Top 10 Tips for Caring for Acne-Prone Skin

Diet plays a crucial role in determining the condition of your skin. Stay away from oily and sweet foods, such as french fries, fried chicken, chocolate, sweets, carbonated drinks, and spicy items like hot peppers. What your skin needs is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and staying well-hydrated. Consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables not only benefits your skin but also supports your digestive system.

Sleep and sleep duration play a vital role in protecting facial skin. A good night's sleep helps with skin regeneration and recovery, improving the condition of damaged skin. Conversely, lack of sleep or staying up late can lead to dull skin, accelerating the aging process. Factors contributing to acne will emerge, intensifying the severity of acne-prone skin.

It's essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle, adhere to biological rhythms, avoid stress, and limit late-night activities. This ensures both health and beautiful skin.

After washing your face, use a suitable moisturizer for your skin. Avoid applying moisturizer immediately after washing your face; wait for about 10-15 minutes before applying it. Don't assume that if you have acne-prone skin, you should keep your face dry all the time. Use a moisturizer that suits your skin type; for oily skin, opt for a moisturizing gel, and for dry skin, use a cream. Moisturizing helps keep your skin well-hydrated without feeling greasy and uncomfortable.

For oily, acne-prone skin, prioritize moisturizers that are oil-free. Look for products labeled “FREE-Oil” on moisturizers, sunscreens, and makeup. Additionally, prioritize products labeled NON-comedogenic to reduce the risk of breakouts.

To shield oily, acne-prone skin from bacteria and dirt, the first step is to cleanse your face properly regularly, twice a day, with a facial cleanser. Wash your face with lukewarm water, avoiding hot water, which can dry out your skin. Be gentle while washing to prevent potential skin damage. The cause of acne is not only oily and dirty skin, so washing your face frequently doesn't guarantee an acne-free complexion.

Additionally, it's essential to cleanse your face after exercising or engaging in vigorous activities that cause excessive sweating. Sweat can stimulate the development of acne. If water and a facial cleanser are not available, you can use a damp cloth to wipe your face after intense physical activity. However, prioritize using unscented wet wipes to avoid skin irritation.

When choosing a facial cleanser for acne-prone skin, opt for a gentle cleansing type, as too many cleansing agents can trigger increased oil production. If regular facial cleansers do not help reduce excess oil on the skin, you can try those containing acids such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or beta-hydroxy acid. These facial cleansers are suitable for long-standing oily, acne-prone skin. However, it's advisable to buy a small tube for a trial to check for any potential skin irritation caused by these ingredients.

Applying a face mask helps nourish the skin, making it radiant and visibly reducing acne. Using a mask specifically designed for acne-prone skin will show you the positive effects of consistently applying a good mask. Applying a mask once a week can enhance the beauty of your skin.

As you may already know, dead skin cells are the cause of clogged pores, dull skin, and acne. Exfoliating helps remove these dead skin cells from your skin, making it cleaner. However, exfoliation should only be done once a week.

When choosing an exfoliating product for acne-prone skin, be cautious. Avoid products with strong cleansing agents and fragrances. Instead of using harmful chemical products, you can explore natural ingredients such as turmeric, green tea, and lemon for effective skincare.

Your hands are the most exposed to dirt and bacteria. That's why you should absolutely avoid touching your face, especially areas with acne. Besides spreading bacteria, touching acne can indirectly irritate and worsen them. If the pustules are inflamed, it can lead to infection and increase scarring risk.

Hands can easily touch your face without you realizing what you're doing. Be vigilant against resting your forehead or chin on your hands while sitting at a desk or table, and avoid resting your face on your hands in bed at night. Limit the habit of using your hands to support your chin or face.

Rose water helps control excess oil on the skin and temporarily tightens pores, making it ideal for those with oily and acne-prone skin with enlarged pores. However, it's recommended to apply rose water on oilier areas like the T-zone, avoiding drier areas on the face.

You can soak a cotton pad with rose water and gently wipe your face and neck. This step should be done after cleansing and before applying moisturizer or acne treatment cream.

Sunlight is one of the environmental factors contributing significantly to acne and damaging our skin. Using sunscreen not only helps the skin deal with UV rays but also prevents acne and the aging process effectively.

Even on cool days, many people think there is no sunlight affecting the skin. However, in reality, whether it's sunny or cool, there are harmful rays for the skin. Therefore, before going out, don't forget to apply sunscreen. Acne-prone skin has weaker resistance and is more vulnerable to UV rays, so you should use sunscreen or protective clothing to shield your skin when going out.

Remember to use sunscreen every time you go out, choosing those with an SPF index of 30 or higher that are non-greasy and non-comedogenic. However, pay attention to selecting products that are easily absorbed and do not clog pores; otherwise, your skin may face more serious issues.

Knowing that acne-prone skin has many flaws, and everyone wants to conceal it under a layer of makeup. However, excessive makeup can make the skin feel extremely suffocated and uncomfortable. If you have acne-prone skin, it's advisable to limit heavy makeup. Even better, avoid using makeup unnecessarily.

When choosing cosmetics, also avoid products containing oil. These include:

• Extracts, natural oils containing Oleic Acid: almond oil, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, fat berry oil... Despite their excellent moisturizing properties, these acids can cause acne.
• Oils containing Linoleic Acid: sunflower seed oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, grape seed oil...

The reason for avoiding cosmetics with oil components is that they can easily clog pores. This creates favorable conditions for bacteria causing acne to thrive and proliferate on the skin, making the acne condition worse.

When it comes to treating acne, a specialized product for this issue is essential. These products contain active ingredients that can deeply impact acne spots, promoting rapid drying to facilitate easy removal without causing much damage to the skin. Other skincare products only serve a supportive role but cannot replace the role of specialized products.

Oily and acne-prone skin often go hand in hand. Using acne treatment cream can also improve your large pores. While it may be challenging to shrink pores completely, you can make them slightly smaller. You can use acne treatment gels containing: Retinoids, salicylic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). Gel-based formulations reduce the sensation of heaviness and excess oil on oily and acne-prone skin. Creams that both treat acne and minimize pores often contain ingredients like Retinoids and salicylic acid, helping minimize enlarged pores.

Squeezing pimples is a common mistake people often make. Why? Squeezing pimples at home can lead to the following consequences: introducing bacteria from hands and squeezing tools into the wound, causing inflammation and swelling, rupturing the skin structure, negatively impacting the acne spots.

Pimples not thoroughly squeezed will continue to spread, not be eradicated, and result in dark spots and scars left by the acne. Squeezing pimples at home is unhygienic and worsens the acne condition. In the case of mature pimples, you can seek the advice of dermatologists or visit a spa for professional acne care and extraction.