There are several things that could be going on. First, you could be using the wrong products for your skin type. If your skin is dry but you think it’s oily because you have breakouts, you could be drying out your skin to the point of making it
irritated and reactive. Even if you have oily skin, if you are
using products that are overly drying or contain ingredients
that you are sensitive to, the problem could be getting worse.
Along the same line, if you are washing too frequently or
scrubbing too hard, your skin could get irritated and react with
a breakout.
Another possibility is that the products you are using, both
skin care and makeup, contain ingredients that aggravate acne.
You would be surprised at how many products carrying a
“hypo-allergenic,” “safe for sensitive skin,” “dermatologist
tested,” or even “non-comedogenic” label have ingredients that
can make some people break out. I check everything I use against
a list of comedogenic ingredients at either of these sites:
http://www.clearcomplexions.com/rateyour.htm
http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acne_detective/printable.htm
If something rates a “3″ or higher, I don’t use it. Not everyone
will experience a problem using these ingredients, but if your
skin is anything like mine, you might just clear up most of
those breakouts that seem to come from nowhere. A simple choice
in moisturizer or concealer could make a big difference for your
acne problem.
To help clear things up, you might also consider using a gentle
salicylic acid cleanser on the affected areas once a day (my
favorite is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Cream Cleanser) or a gentle benzoyl peroxide medicine (preferably 2.5% or 5%
concentration at the most). If you’d like to try both
treatments, use one in the morning and one at night; both at the
same time can be too drying. Try these suggestions for at least
a month and hopefully you will see some results.
