Reader Question: Acne, Part II

Welcome to Day 2 of our study on acne. Loryn asked me how she could combat her acne. On Monday, we discovered some of the reasons people get acne, and today we are going to talk about how to fight it.

No matter what is causing your acne, you can often combat it with good skin care.
Good skin care is the first line of defense against acne. If you aren’t consistent about washing your face, your skin care can get awfully confused about how it is going to combat the daily battles it fights on our behalf. Be sure that you are diligent and regular with whatever routine you choose to have with your skin. Falling into bed one Friday night without paying attention to your skin isn’t going to bother it much, but regular inconsistency will.

But how do you find which products work best for you? If you have sensitive skin like me, you will want gentle products. Harsh astringents and face scrubs are just going to bother your skin. Stick with gentle formulas like Cetaphil. Oiler or less sensitive skin types will benefit from more aggressive formulas. Finding the best products is a matter of just trying products and figuring out which ones work for your skin. Products at the store specifically designed to combat acne are often going to be more aggressive formulas. Clinique offers product lines that provide a whole skin care package based on what type of skin you have. The Body Shop offers a lot of natural and reasonably priced products.

Their Vitamin E line is good for sensitive skin, and their Tea Tree Oil line is good for acne-prone skin. Other make-up counters or stores will help you choose products based on what you tell them. Visiting an aesthetician will also help you figure out what is causing your acne, and she can recommend and provide products you can’t find in the store. No matter what you choose to do, you want to get a good face wash and a good moisturizer. Many people don’t need anything more than that.

I mentioned earlier there were also supplements that can assist your acne. Here is a list compiled for me by my aesthetician:

-Zinc balanced with copper
-B complex, especially extra B5
-Saw Palmento
-Raspberry, Red Clover, and Licorice herbs
-Essential Fatty Acids (aka Omega 3 and Omega 6)

Do you have a beauty question you want answered? I would love to hear from you. Please include your first name and town along with your question. Please e-mail me at explorefashion@gmail.com. I would also love any feedback on the blog or ways to improve it.

I have to give a special thanks to my aesthetician and friend Erin at Colorado Women’s Care for her tireless work with my skin and her boundless information that helped me write this post.