Contents
What is Acne?
Acne is a condition that, in severe cases, can be absolutely devastating but for many, acne treatment is a part of daily life. Contrary to common belief, this condition is not restricted to teenagers alone. In fact, statistics show that cases of acne in adult women are actually on the rise.
Don’t worry, we’re not just going to approach the subject of acne treatment, but also prevention, and concealing with makeup.
To make a good self-diagnosis, it’s helpful to have a good grasp of what acne truly is.
Acne is the result of dead skin cells and sebum (oil naturally produced by skin) building up in the pores causing inflammation, resulting in a pimple. There is a seemingly endless list of potential causes and an equally long list of acne treatments, from expensive spa treatments and laser therapy to DIY home remedies. This isn’t surprising, considering this is a rather common condition and most people experience it at one point of their life or another. The more common causes are hormones and lack of proper skincare or some combination of the two.
Preventing Acne Outbreaks
The best way to prevent acne is regular skincare and good nutrition. Ensuring that your body has the proper balance of vitamins and water will help keep the PH balance both on the inside and outside of your body. If the PH of your skin is too high (alkaline), your body will overcompensate by producing more sebum than it needs, which in return, clogs your pores, resulting in acne breakouts.
Blue or red light therapy has also been scientifically proven to be effective in helping to prevent acne. Red light therapy shuts down the sebaceous glands; whereas blue light has been shown to kill acne-causing bacteria and help prevent scarring. Check the links for more info.
Another cause of PH imbalance is improper skincare. Harsh soaps can be very high alkali which strips your skin of its natural oils. That being said, you’ll want to stick to something gentle for twice a day washing.
Here’s our top 4 cleansers for acne prone skin:
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Odacite Green Ceremony Cleanser
$58.00Shop NowThis is our favorite cleanser for mature oily/combination skin that is prone to breakouts. Green Ceremony Cleanser is a Matcha + Spirulina powder that you add water to make a foam cleanser. It’s wonderful at removing makeup and impurities while detoxifying and energizing the skin leaving your skin silky smooth and fresh.
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Philosophy – Purity Made Simple
$48.00Buy Now!A very popular product you may have already heard of. We really like how clean and fresh this cleanser made us feel. You literally feel it melt away, dirt, oil, and makeup!
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Sale!
The Organic Pharmacy Peppermint Facial Wash
Original price was: $67.00.$53.60Current price is: $53.60.Shop NowThis cleanser uses the antibacterial properties of organic Peppermint Oil, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus to keep blemishes at bay for oily, combination, acne-prone skin. It leaves skin feeling fresh, clean but is also very gentle on the skin too.
After cleansing, many people skip an important step in their regimen, and that is toning, or returning the skin to its proper PH level. Most toners are liquids that you can either apply to a cotton ball and dab on your skin, or they come in a spray bottle to simply mist over your face.
Here’s our top 4 toners for acne prone skin:
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Patyka Anti-Blemish Toner
$20.00Buy Now!This lightweight toner purifies, refreshes, and rebalances the skin to regulate excess sebum production that can clog pores and lead to breakouts. It contains Botanical Salicylic Acid, which actively refines skin texture and promotes cell renewal, and reduces the appearance of scars and marks for healthier-looking skin.
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Little Barn Apothecary Bamboo + Fresh Mint Clearing Mist
$32.00Buy Now!We are a little obsessed with this toner. It gives an instant refresh to dull or oily skin. Used daily we found this clearing tonic mist to have anti-inflammatory and astringent properties which helped to heal and soothe problematic skin conditions. This mist can help your body to produce collagen, keeping your skin soft, smooth, and youthful. It’s also Vegan.
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Heritage Store Blemish Toner
$10.79Buy Now!Seriously the best salicylic acid toner I have ever tried! This is what I call breaking out the emergency kit! It does have a bit of a sting to it as it is designed for the treatment of acne. It contains salicylic acid, colloidal silver & niacinamide so it is a powerful formula for oily, problematic skin. You can use a Q-tip to target breakouts & clogged pores. Perhaps not the best for everyday use unless you have very oily skin. We started with everyday use for a week then switched to every other day.
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Alternatively to fight acne causing bacteria, try adding a few drops of tea tree oil to a small spray bottle filled with water. Even if you have oily skin, never skip the moisturizer. It’s all a matter of finding the right moisturizer for you. Something light, great for combination oily to dry skin, is a good bet and a little bit of SPF is always a good idea, because sun exposure can further irritate your acne.
Fast-Acting Acne Treatments
If you are looking for acne treatment for existing breakouts, there are a couple different spot treatments out there that work great. You have a couple different options to choose from depending on probable cause of your acne.
Salicylic acid treatments work by exfoliating the dead skin cells around the acne and is anti-inflammatory, reducing the redness and puffiness of your breakout.
We recommend:
If you are looking for acne treatment for existing breakouts, there are a couple different spot treatments out there that work great. You have a couple different options to choose from depending on probable cause of your acne.
Salicylic acid treatments work by exfoliating the dead skin cells around the acne and is anti-inflammatory, reducing the redness and puffiness of your breakout.
We recommend:
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Sale!
Clinique – Acne Solutions Clearing Gel
Original price was: $30.16.$27.45Current price is: $27.45.Buy Now!This product is great to use overnight or whenever you’re not wearing makeup and yields reliable results in just a couple of days. Dries oily skin to prevent breakouts from even occurring.
Benzoyl Peroxide is the other common option to quickly clear breakouts. It works by killing bacteria deep into the breakout. Just keep in mind that this stuff can be pretty harsh to sensitive skin. This also can take a few days to work. Acne treatments do not work overnight, despite what some might think. It takes patience to deal with a flare up of breakouts. For Benzoyl Peroxide
Treatments we recommend:
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Humane Acne Spot Treatment Gel
$16.95Buy Now!This gel works super fast to dry and clear pimples. It contains 5% Benzoyl Peroxide that helps unclog pores. We like this product because it also contains Aloe Vera Gel which is soothing and relieves redness and swelling. Unlike many Benzoyl Peroxide products, it is not overly drying. It absorbs quickly and sets to an invisible matte finish.
Don’t want to use harsh chemicals? For an All Natural option try:
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Concealing Acne Blemishes with Makeup
What if you don’t have patience and this is a beauty emergency?
In this case, you’re going to have to try your best to cover it up. The coolest thing out there is concealer that treats acne, the only problem with that is they usually don’t come in a very big variety of shades which is bad news if your skin tone is difficult to match. Try applying the treatment concealer after moisturizing, then apply your foundation over it gently, being sure as to not remove the concealer.
After you have it blended, use a very light finishing powder over your whole face to keep everything in place.
Now the hardest part, don’t touch!
Your acne won’t heal and can potentially spread or even scar if you keep touching it. Also, please make sure you remove all makeup as soon as you can, you really don’t want to tempt more pores to clog.
(Other blemish problems? Scars caused by acne? You may also want to check out our review of the best concealers for hyperpigmentation.)
![Acne By The Numbers: Interesting Acne Statistics and Treatment Ideas [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://skindeepr.com/wp-content/webpc-passthru.php?src=https://blog.mariobadescu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/acne-statistics-infographic.jpg&nocache=1)
Summing up
Acne treatments and prevention can be very difficult to deal with, cases can be minimal with a small pimple here or there, or something more more severe. If you feel you might fall into that “severe” category, it’s time to see a dermatologist.
