Acne is not just on oily skin! Read that again.
Most of us associate acne with oily skin, so we tend to think that breakouts are due to hyperactive oil glands. As a result, we seek treatment in the form of over-the-counter acne products and home remedies that end up drying the acne.
If you’ve oily skin and you use acne drying treatments for your breakouts, good for you! However, if you use such products on your dry skin, it might end up worsening your acne problem.
It's no biggie! We have the right tips and care routine for your dry acne prone skin. And don’t miss out on reading the importance of understanding your skin type in the last section! Happy Healing!
So, does dry skin cause acne?
Even acne is much more likely to be associated with oily skin than with dry skin; it can also occur with dry skin.
While dry skin isn't necessarily a direct cause of acne, there are a couple of indirect ones-
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The products you use to treat one issue may worsen the other.
Cleansing products that strip oils from your skin can result in dry, flaky skin damaging the skin barrier. And moisturisers that are supposed to hydrate your skin may actually clog your pores. This leads to you ending up in a vicious cycle of using acne treatment products that end up aggravating your acne even more
Tip- Before looking for options on how to get rid of acne, it is imperative to know your skin type. Improper knowledge of appropriate skin care products for acne-prone skin is often a contributing factor to dry skin in acne patients.
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Your skin barrier damage might be the culprit.
The prime function of epidermis is to protect your skin from bacteria, external aggressors, and damage.
If the moisture barrier in your skin is damaged it makes the lipid matrix (fats and oils within your skin) less taut. The resulting gaps in the skin barrier can make it harder to keep germs out of your skin, and it does a poor job of preventing water loss from your skin and causes skin dryness. Other results of poor barrier functions are inflammation, irritation, redness, rough/discoloured patches, bacterial/viral infections, and acne.
Thus, in order to maintain your skin barrier and treat dry skin with acne, you need to maintain a healthy skincare routine that repairs and soothes your inflamed, damaged, and cracked skin.
4-step skin routine to combat acne on dry skin
1. Look for a gentle cleanser with moisturising ingredients
Before knowing how to remove acne from face, the first step to an efficient skincare routine is to select a gentle cleanser with deeply moisturising ingredients. Look for alcohol-free, non-comedogenic, sulphate-free qualities in your cleanser - as they do not damage your skin barrier and help combat acne.
Correspondingly, look for these ingredients in a cleanser -
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Glycerine
Glycerine is a humectant that helps retain moisture. Thus, keeping the skin healthy and moisturised. It also softens the skin, reduces dryness, increases hydration, and rejuvenates the skin barrier.
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Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit
The Vaccinium Myrtillus fruit has antioxidant properties that calm and soothes the skin. It hydrates the skin, reducing any sort of inflammation or redness.
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Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane Extract)
Sugarcane contains lactic and glycolic acids. These possess mild exfoliating and calming properties. Thus, they help eliminate the dead skin cells and hydrate your skin effectively.
2. Choose the best moisturiser for acne prone skin to build up the damaged skin barrier.
Next up, your moisturiser should comprise certain ingredients that help repair the damaged skin barrier. As aforesaid, the topmost layer of the skin is known as the skin barrier. It gets damaged due to several external conditions, such as a dry and humid environment, overexposure to sunlight, and other genetic factors.
Some of these "must-have" ingredients in moisturizer for dry acne prone skin are:
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Ceramides
Ceramides are naturally occurring lipids that do both protect and maintain the skin's natural barrier. Over time, ceramides are lost from the skin as the body ages, making it drier and less supple. Ceramide-containing creams and lotions can repair the skin's barrier, retain the moisture content, and relieve dryness.
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Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (or hyaluronan) helps provide the utmost water content to the skin. Hence, it deeply nourishes the upper layers of the skin, promoting a healthier and smoother appearance.
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Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
Like cocoa butter, mango seed butter comprises moisturising properties. It forms a defensive layer that helps reduce acne scars, wrinkles, stretch marks, and other signs of ageing.
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Borage Seed Oil
Borage oil is originally extracted from the seed of Borage Officinalis plants. This helps reduce skin inflammation.
3. Look for face serums packed with antioxidants and anti-acne ingredients
A face serum may be the perfect way to enhance your skincare regimen with a product that contains more active ingredients than a cleanser or moisturiser. Face serums nourish, protect, and hydrate the skin after cleansing and before moisturising.
Go for face serums packed with antioxidants and anti-acne ingredients. Antioxidants boost blood supply that helps promote younger skin, whereas anti-acne ingredients help combat acne breakouts. Thus, make sure the serum you use possesses the following ingredients.
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Granactive™
Granactive™ is an antimicrobial peptide procured from plant amino acids. It targets acne-causing bacteria to treat and heal acne lesions. This anti-acne ingredient is highly synergistic with salicylic acid, which helps soothe and cleanse the skin.
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Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of niacin (Vitamin-B), an essential component of the skin barrier. It boosts barrier function by boosting the synthesis of ceramide. It works to improve skin hydration and soothe irritated skin by preventing Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL).
Niacinamide possesses potent antimicrobial and sebum regulating properties which make it an important ingredient for acne treatment.
Tip- In case you get purging from niacinamide, you may have used too much or a product with too high a concentration (>10%) of niacinamide for your skin.
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Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid in skin care is well known for reducing acne. This soluble oil ingredient penetrates the pores to dissolve dead skin cells, excess oils, and other impurities.
At higher concentrations, salicylic acid may cause flakiness, dryness, and irritation. Consider using salicylic acid products with a lower concentration while treating acne.
4. Always finish with a sunscreen that gives excellent sun protection and hydration
If you’re going out in the sun, make sure you top it all with sunscreen. The sunscreen must be non-comedogenic and oxybenzone-free else it induces acne. Likewise, to witness a satisfactory result at the end of your routine, your sunscreen should possess these ingredients:
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Zinc oxide
SPF sunscreens with zinc oxide scatter the sun's rays, which prevents potentially harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching the skin. Since zinc oxide sunscreens sit on top of the skin and block rays physically, they are often called “sunscreen filters.”
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Physalis angulata Extract
Researchers have found that Physalis Angulata Extract is rich in antioxidant properties that slow or prevent photoaging of the skin. This ingredient has calming effects on skin and also keeps the skin hydrated.
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Titanium dioxide
Titanium Dioxide is effective at blocking UVB rays and short UVA rays. Sunscreens that come with ingredients are well tolerated by all skin types, aiming to protect the skin from the scorching rays of the sun.
Do you have a skin care routine according to your skin type?
Knowing your skin type and choosing a skincare regime that suits your needs is the first step to having beautiful skin. The majority of people do not know their skin type, which is why they use the wrong type of skincare products. Taking care of dry skin is very different from taking care of oily skin. Skin types that are not treated correctly can lead to irritated, breakout-prone, and prematurely aged skin.
Choosing the right skincare routine for your skin type is crucial to keeping your skin looking young, healthy, and beautiful. So the next time you buy a face wash, toner, serum, and moisturiser, make sure that you know your skin type and the ingredients in these products that suit your skin perfectly.
In the end, the most important aspect of getting rid of acne is consistency! The more consistent you are with your skincare routine, the better results you will see. Though it will take time, you will undoubtedly be satisfied with the outcome.
