It’s a myth that acne shows up only during teenage and growing years. Sometimes hormonal issues, pollutants, certain skincare and even makeup products can trigger acne. Acne is quite a common skin care woe and even celebs go through bad breakouts, but they do follow certain acne-clearing tips suggested by their dermatologists. We scoured through a lot of info and have put together tips from celebs that have been suggested by their dermatologists. Take a look:
1. Choose Products with Tea Tree Oil or Salicylic Acid: To get rid of chronic acne and that too on a tight budget, choose products that contain tea tree oil or salicylic acid. Although they aren’t as fancy or fast as the in-office treatments, but do clear up most skin over a few weeks. Also, many over-the-counter products contain salicylic acid and tea tree oil (face washes for example) and are really effective in combating acne. You can also use over the counter acne clearing gels with minimal concentration of these ingredients.
2. Include Glycolic Acid in Skincare: Glycolic acid, one of the most popular AHA (alpha hydroxy acids), is a multitasker skincare ingredient because it exfoliates without causing abrasions, smooths out rough skin, and also brightens up skin tone. However, there’s a misconception that glycolic acid is only for acne-prone skin and that’s not true because it helps to maintain a smooth texture, regardless of your skin type. From refining the texture of skin to reducing melasma and hyperpigmentation, glycolic acid can do it all. But do remember to Always do a patch test before applying any skincare product, especially glycolic acid because it can cause irritation and redness on sensitive skin. Positively, consult the dermatologist if you have sensitive skin. Here’s a list of the “Best Glycolic Acid Based Products” that are available over the counter.
3. Switch to a Healthy Diet: We are sorry to have pushed this most important tip to the third position, but nothing works as well as switching to a healthy diet in clearing up acne. Check out the healthy meal plans on Rati Beauty app that not only help you to drop extra pounds, they would clear up the skin as well.
4. Facial Peels: Facial peels especially that contain papain enzymes or lactic acid help in smoothening the skin’s surface and boost radiance. It helps to unclog pores and prevent recurrence of acne. Many celebs swear by facial peels. Ask your dermatologist for more details about these peels. You can make your own Homemade Pore Tightening Lactic Acid Face Mask like this.
5. Exfoliate Gently: Avoid using harsh cleansers on acne, in fact, gentle exfoliation is a must. Dermatologists recommend using a gel-based cleanser with exfoliating beads and massaging it lightly into your skin. This clears pores, deep cleanses your skin and improves blood circulation. You can also use a wet warm wash cloth or a non-irritant cleansing brush to deeply refresh your face. In fact, you can make a soothing and acne-clearing scrub with oats like this at home.
6. Switch to Water-Based Products: Oil-free lotions and light facial serums with anti-oxidants are best suited for acne troubled skin. It’s a myth that acne prone oily skin doesn’t need moisture. Serums and oil free moisturizers lock moisture without greasiness and the anti-oxidants help to fight dull damaged skin. Also consume a lot of anti-oxidants in your diet.
7. Never Apply Toothpaste to Clear Acne: Toothpaste has become a popular overnight remedy to clear acne, but please be aware, the chemicals in toothpaste can dry out and irritate acne further, making matters rose. Never go to sleep with toothpaste on your breakouts.
8. Do Not Apply Soap on the Face: Soaps can rip away the moisture from the skin, disrupt skin’s natural barrier, and trigger more sebum production. The wisest thing would be to avoid applying soap on face and switch to gentle soap-free cleansers.
9. Moisture, Moisturize, Moisturize: Even if you have the oiliest and extremely greasy skin, never forget to moisturize the face. It’s a wrong notion that moisturizers make skin greasy, on the contrary, they help in controlling excess sebum production. The catch lies in picking a moisturizer according to your skin type. Our suggestion would be to look for water-based moisturizers and the ones specially formulated for acne-prone skin, for example, Acrofy lotion.
10. Switch to Fragrance-Free Products: Many of us want to pick up “paraben-free” products, but we should also be looking for “fragrance-free” products with the same fervour. We agree that added fragrance imparts that “feel-good factor” upon application, but it’s not so good for your skin. Parfum/fragrance either synthetic or natural, can potentially irritate your skin, disrupt the delicate pH balance, trigger acne or make the existing condition worse. Make a conscious effort to pick fragrance-free skincare and makeup products. Here’s a list of “19 Best Fragrance-Free Moisturisers for all Skin Types.”
Also, if you can afford, photodynamic treatment is the one to splurge on. Skin doctors use it for severely acne-prone celebs, who can’t wait weeks for pills or creams to work. An amino acid medication is applied to the face a blue light is shone on it, for up to an hour to activate the liquid. These light-based professional treatments mainly use blue and red light, as they have an anti-inflammatory effect and can kill bacteria in the pores. It also has a stimulating effect on new fibroblasts to help heal the skin.
19 Best Fragrance-Free Moisturisers for all Skin Types
Celebrity Dermatologist Recommended Acne Clearing Tips
