Is Your Skincare Making Your Acne Worse?

Everything that is going into your body shows on your face – so everything that’s going onto your face definitely shows! Though you may think your routine is perfect, your skincare could be making your acne worse.

What’s In Your Skincare Products?

Check the back of your skin care bottles? Where did you buy it? Why did you buy it?

Depending on where you purchased your skincare products the results will change dramatically! If you buy from a clinic then your products will likely be cosmeceutical (though not all of them). This means they can actively change the skin. For example, higher potency of retinol which can help boost collagen and skin resurfacing.

If you purchased your products from a pharmacy or department store, then they are cosmetic, therefore cannot change the skin and are likely not regulated.

Skincare Ingredients To Avoid

Without a consultation with a skincare specialist, it is very difficult for you to know exactly what is going on with your skin. Finding the underlying cause of your acne is very important to helping to stop it. As a rule of thumb, certain ingredients can dry out or aggravate acne and are best avoided in store bought products:

Alcohol – A common one but certain types of alcohol are very drying. Alcohol is very common in pharmacy cleansers such as Ethanol. Dry skin can lead to acne as well as fine lines and wrinkles!

Mineral Oil – Like most oils, mineral oil can clog your pores leading to breakouts. Even though certain oils (like coconut) are natural, they still block pores and lead to inflammation and redness.

Sulphates – Sulphates are found in many pharmacy skin care and shampoos. Sulphates can severely irritate the skin and eyes and can be carcinogenic. They are toxic to the body and cause dryness to the skin. This can result in lines wrinkles and acne. They dry out the scalp leading to oily and greasy hair.

What To Use On Acne Skin

Everyone is different, but typically your acne skin hero is salicylic acid!

Salicylic acid is definitely considered a miracle ingredient whether you suffer with acne or not! Salicylic acid comes from the same family as aspirin which came from trees!

Salicylic acid is a natural enzyme exfoliant and helps to break down dead skin cells which can clog pores and cause breakouts. It also reduces inflammation and clears out pores reducing spots and congestions.

Are you suffering with acne or finding that things are irritating your skin? Schedule a consultation with our skin health specialist today!