Acne. The skin condition that just won't die.

You know what I mean, acne prone people. Just when you find a regimen that seems to work, and finally your skin clears up and you feel confident and pretty and you start leave the house without makeup... it comes back. With a vengeance. Acne is a chronic condition, and it can't be cured. There are products that work, but they never seem to work forever. And no matter what you put on your skin, it seems like stress, hormones, and several other factors come into play.

Before we explore some products that are tried and true, and some options for controlling acne from the inside out, let's talk about a game plan. You'll need to switch your regimen up now & then. I know that sounds scary, because certain products will flare up your acne and others will just not do a thing to control it. But it's necessary to stay ahead of acne by keeping it on it's toes. You can have 2-3 cleansers that you cycle through. You can have 2-3 treatment products, and you can probably imagine what I'm going to say about moisturizers, toners, etc. It's okay to have a few products that you rotate. When you run out of one cleanser, you pick up one of the other two from your tried and true list. This doesn't mean always trying a new/different product. It means you test a few out to see which ones seem to work for you and the ones that work, you rotate them.

Here are some good cleansers:
I find it's best to rotate an exfoliating cleanser with a milder, anti-inflammatory cleanser. For exfoliating and deep cleansing, I love all of these:

Osea Ocean Cleansing Mudd, which is an awesome mini-mask and leaves pores squeaky clean without drying or irritating. It isn't exfoliating like the next two, but it's very purifying nonetheless. It foams up a tiny bit, and assassinates acne with powerfully detoxifying red algae. This would be great to use with a Clarisonic brush about once a week.

Another favorite is Hylunia Salicylic Cleansing Gel, a super hydrating and soothing cleansing gel armed with the standard 2% Salicylic Acid to treat acne. It's a foaming cleansing gel, but not the least bit drying or irritating like a certain Neutrogena cleanser which shall remain nameless. It works best used 2-3 times per week.

Another great exfoliating cleanser is MD Forte Facial Cleanser I. It's similar in texture to Cetaphil, sort of lotion-y and non-foaming. It's a gentle glycolic acid cleanser, glycolic is not for the very sensitive but it gives incredible results for treating acne. Used on sturdy skin, it works best 3-4 days per week alternated with a gentle cleanser.

You'll need to use a mild, non-exfoliating cleanser on a regular basis. Here are a few that calm inflammation and help speed the healing process.

My absolute favorite for combination, sensitive, acne prone skin is Hylunia Facial Cleansing Lotion. It looks like a gel, but doesn't foam, and it's full of hydrators and healing, calming ingredients. I think it leaves the skin feeling very clean but not tight or squeaky.


Drier/dehydrated skin will benefit from iS Clinical Cream Cleanser which is a richer, calming cleanser. Cleansing creams work best when applied to dry skin and then removed with water or a washcloth.


For really oily skin, I love Dermalogica's Dermal Clay cleanser. This is basically like cleansing with a clay mask, it's not for everyone, but it's great for controlling very oily, congested skin.




For aging skin & adult acne, I prefer Osea's Ocean Cleanser which is mildly foaming, with tons of b vitamis and firming algae. It smells amazing!


So now you have cleansing options, let's talk about toners. It's best to avoid grain alcohol and SD alcohol. They strip the skin, irritating it & causing inflammation and dehydration.

My favorite toner for acne is Hylunia's Colloidal Silver and Lavender Floral Water. The lavender heals inflammation and acne scarring, the silver kills bacteria without irritating. It's great as a post-gym grime remover. This is best for sensitive, inflamed acne.

Being True Essential Clarifying Tonic is a minty fresh face rinse for sensitive & acne prone skin. I like it as a morning cleanser, instead of using a real cleanser I just wet a cotton round and wipe my face clean prior to applying treatment/moisturizer/SPF. This works best for sturdy skin with active acne.

Nahla Verbena Calming Hydrosol Toner is amazing for sensitive, dry skin and aging skin. It's soothing and brightening.

As treatment products go, I prefer retinoids above all else, but it's still best to have other options for when your skin gets immune to them. First off, my FAVORITE new (new to me, anyways) serum for acne: Osmosis Clarify. Liposome delivered retinaldehyde is the absolute best retinoid on the market. I've tried prescriptions (any retinoid prescription, except accutane, I have tried it) and I have tried OTC retinoids of all types and this blows them all out of the water. It doesn't overdry or irritate my skin but it clears up my acne in record time and it's extremely affordable for such an amazingly effective treatment. I mix Skin Nutrition powder with it, it's an amino acid healing blend. My skin has never been prettier or clearer. I recommend it for anyone with acne.

Osmosis also makes several retinaldehyde serums for rosacea treatment and for age management. If you have aging skin & acne, try the Renew serum with the Acne Blend powder added. If you have rosacea, try Calm and mix in the Skin Nutrition powder.

For moisturizer, I love these:

iS Clinical Hydra Cool is a light, gooey blue hydrating gel formula. Perfect for very oily skin, humid climates and summertime, and under a moisturizer for added hydration in winter/dry climates. It's super cooling, calming, soothing, and healing.

For very sensitive, inflamed skin that is dehydrated: you need Hylunia Facial Day Lotion. It has SPF, Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate and calm, and it's light as a feather. I love it!

Men, combination/oily types, and the cream-phobics will love iS Clinical SPF 25 Treatment Sunscreen. It's moisturizing enough, but matte and not at all sticky or greasy. It will not break you out at all. It's awesome.

Got breakouts? Developing an effective daily regimen for acne

I was going to continue my focus on inflammation, but acne is a complex condition and it deserves a multi-faceted plan of attack. As I said in my last post, there are different grades of acne, different grades will respond to different products and types of treatment. I'm going to throw some recommendations out there and explain how they work, and let you choose. Some experimentation may be required to find the products that give the best results for your skin, but I've taken out most of the guesswork. I'm happy to answer questions, if you have any
                                                             
Cleansers:

SkinCeuticals Clarifying Cleanser- This cleanser exfoliates, preventing buildup of dead skin cells and controlling clogged pores. I find that it works best on blackheads and small, non-inflamed bumps (that's a technical term, right?).

Ilike Grapeseed Cleansing Milk- A milky, oil-based cleanser to help dissolve oil & makeup, with active ingredients that decrease inflammation & redness.

Osea Ocean Cleanser- Truly my favorite cleanser EVER. It gets off every trace of oil & makeup, and leaves skin super soft and comfortable. A great daily cleanser for all acne situations.

SkinScript Glycolic Cleanser- This is a turbocharged AHA cleanser, at 17% glycolic acid it's more like a peel than a cleanser. Best for grades 3 & 4. You'll need a separate makeup remover because this sucker is way too strong to use around the eyes. I'd suggest alternating this cleanser with the Ilike Grapeseed or Osea Ocean Cleanser, so as not to over-exfoliate. It's always important to give your skin time to rest & rebuild itself.

Epicuren Medicated Acne Cleanser- Once again, Epicuren created a product that I absolutely adore. One of my all time favorites for acne, it's gentle but effective. Mildly exfoliating, with the silkiest texture.


Toners:

True Clarifying Tonic- This sometimes doubles as my night time cleanser when I'm feeling particularly lazy. It's great for swiping off sweat ^& grime after the gym if you don't have time for a shower right away. It contains calming ingredients and tea tree to prevent bacteria.

Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray- For those of you that just don't "get" toner, this is your thing. A super easy spray that calms & heals the skin. Just spray it on and you're good to go.

GM Collin Deep Cleansing Solution- Sort of a hybrid between a cleanser & a toner. This contains an active ingredient that is similar to Benzoyl Peroxide (which is very effective) without being harmful. Put it on after cleansing, leave it on for a minute & rinse.

                     
Leave on treatments:

True Purifying Therapeutic Mask- Put a thick layer of this mask on the spot at night before bed and you will wake up with a much smaller, more manageable pimple.

Calendula CO2- I like to put this on all over my face at night to calm inflammation. It is BRIGHT orange so just use a tiny bit, and don't use your best sheets... Cause they will get stained. Usually I'll put a thin layer on, then use a cool compress to remove the excess. If your breakouts are grade 3 or 4, throbbing & inflamed, this is the best thing ever. 

Nelson's Acne Gel- A tiny bit of this on the spot during the day= perfect treatment for inflamed acne to keep it under control. Also nice around the jawline as a zone-treatment for hormonal acne.

Diacneal- And now enter the big guns. This is the best, strongest over-the-counter acne treatment I've ever tried. It's no joke. Very strong retinaldehyde & AHA treatment. A little goes a long way. Use it at night, 4-6 nights per week all over to treat stubborn grade 3 & 4 acne.

Tazorac (prescription, discuss with your dermatologist before using)- Now here's the thing about Tazorac: be prepared to peel like a molting snake. Yes. For weeks. Use it at night only, always slather on a rich moisturizer first and apply a little Tazorac on top (avoid eyes & lips), and skip a night or two a week to give your skin breathing time. During your molting period you'll want to carry a tube of moisturizer with you and apply it several times per day. You'll need this stuff under your moisturizer in the day time, too.


IS Clinical Pro Heal Advance + Serum- Use this every morning under your moisturizer to help prevent inflammation and breakouts, and treat acne scarring. This serum is god damn amazing.


Moisture & SPF:

Osea Atmosphere Protection Cream- My favorite all-around moisturizer of all time. Super light, super gentle, just awesome.

SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50- A mineral-based light fluid sunscreen. 

Somme Double Defense- A quick-absorbing, nice light textured combo moisturizer + SPF.

Other good stuff:

Osea Red Algae Mask- Use it a few times a week to decongest & detoxify clogged pores and breakout prone skin.

Astara Golden Flame Mask- Use it overnight once a week to calm & soothe irritated and inflamed skin. It's very hydrating and healing.

Hepar Sulphuris Calcareum- Homeopathy works. This stuff is a total godsend for inflammatory acne conditions. Just take a few sugar pellets under your tongue, sit back and watch the magic happen.