One of the most common complaints of even the best acne products is that they irritate and dehydrate the skin.  People tend to stop using their acne products when their skin gets dry and peely, so they never get completely clear, nor do they stay clear.  I want to go over some strategies that can make using acne products a more productive, comfortable process.

1.  Know from the outset, that you are going to have some dryness and peeling from acne products.  Any product that is strong enough to get acne under control is inherently dehydrating – that’s just the way it is, but there are ways we can alleviate this problem while your skin is adapting to products.

2. The best strategy is to start off using products very slowly.  Allow your skin to slowly adapt to your products.  If you are using benzoyl peroxide, just start with wearing it 15 minutes a night, wash it off, and put on a noncomedogenic moisturizer for the night.  Slowly increase the wearing time until you can wear it overnight comfortably.

3.  You can add a water-based hydrator like our Hydrating Emulsion to layer under your morning sunscreen and your evening benzoyl peroxide.  Remember to not use any moisturizer or cream with oil in it as it will stop the action of the benzoyl peroxide. The benzoyl will not be able to penetrate into the pores to do it’s work of stopping acne from forming.

4.  Dryness around the mouth and chin area is a very common reaction to benzoyl peroxide.  When it happens, you can apply a thin layer of Vaseline on the dry area (smile lines) before they applying the benzoyl peroxide. They will do this for just a few days and then resume the benzoyl peroxide again.  Rest assured that  Vaseline will not cause your skin to break out.

5.  Another option is totake a 1 to 3-day break from your routine. Just  cleanse, tone and use your noncomedogenic sunscreen in the morning and cleanse, tone and use a noncomedogenic moisturizer at night.  When your start their routine again you will resume where you left off.

The path to clear skin is not easy – it’s best to have someone who is experienced to help you get there.  We, at Face Reality Acne Clinic, do just that – we will get you through the ups and downs of getting to clear skin.