the skin surface. Too much sun exposure is much more likely to inflame an acne breakout, and a tan will only temporarily mute the color of reddened pimples on the skin.
1. Choose the right sunscreen for acne-prone skin
Using the wrong sunscreen product can cause skin irritation causing more acne breakouts. Therefore, before investing in a sunscreen, it is extremely essential to know exactly which type of sunscreen will or will not suit your acne skin. People with acne often do not want to use sunscreen because it makes their skin appear oily. For oily and acne-prone skin, you should use a liquid, gel or spray sunscreen. Because they are in the form of water, they will be easily absorbed completely into the skin without leaving a creamy streak.
2. Choose sunscreen labeled oil-free
Using an oil-free sunscreen can help prevent your face from becoming oily. The term ‘noncomedogenic’ means a product free from pore-clogging ingredients. Hence you should look for this label when purchasing a sunscreen for acne-prone skin. Also, you should not use body sunscreen to apply on your face. Because body sunscreens often have a heavy and greasy texture, it is easy to cause acne.
3. Use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher
Sun Protection Factor or SPF is used to measure protection from UV rays. The higher the SPF, the more protection it can provide from the sun. Using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher will block around 95% of the UV rays. Therefore, women should apply sunscreen every day, whether it is cloudy, rainy or sunny.
4. Avoid sunscreen with PABA and oxybenzone
Sensitive skin or skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis should stay away from sunscreens containing PABA active ingredients and oxybenzone because they cause skin irritation. You should use a sunscreen of natural origin. These products use titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredient, which is less irritating to the skin than other sunscreen ingredients.
5. Use a moisturizer containing sunscreen
The addition of sunscreen to moisturizer means shortening the multi-layer skin care routine. Therefore, you will save more time and cost. A moisturizer-sunscreen product has the same sun protection effect as a standalone sunscreen.