If you’ve ever struggled with acne/breakouts you’ll know exactly how hard it is to find a solution and many times it feels like there isn’t an answer, especially when you’re trying out all the products recommended to you and none of them work. So, what do you do?
Too much astringent
Well, there is a few reasons for this and the first may be because the cleansing/acne product you’re using has too much astringent causing your skin to dry out and be stripped of all of its natural oils. Removal of oil may feel like a you’re solving the problem because your natural inclination is to remove the things that make your skin feel clogged but its actually counter-intuitive because removing oil from your skin causes damage to your moiuste barrier.
Your moiustre barrier cotains good bacteria which help to prevent breakouts. So, when you strip your skin of this you’re also taking away some of the natural defences that would usually help to protect your skin during a breakout.
You may be thinking ‘so why does the same product work for other people then?’ well the thing is that a strong astringent does have the ability to clear up a breakout but the side effects don’t really change. Even if it managed to clear someone else’s skin, their skin still does become sensitive and lose healthy bacteria, making them prone to worse breakouts down the line.
Over exfoliation
Next we have over exfoliation. Although exfoliation/getting rid of dead skin cells is an important part of anyone’s skincare routine, doing it too often means your skin doesn’t have enough time to repair itself and can cause you to have very sensitive, unprotected skin which just means your breakouts can get worse and happen more frequently.
The best way to prevent this is to simply use an exfoliate that has a lower percentage of the main exfoliating ingredient. I think it’s important to use an exfoliate daily hence, using something that is more gentle on your skin is the best way to go about it. It’s also important to remember that just because a product is very potent, it doesn’t mean it’s going to get you the skin you want faster. Slow and steady usually wins the race!
You’re using the wrong product
This is kind of an additional point to the one previous but you HAVE to remember that not every product is going to work for every skin. Do not be disheartened if salicylic acid doesn’t work for you, why not try benzyl peroxide or even prescription instead? Skin is a really complicated matter and it is really important, when dealing with a skin condition, to keep moving forward. So, just because one things doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean that nothing will.
