How To: Acne Prone Skin

No more hiding behind makeup or hair or hands! Clear skin really is attainable and is simpler than you might think! I have learned these tips and tricks from various sources throughout the years and would like to share my knowledge with you! This is also my skin care routine and has really worked to heal my skin! I am acne prone and oily but finally have my skin under control!

First Step - You need a good GENTLE cleanser! You don't want anything that is going to strip your skin of its natural oils. Stripping your skin leads to more oil production and therefore more clogged pores and breakouts. This always scared me because I liked the feeling of squeaky clean skin. Some Cleansers I like are: NEUTROGENA EXTRA GENTLE CLEANSER, BOOTS BOTANICS BRIGHTENING CLEANSER and CLINIQUE EXTRA MILD CLEANSER.

Step Two: You need to exfoliate your skin. This may not be in the way you are used to. Scrubs can aggravate breakouts further and cause micro-tears in the skin, leading to increased breakouts. Not to mention they cause a lot of redness. Instead, use an exfoliating lotion. A great exfoliant for acne prone skin is Salicylic Acid. This is found in many acne products. Some great ones are: NEUTROGENA 3 IN 1 HYDRATING ACNE TREATMENT, CLEARASIL OVERNIGHT SERUM and CLINIQUE MILD CLARIFYING LOTION.

Step three: If you have persistent breakouts, you need to kill the bacteria on the surface before it can cause them. To do this, use a Benzoyl Peroxide. This is again very common in acne treatments but a good formulation is key to prevent the drying effects it has. Some I like are PANOXYL AQUAGEL, CLINIQUE ACNE SOLUTIONS LOTION and CLINIQUE EMERGENCY GEL/CREAM. Benzoyl Peroxide comes in different strengths. The lowest is a 2.5% (which is in the Clinique Solutions Lotion and can be found in Panoxyl's MILD aquagel) and is good for sensitive skins prone to drying. Next is 5% which is the average amount and the highest is 10%. Most people can't handle the 10% as it is very strong. Always start with a lower one and work your way up if needed.

Step four: A good moisturizer with sunscreen. Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide can both increase skins sensitivity to the sun so a good sunscreen is essential! Its pretty tricky to find a sunscreen that isn't greasy and won't cause breakouts. I've managed to find a few that work for me: CLINIQUE CITY BLOCK 25, NEAUTROGENA TONE CORRECTING MOISTURE SPF 30 and AVEENO ULTRA CALM SPF 30. Make sure to find a sunscreen that you like the feeling of so you will use it everyday!

Options: Start with an eye cream early! It's easier to prevent than to correct! I like MAC MOISTURE LUSH eye cream. Also, add a serum if your skin can handle it without feeling heavy or greasy. A serum will add extra healing properties like antioxidants to your skin to make it overall healthier and prevent/help correct aging. ISOMERS LABORATORIES makes great serums at decent prices for every age! I use the Copper-P and Vitamin C & E serums. Retinol is another great product for acne prone skin and is in the NEUTROGENA TONE CORRECTING MOISTURE. It helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and clear out pores at the same time.

I hope these help you out, they have certainly helped me! My skin is clear and healthy! Let me know your opinions, and add me as a friend :)

I originally posted this on my Luuux Page: http://www.luuux.com/health-beauty/tips-tricks-acne-prone-skin?blog_id=12048