Acne Skincare Treatments You Can Do at Home
Acne can be debilitating and demoralizing. I find that so many people would rather try to just go about working on an acne skin care treatment at home rather than reach out for help from a professional esthetician. If these people are like me when I had acne, there’s shame and embarrassment about how our skin looks; like it’s a personal failing that we can’t clear up our skin ourselves.
Acne Skincare Treatments: It’s All about What You Know
If you are looking to clear your skin and make it as healthy as possible, you need the right information on what products to use and how to use them.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about how to treat acne. Many of the products that claim to help acneic skin actually make it worse. So, I decided to put some lists together of products that I recommend to clients for their acne skincare woes.
Acne Skincare Treatments: Always Approached in Steps
The first step in any acne skincare treatment protocol is to eliminate all comedogenic, inflammatory products. Just throw them out! If your products aren’t working after a couple of months, they probably never will. Plus, they may be making your skin worse.
The next step is to get the basics; products that are acne safe and help to heal and strengthen your barrier before adding in extra hydration and active acne targeting products.
Acne Cleansing Choices
As with most treatment options, you need to start with a cleanser. The following cleansing products are ones that I frequently recommend to my clients who have any level of acne.
- Roccoco Botanicals Pore Cleansing Oil
- Roccoco Botanicals Soothing Cleansing Oil
- Roccoco Botanicals Ruby Crystal Cleanser
- AnteAGE Cleanser
-
Hale and Hush Quiet Wash
Look through these options and the descriptions for each product to determine which one you would like to try based on your skin type.
Barrier Restoring Products
If you have moderate to extreme acne, or have had in the past, it is likely that your skin will need the barrier restored. Purcell Pixcell Biom 2Billion/ml is the perfect acne safe restorative to use after you cleanse and before adding any other products.
Moisturizer and Sunscreen Choices
I am frequently still surprised by how many people with acne believe they should steer clear of moisturizers and/or SPF. They think their skin is too oily and moisturizer will just make it oilier. BUT…there is a big difference between oily skin and moisturized skin.
When skin isn’t properly hydrated, it tries to compensate by creating more oil. Healthy skin has the proper balance of hydration and lipids that prevents this excess production of oil. If you have acne, you want the right kind of moisture to tell your skin it doesn’t have to produce as much oil. And you want the sunscreen to prevent drying your skin out more and damaging it further with UV rays. Acne prone skin is particularly susceptible to UV damage, making breakouts more frequent and worse.
These are the moisturizer and SPF products I would recommend for acne skincare:
Moisturizers to Heal the Skin Barrier
SPF Choices
- TIZO AM Replenish Lightly Tinted
- TIZO AM Replenish Non-Tinted
- APRILSKIN Magic Snow Cushion
-
Kinfield Sunglow
Hydration Add-Ins
Once you feel you have the basics down and the products you chose are working well with your skin, you can add in additional hydration. Below are some additional hydration products you can choose from. It is always best to only try one at a time. If you feel that your skin needs additional hydration support, you may try adding an additional product after a couple of weeks.
- Bioheal BOH Ceramune Hydrating Cream Fluid
- Cellpure Moisture Lotion
-
Sekkisei Brightening Essence Lotion
- Bel Mondo Moisture Renewal Masks
- Anna Lotan Pro Moisture Splash
- Epicutis Lipid Serum
- Anna Lotan HA Hydration Gel
- Roccoco Botanicals Hydrating Treatment Essence
Next Steps
Once your skin barrier is healthier, it is time to add in products to help heal the skin and really get after the acne.
- Start with Purcell 82% High Dose Peptides to help the skin heal.
- If your skin is actively breaking out and you have closed comedones beneath the skin’s surface, use one of these essences/toners:
- Use this serum: Roccoco Botanicals Clarifying C Serum
- Use this moisturizer: Roccoco Botanicals Eruption Emulsion at night and continue using the Roccoco Botanicals Rescue Balm or AnteAGE Moisturizer during the day
- Twice weekly use the Roccoco Botanicals Sulfur Mask
- Sometimes it is necessary to add in Roccoco Botanicals Mandelic + Fusion a couple times a week if acne is severe.
Final Acne Skincare Treatment Advice
While all of these products are fantastic and non-comedogenic, everyone’s skin is different. Your skin may react to an ingredient that someone else will not have a problem with. If you have been using products that dehydrate the skin, your skin will purge. Once we add in hydration, all those closed comedones will come to the surface. Contrary to what you might think, this is a good thing. Those closed comedones were already there and they need to come out to heal your way to healthy glowing skin. During this time you will want to ice, use that sulfur mask I recommended, do not pick, and use hydrocolloid patches like OOTD Star Spot Patch.
Be sure to pay close attention to how your skin reacts with each new product you introduce. Sometimes you have to just go with your gut. If you suspect your skin is reacting strangely, stop the product and note the changes.
And, as always, if you want a more customized, hold your hand approach; please reach out! I am here to help you in any way I can.
