Best ingredients you need in your Acne skincare routine.

As we have covered most of our skincare 101's it is time we see which ingredients are going to help you combat acne and decrease the breakouts. This post will deal with the basic understanding of acne, causes, ingredients which help acne prone skin and how to select products when you have acne and how you can form a routine and products available in the market which has helped me with my acne journey. As someone who has seen my skin go through the worst breakouts and still continues to I do want to tell all you beautiful people that acne does not make you less beautiful and I know self acceptance and self love are very difficult to achieve but hopefully we do accept ourselves the way we are and the motto of this post is not to tell you that having acne is a flaw or it makes you less beautiful. Before we go on with the post I would like to put a disclaimer that I am not a dermatologist or skincare specialist and this post is not meant to be taken as a medical treatment and this post is only supposed to be for general information. Now, lets see what is acne and its scientific meaning. 

    According to WebMD; "Acne vulgaris is the medical name for common acne- the presence of blackheads, whiteheads, and other types of pimples on the skin. The most common spots for breakouts are the face, chest, shoulders, and back. Although mild acne may improve with over-the-counter treatments, more severe forms should be treated by a dermatologist." 

    According to Mayo Clinic; "Acne typically appears on your face, forehead, chest, upper back and shoulders because these areas of skin have the most oil (sebaceous) glands. Hair follicles are connected to oil glands. The follicle wall may bulge and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead may look like dirt stuck in pores. But actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns brown when it's exposed to the air. Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected with bacteria. Blockages and inflammation deep inside hair follicles produce cyst like lumps beneath the surface of your skin. Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands, aren't usually involved in acne."

    Acne is most common among teenagers but it is seen amongst all ages. Acne is a very persistent condition which not only causes physical scars and skin problems but also causes lot of emotional distress. 

Common causes of acne: 

1. Excess oil production
2. Oil and dead skin cells clogging hair follicles
3. Bacteria
4. Inflammation

Apart from these common causes there can be things which can trigger acne like hormonal changes, medications, diet, stress, etc. 

 

Ingredients which helps you control acne:

1. Benzoyl peroxide: It is a very common ingredient which is found in most acne based products. This is a very effective ingredient but could be very drying. You can get a benzoyl peroxide based facewash which could be less drying and also effective.
2. Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid or as it is commonly known as BHA is one of the most commonly used ingredient by people who have oily and acne prone skin. BHA is an oil soluble ingredient which helps unclog pores. There are several products which are available with BHA like serums, facewash, face mask, etc.
3. Niacinamide: Niacinamide is another excellent ingredient as it regulates oil and sebum production in your skin. The Niacinamide and Zinc combination will be beneficial for acne prone skin as even zinc works towards regulating excessive sebum production in skin.
4. Sulfur: It works in a very similar to Benzoyl peroxide and its found in some acne treatments.
5. Vitamin A: Vitamin A were initially introduced as a way to treat acne and they are known to increase cell turnover. 
6. Azelaic Acid: This ingredient is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps increase cell turnover and brightening property.
7. Zinc: Zinc is an amazing ingredient for regulating oil and sebum production. It is extremely helpful for oily skin. 
8. Lactic Acid: This ingredient helps in controlling control of pimples and acne, improves skin texture, smoothing skin. This is best suited for people who have acne and their skin type is dry. 

 

My experience:

    I have been suffering with acne since the past two-three years and started skincare routine in the month of June 2020. I started my skincare routine not knowing a lot about skincare but as time passed I tried a lot of products as recommended by influencers but after nothing worked. It is after this that I started doing my own research and look up dermatologist videos which talk about ingredients and which products works and not. I have oily acne prone skin and after going through a lot of products I have finally found products which have worked for me. Acne is a persistent issue which does take time to heal and you need to give products time to work. Also I want to add this point that it is very important to select a moisturizer which suits your skin type. I have written a separate blog regarding this which you can read. My current routine is as follows:

AM: Re'equil oil control facewash, Minimalist Hyaluronic acid, Minimalist Vitamin C serum, Minimalist Moisturizer and Bello Photostable Sunscreen. 

PM: Plum cleansing balm, Re'equil oil control facewash, Hyaluronic acid serum, Minimalist Tranexamic acid serum, Minimalist 5% Niacinamide serum, Minimalist Moisturizer and Vaseline petroleum jelly. 

On Tuesday and Friday I use Minimalist BHA serum as an exfoliator and twice a month the Minimalist AHA PHA BHA peel. 

    I hope you guys found this post helpful❤ Do let me know what you think of this post and do comment what you guys would like to read about in future posts.

Link to products mentioned and available in the market: 

1. Re'equil Oil Control Facewash
   
2. Re'equil Fruit AHA BHA Facewash
   
3. The Derma Co 2% Salicylic Acid Mask (I haven't personally used this mask but it seems useful for people who do not want to include a separate serum and masks are helpful for oily skin.)
   
4. Dr. Sheth's Clarifying Sulphur Face Mask
   
5. Minimalist BHA serum
   
6. Minimalist 10% Lactic Acid serum
   
7. Minimalist AHA 25%+PHA 5%+BHA 2% (This is a very strong chemical peel so this is not recommended for beginners and if you guys do want to know my thoughts about this products let me know I will write a detailed post on this.)
   
8. Minimalist 10% Niacinamide+Zinc
   
9. Minimalist 5% Niacinamide
   
10. Deconstruct Pore Control Serum (This is an amazing option for someone who is on a budget and also does not want to buy separate serums. This contains 2% BHA and 3% Niacinamide.)
    
11. Deconstruct Breakout Control Serum
    
12. Deconstruct Exfoliating Serum 18% AHA + 2% BHA