Many different age groups and skin types suffer from mild, moderate or severe acne and almost all of us have been there at one time or another.
Most common in teens, acne often shows up along with the introduction of sex hormones that stimulate oil production in the skin.
It can also show up in menopausal women as adult acne for the same reason, a shift and change in hormones. The truth is acne at any age is frustrating, embarrassing and can seem like an uphill battle.
Most people can relate to the fact that it seems the more you try and treat acne with harsh topical medications or scrubs, the worse it becomes.
The idea that having acne means that ones skin is somehow “dirty” or “greasy” often causes us to go straight for the strongest products we can find to kill bacteria and strip our skin almost cleansing it half to death.
There has to be a better way, right? Listed below are the top three most common mistakes people make when trying to treat their acne.
#1: Over Cleansing.
Somehow we’ve been programed to think that having acne means we have dirty skin. Most likely an idea that was placed in our minds purposely to encourage the purchasing of products that claim to clean our skin of dirt, grime and gunk. The truth is acne prone skin is not dirty, it is inflamed and congested and therefor needs some major TLC.
When talking facial cleansers you typically have three options...
-Gel cleanser.
-Foam cleanser.
-Cream cleanser.
Typically acne type cleansers are gel that lathers and foams up a ton when used. These cleansers are the strongest of all since they remove and strip the skin of all oil. That’s where you get that squeaky clean feeling from. These cleansers typically leave you feeling tight, dry and itching to slather on some moisturizer ASAP before your face begins to crack.
However, your skin needs oil. Sebaceous glands in the skin produce oil as a natural lubricant, cleaner, and barrier for the skin. Without it the skin is actually more vulnerable to environmental damage and bacteria.
Your skin quickly senses the lack of protection after all the oil has been removed and the oil glands kick into hyper drive to replace what was taken away. This is why most people start to feel extremely oily mid-day and can hardly wait to go home and cleanse all over again...it’s a vicious cycle! Too much oil being produced will actually stimulate more clogs and breakouts, all while drying out the skin and making it vulnerable to damage. Not a good option.
The best option is actually a cream type cleanser that does not foam. This will still clean the skin, but will not strip it of all the healthy oils the skin needs! In turn the oil glands will calm down and produce a more normal amount of oil which will reduce breakouts and ensure the skin is feeling much more balanced throughout the day.
#2: Exfoliating.
Continuing to follow the idea that our skin is somehow dirty, a very popular product used by most who suffer with acne is facial scrubs. Simply put, these types of products should either be thrown out or used up on your feet, knees or elbows because they do not belong on your face!
Especially for those who struggle with acne, scrubs are just so not the way to go. They create microscopic lesions in the top layer of skin which stimulates a healing response, increasing inflammation. The beads pick up and spread bacteria to other open pores and follicles in the skin, spreading and worsening breakouts.
In the long term facial scrubs thin the skin and make it more vulnerable to damage. This being said, one of the main problems with acne prone skin is the extra thick layer of dead skin cells on top, this is fact. So how do we get rid of this build up without scrubbing? Acids.
Sounds a little scary and aggressive right? Well acids like Lactic or Glycolic for example come from natural sources such as milk and sugar cane and are actually more beneficial for the skin than scrubs will ever be.
Lactic acid is a great option for those with acne who also struggle with dryness as this acid increases hydration in the skin, drawing moisture.
Glycolic acid is a great option for those with acne who struggle with excessive oil production, or those with adult acne as this acid is widely used for anti-aging purposes.
The acids dissolve dead surface cells, kill bacteria and actually stimulate the skin to renew at a faster rate. So the more often you use acids the more often you’ll have new skin!!
For those who may be wondering I did not list Salicylic acid here as I believe it removes too much oil from the skin and can continue to stimulate further oil production.
#3 Depriving the skin.
Our skin is the largest organ of the body, yet it is last to receive any nutrients from the foods we take in. It also takes one heck of a beating with environmental damage such as UV light, pollution, cold and heat extremes and so on.
Our skin needs topical nutrition and protection to be able to function properly. Vitamin A, C and E for example assist in healthy cell function, DNA repair and antioxidant protection.
However most people struggling with acne are overly focused on using cleansing type products that contain medications like peroxide, antibiotics, scrubs and harsh cleansers that they forget to nourish their skin all together.
Skin that is suffering from acne is inflammed, damaged and stressed so feeding it high quality nutrients to repair and calm makes sense doesn’t it?
High quality, medical grade skin care is a must when treating acne. A regular home care routine with the proper products will do most of the work!
