Let me be blunt. Adult Acne bites. I know because I’m an adult acne sufferer, just like my father was.
I used to believe that nothing I put on my face helped. Products made my face sore or dry or did nothing or — worse — made me break out. I spent buckets of money doing the old ‘buy and try’, desperately surfing store shelves, looking for something, anything, that might work. Oh, they all SAID they’d work. Buckets and buckets of money, buying and trying.
Then I learned about cosmetic ingredients and things started to turn around for me.
Brand doesn’t matter. TV commercials don’t matter. Any company can say anything they want on TV. After all, they’re paying for that commercial! What does matter – the thing that can make the difference – is what is in that cleanser or moisturizer. What that ingredient is designed to do.
Things to look for in acne products:
Salicylic acid. It’s an exfoliant. Use it in a wash, a toner or a cream. I personally prefer a wash or toner and — sometimes — I rinse off the toner. Too much might dry out your skin. Ease up and use less often than what the bottle says, if this happens. Avoid eye area.
Retinol. Apply at bed time only as it can create sun sensitivity if used during the day. Or daylight may negate its effectiveness. Avoid eye area.
Green tea. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial. Put it on and have a cup. But not too many cups – drinking buckets of green tea can be mildly toxic.
Vitamin E. Vitamin E speeds healing and can reduce scarring from forming with fresh wounds. It’s also proven in studies that acne skin has less vitamin E in its sebum than regular skin.
I hate to say it but avoid Benzoyl Peroxide. I used to actually use it and recommend it to my skincare clients. Until I found a study that showed that Benzoyl Peroxide destroys Vitamin E in sebum! In the short run, it will dry up your skin enough to get some improvement for you. In the long run, it’s not actually fixing anything.
Of course, there’s more to reducing your acne than just what you put on. And we’ll cover other areas that can help, with time. But the fact remains: what you put on acne can make it worse or better. Get products from a reliable person in the industry – someone you trust, someone with experience with many different skin types and skincare products. And if you must try before you buy, check the refund policy!
