Caring for dry, acne-prone skin requires a unique approach to nourishing the skin while gently removing impurities. Once you find the right products and develop a daily care routine for dry, acne-prone skin, you can achieve beautiful, smooth, clear, hydrated skin.
Cleanser and toner for dry, acne-prone skin. This regenerating duo leaves skin soft and completely free of makeup and oil. Can dry skin cause acne?
Dry skin patches can sometimes be caused by the dry skin problem itself for two reasons: Dry skin produces more oil to fight dryness, which can clog pores.
If you have dry skin, you may be tempted to use harsh skin care products to combat the problem, which may clog pores or even weaken the skin barrier and lead to acne. Skin care for dry skin and acne
If your skin feels dry, oily, and prone to breakouts, you're actually dealing with dehydrated skin and acne, which is much different than dry skin and acne.
Dehydration is often caused by using the wrong skin care products (such as overly dry cleansers) or harsh ingredients (such as denatured alcohol, peppermint, menthol, eucalyptus, and lemon).
Does this sound more like your skin type? In this case, there is a separate regimen for caring for dehydrated skin suffering from acne. For more information on how to fight skin dehydration, click here.
While it's not uncommon to have oily skin along with acne, only a small percentage of people suffer from truly dry skin and acne. For an unfortunate few, it's a vexing struggle.
Trying to find a moisturizer that meets the needs of dry skin without clogging pores and causing more breakouts is hard enough. To make matters worse, products used to control acne often make dry skin drier. There can be real dilemmas when buying skin care products.
Expert tips for dry, blemish-prone skin: Once you've determined that your skin is dry (not dehydrated) and that your skin care routine has no aggravating factors, you can focus on gentle but effective ways to manage your dry skin and acne . Below you'll find our expert advice.
1. To combat dry skin, blackheads, and acne-prone skin, start with a soothing cleanser and toner combo (like the ones in our CALM range) to leave skin thoroughly cleansed while feeling refreshed and soft. This combination is designed for the most sensitive skin and is gentle enough even for eczema skin.
2. Use a BHA exfoliant (although ultimately still gentle) to unclog pores. Our SKIN PERFECTING 2% BHA Exfoliating Lotion has a lightweight lotion texture that softens and moisturizes while gently and naturally exfoliating to clear pores and reveal smooth skin.
It's so gentle that it can even reduce the appearance of hard, tiny white bumps on the cheeks and face called milia.
3. Use azelaic acid to stop breakouts before they break out. This is an effective ingredient that can prevent breakouts and reduce the appearance of previous spots.
Use it regularly once or twice daily to experience the calming effects of this herbal ingredient. Our 10% Azelaic Acid Booster reduces blemishes, fades brown spots and soothes problem skin.
4. Admittedly, finding the perfect balance of moisturizer and/or serum is the hard part. You want a product that contains rejuvenating and skin-renewing ingredients, but is moisturizing enough to soothe dry skin.
It also requires less emollients than traditional moisturizers, so it doesn't make breakouts worse. While it may take some experimenting on your part, here are some of our recommendations, starting with the lightest option in each category.
Daytime moisturizer with SPF 30 or higher (you can’t take care of all skin types and neglect this basic skin care step): RESIST Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 50 – A lightweight liquid formula packed with essential antioxidants. CALM Hydrating Moisturizer SPF 30 for normal to dry skin - is a cream formula that combines gentle mineral sun protection with soothing botanical extracts to minimize redness.
