Skin Care Tips for Acne Prone Skin

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Eas, a blog reader, had requested me for some tips on skin care and make-up for acne prone skin. These are from my experience/common sense, and please keep in mind that I am not a dermatologist.

Prevention: is better than cure, as they say so I suggest you

  • Exfoliate to remove dead cells: will prevent pores from getting blocked
         Products you can try:
  1. Himalaya Gentle Exfoliating Daily Face Wash: for daily mechanical exfoliation (read review here)
  2. Garnier Light Toner: Chemical AHA exfoliant
  3. Biotique Papaya Scrub: weekly exfoliation (read review here)
  4. Aroma Magic Papaya Lotion
DIY Tip: You could also do simple steaming with water infused with a few drops of basil or lemon essential oil followed by wiping the face with a wet wash cloth dipped in the same water to remove dead cells on a daily basis

  • Face wash: choose a face wash that removes oil & bacteria without drying out the skin
        Products:
  1. Himalaya Neem face wash (havn’t tried it, but have heard great reviews)
  2. Himalaya Gentle soap free clenser for oily skin (have tried this, read review here)
  3. The Body shop tea tree face wash gel
  • Oil Blotters: During the day, keep sheets handy to absorb excess oil and wipe away dirt from the face. This will go a long way in keeping the face zit free
          Products:
  1. Kara Gentle Cleansing Wipes(be careful with these. The lotion in the wet wipe can cause more pimples sometimes, if this happens with you, change over to a dry wipe. Read review here)
  2. Oil Blotting sheets
DIY tip: I have found that good quality dry tissue paper works just as well.

  • Anti-Dandruff Shampoos: Some people get acne because of dandruff. I recommend Biotique’s Anti Dandruff Shampoo. It cleans without drying.
          Product
  1. Neutrogena has an oil-free moisturizer.
  2. Biotique Chrophyll Gel is an excellent moisturizer for oily skin. It also has aloe vera that helps treat acne. Read the review here
Also if possible, do a monthly clean-up, at home (you can follow this method) or at the parlour

    How to deal with the pesky pimple

    Ok, if despite all of the above, you have got a pimple, try the following to get rid of it:
    1. Garnier pimple pen is quite effective, at times. Read my review on it here.
    2. Lacto Calamine lotion is a very good drying agent. Dab generously on top of pimple at night. Works a little slowly though
    3. Aroma Magic make a nice pimple & acne essential oil mix. This works slowly, but over time (2-3 weeks) you can see good results
    4. My best treatment is a tinie-tiny dab of tretinion cream. You need a derm’s prescription for this.

    If the pimple has gone and left behind a mark, try the following products:
    1. Any blemish reducing cream like No Marks/Eraser
    2. Vitamin C serum (you can make this at home, the recipe is here)
    3. Vitamin A/Retiniod cream (this too needs a derm’s prescription)

    Diet: sometimes acne is a symptom due to lack of Vitamin A in the body. It could also be caused due to toxin accumulation or heat. Talk to a nutritionist to deal with these causes.

    Make-up will be covered in the next post.

    What products do you rely on? Do share your tips with me!
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    Comments

    1. I love this post :) all I can say ....u r a genius at work

      ReplyDelete
    2. Himalaya's neem face wash is really good. Another tip for oily skin is to use a soap or face wash that is lime based. Lime tends to balance the oil in your skin. :)

      My reaction is "loved it" *Hugs* :)

      ReplyDelete
    3. wonderful post buddy...
      himalaya neem face wash is really good...
      apart from that d products that i use which i wholly really on are biotiques pineapple face wash,lemon water and tretinoin..but now i have gone the au natural way and have stopped using all these products except lemon water, i use green gram flour for face and no creams...i should say my skin has started glowing..except that i have d problem of whiteheads..can u suggest me any remedies for tat??

      ReplyDelete
    4. @ divija: Hey, thks for all the heart!! U encourage me so much!

      ReplyDelete
    5. @ Rati: Thks for the tip on Himalaya Neem Facewash!! & Thks for the love!! u guys are making it all worthwhile!

      ReplyDelete
    6. @ Nags: Thks for the appreciation! Nice to wake up in the morning & read just wonderful words.. Natural products made are home are usually way better than store products due to purity & lack of chemicals.. I had written a post earlier on blackhead removal http://addictedtoblush.blogspot.com/2009/07/blackhead-removal.html

      See if this helps you!

      ReplyDelete
    7. I agree with Rati's post about using Himalaya Neem and Turmeric Cleanser. Also, I agree with your suggestion of using Neutrogena's products (especially the ones for women and adult skin). Himalaya also makes a Neem pack, which is quite effective. During my teenage years, I used to use Astara's Blue Flame Purification Mask (this was about $50 for a small jar, I think), which was very effective in treating blemishes but had a weird odor. Garnier's blue zit pen is great too as a spot treatment. And then you could always use benzoyle peroxide, zinc oxide, and salicylic acid. Clearasil creams work good too, and yes calamine lotion helps soothe the skin. Remember to cleanse, tone, and moisturize (with every other day exfoliation) to effectively battle acne. For some of us, acne will always last; best thing is to treat it and keep it under control. It helps keep the bacteria causing acne away. You could also try prescription medicines that are prescribed by some dermatologists. For left-over scars, they are usually there for life or go away with time. Concealing them is a good idea. I also used to use Mederma for scars (about Rs. 500 for a tube), but then I wasn't so regular in using it; the texture is good, but I haven't noticed dramatic changes. I have also tried NoMarks cream for scars, but it just feels good on the skin. And don't believe what some people say, alcohol might help in healing a zit, but in the end your skin is going to be horrible. Avoid alcohol-based products for sure. And green tea applied to scars can get rid of some of the redness too.

      ReplyDelete
    8. P.S.: Tea Tree Oil based products can work fine when controlling acne as well. I think they have a soap in Indian market containing tea tree oil, and you can always purchase the oil in its pure form as well and see what carrier oil will work best when mixing it. Consulting with a good dermatologist is a good idea.

      ReplyDelete

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