How to Layer Skincare Products For Acne

Hey, lovelies, welcome or welcome back here. I made a couple of blog posts here and videos on my youtube channel on acne treatments like Differin gel, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid and I got a lot of questions regarding how to layer skincare products for acne. So I decided to make this post. If this is something you would like then;

Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or something… and let’s dive in

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Table of Contents

How to Layer Skincare Products For Acne

There are many good acne treatments you can get over the counter, but pairing them correctly in your skincare routine is essential to reaping the benefits of these treatments. Done wrongly, they could do more harm than good.

Most skincare ingredients don’t play nice together but can be incorporated into your skincare routine by using them on opposite sides of your routine i.e some used in the morning, and others at night.

Morning Skincare Routine For Acne

Acne arises from clogged pores and the cause of clogged pores is multifactoral.it is primarily driven by an increase in androgen levels. Certain medical conditions could leave you acne-prone(PCOS )as well as certain harmful skincare practices. Getting your acne under control entails keeping all the above-mentioned in check.

One of the ways to achieve that is by having a simple morning skincare routine that works.

When you deal with acne, your morning skincare routine should not only treat the condition but should also protect the skin from environmental pollutants.

I will share two simple morning routines that work for acne. These are the same steps I use for my acne-prone skin as well. They vary based on the skincare products you have.

Morning Routine 1

Cleanse with a low PH cleanser like the Cerave foaming cleanser. Oily acne-prone skin usually handles foaming cleansers nicely. This cleanser removes oils without stripping the skin, which is exactly what we want. While many people may rave about how just rinsing their face with only water in the mornings works well for them, for those of us who are very acne acne-prone that may spell doom for our pores.However, lathering just once in the mornings is more than enough.
Next, you apply a benzoyl peroxide gel. A good one is the one I use, the clean and clear Persa gel 10 but this may be too strong for you if you are just new to benzoyl peroxide.
Try the Paulas Choice regular strength skin-clearing treatment with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide instead. Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial agent that targets acne-forming bacteria.
Benzoyl peroxide could be applied thinly across the whole face or as a spot treatment. If you deal with inflammatory acne (those red painful bumps) then you need this ingredient in your skincare routine.

Now you go in with an oil-free moisturizer, the one I love is the COSRX oil-free moisturizer. It contains birch sap that calms inflammation while keeping the skin moisturized.
Next, you apply sunscreen of at least SPF 30 a very lightweight one is the etude house Sunprise mild airy finish sunscreen It is a 100% mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

How to use benzoyl peroxide for acne to see results

Morning Routine 2

Cleanse with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser like the Cerave acne wash or the Panoxyl acne wash, both contain 4% benzoyl peroxide. Because they are both rinse-off products, rinsing off too quickly would defeat the aim. So leave on for 2-3 minutes to give them ample time to do their magic.
Next, you go in with the same lightweight moisturizer and sunscreen as in the first morning routine.

PIin For Later

Evening Skincare Routine For Acne

Our skin renews itself at night so the evening skincare routine should focus on doing that as well. However, pairing the skincare ingredients correctly is key

I’m a strong advocate for double cleansing oily acne-prone skin. So we start by double cleansing with a cleansing balm like the banila Co clean it zero. It breaks down makeup and excess oils without leaving a film.
Follow up with a foaming cleanser. You could use the same foaming cleanser you used in the morning or opt for a foaming cleanser with a little ummp! like the Cerave renewing SA cleanser. This has salicylic acid as well as Vit D to help with the sloughing off of dead skin cells. If you deal with acne, with a slice of textured skin, then you need this cleanser in your routine.

At this point, your routine will vary slightly depending on whether you are using a retinoid or not. Retinoids are a first-line medication in the management of acne. Regardless of its benefits, you don’t want to use this ingredient too often to minimize irritation. This is where using it on alternate nights comes into play.

Evening skincare routine with retinoids

Next, you apply a retinoid, for acne-prone skin, the Differin gel with 0.1% adapalene is awesome. It can go into pores, unclog them, increase skin cell turnover rate, and induce collagen, just wonderful. As with all retinoids, this can be very drying so do well to moisturize afterward.

A good evening moisturizer is the Naturium gel-cream with 5% niacinamide.

Evening Skincare Routine Without Retinoids

After double cleansing, you apply a salicylic acid exfoliant like the Paulas Choice BHA liquid exfoliant

Follow this up with a lightweight moisturizer.
And there you have it, a simple way to layer skincare products for acne in your skincare routine.

I hope with this post you can start a simple yet effective skincare routine for your acne-prone skin that will help to keep those bad boys under control.

See you in the next post.