As if the ordeal of having acne-prone skin is not enough, you then add skin sensitivity, and you are presented with skin that is finicky to deal with. With sensitive skin, you have to handpick what you use on your skin. In today’s post, we will be discussing how to take care of sensitive acne-prone skin. So 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 Take Care Of Sensitive Acne Prone Skin
Sensitivity can be experienced by anyone and any skin type. The term simply describes skin that reacts adversely to products, skincare practices, and environmental factors that are easily tolerated by others.
Many times sensitive skin is a by-product of a damaged skin barrier. The skin barrier can be damaged from the normal aging process, genetics, medical conditions like rosacea, atopic dermatitis, and damaging skincare practices like over-exfoliation, and harsh skincare ingredients.
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When you have sensitive acne-prone skin, you experience redness, dryness, itching, rashes, and a burning sensation when you use certain products so having a gentle routine is key here and the aim is to not aggravate an already angry skin.
Read More: 7 signs of skin sensitivity you should know about
Below are simple ways to cater to sensitive acne-prone skin.
1) Patch Test Every Product
For some very sensitive skin types, even some mild products still irritate their skin. Doing a patch test when introducing any new skincare product to your skin is very important. Pick a very sensitive area and apply a dime-size amount of product and evaluate your skin after 24 hours.
2) Cleanse with Mild Cleansers
With sensitive acne-prone skin, harsh cleansers with high concentrations of active ingredients, and drying alcohols and surfactants are a NO-NO. Any cleanser that leaves your face feeling dry and tight afterward is too harsh for your skin. A low pH cleanser is recommended, if tolerated then, cleansers with low concentrations of skin actives can be used. The aim here is to avoid drying out your skin when it is already dehydrated.
3) Avoid Over Cleansing the Face
In addition to the above point, you also want to avoid over-cleansing your face. Any time we wash our face, we strip off natural oils from the skin, and many times sensitive skin is already deprived of these natural oils. Cleansing your skin twice a day is ideal for oily skin to rid the face of impurities and keep the poor unclogged, cleansing more often than this, will leave you with excessive dryness
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4) Use Milder Acne Treatments
Many medications and skincare products used in the treatment of acne are too irritating for those with sensitive skin. The trick here is to avoid the very potent formulations and opt for milder ones instead, or just avoid them outright. For example, using prescription-strength retinoids like tretinoin may be too irritating, using milder forms like retinyl palmitate, encapsulated retinol or azelaic acid are less irritating acne treatments. Another one is opting for less irritating acne spot treatments like those containing sulfur than using ones with benzoyl peroxide which is very drying.
5) Use More Rinse off Products than Leave on ones
For sensitive skin, the less contact time it has with certain products the less the irritation. So for products like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, rather than getting the gels and lotions, use the cleansers instead, but when your skin can handle it, you incorporate the leave-on forms. Good options are the Cerave acne foaming cream cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide and the Cerave renewing SA cleanser.
6) Avoid Over Exfoliation
Any form of over-exfoliation can worsen your skin condition. Using rough face clothes, a physical exfoliant that causes micro-tears, cleansing tools, and high strength or too frequent chemical exfoliant can all strip the skin barrier too thin, leaving you dehydrated and prone to irritants easily penetrating the skin, We don’t want that.
7) Avoid Using Too many Products at once
Using too many products at once will accentuate the effects of each product, leaving you with more irritation. Another downside to this is that you won’t be able to identify an offending skincare product in the event of an adverse reaction. Ensure you are also introducing one product at a time into your skincare routine.
8) Start Slow with All Actives
When introducing even the mildest of skincare products, it’s best to start very slow. I can’t stress this enough. Give your skin time to gradually build a tolerance to the product and then gradually increase the frequency.
9) Moisturize Your Skin Always
Every skin type benefits from regularly moisturizing the face. While it doesn’t sound logical to moisturize acne-prone skin, skipping this will cause your oil glands to produce more oils to attempt to optimize your skin’s hydration levels. Now, thIs entails more clogged pores and acne breakouts. To avoid this, use a gel-like moisturizer or lightweight lotion and stay away from heavier creams and oils that clog the pores.
10) Use Products with Skin Barrier repairing ingredients
The skin barrier can be likened to a brick wall, with the bricks made up of skin cells and the mortar made up of the lipid matrix. This is the portal of entry and exit of skincare products and water. The lipid matrix is comprised of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. When any of these get depleted, the skin barrier loses its integrity, and let’s just say “all hell will be let loose”
Ingredients like Niacinamide, Centella Asiatica, hyaluronic acid, squalene, and ceramides all support the skin barrier and should be incorporated into your skincare regimen as needed.
See ya,
I’m Dr Janet, a medical doctor, blogger, Youtuber and a mother to two awesome kids. I help women achieve their natural hair, skincare and health goals.
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