Acne Treatments Are Making My Skin Dry. What Can I Do?
7 Tips for Beating Dry, Peeling Skin Caused by Acne Treatments
You’ve been using benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, mandelic acid or retinol, to treat your acne for weeks or even months and now your skin has gone from oily to feeling very dry. You feel red, chapped and maybe you see flakes, don’t worry, this is NORMAL. It is a side effect of almost every acne product, and I can teach you how to compensate for it.
There is no need to ditch your acne treatment if you see these symptoms, the peeling action caused by benzoyl peroxide and other acne ingredients are because it is increasing the rate your cells turn over and breaking down the acne impactions so that they can naturally clear out of the pores. With consistent use we hope to prevent the plugs from forming altogether, you just have to be patient.
What to do about the side-effects? The problem is almost always because of dehydration (and no, just drinking water can’t help this time, I’m sorry). We just need to get more water back into the upper layers of your skin, and you will feel better, I promise! Let’s look at some things you can do.
- Moisturize! I know that most acne sufferers don’t want to hear this, but it is an essential part of your acne treatment. However you can’t just slap any ole cream on acne prone skin, it needs to be an oil free hydrator and with calming ingredients like allantoin, hexamidine, and even oat proteins. I absolutely love Vivier’s Lexxel during the winter and Allantoin from Vivant for summertime.
- Humidifier. It’s not just for babies. We live a third of our lives in bed, and a stand alone humidifier by your bed can be an absolute game changer for anyone treating acne. Tip: don’t forget to get the treatment tablets for the tank to keep it from developing any ick. I also recommend in winter using a humidifying spray for sensitive skin to periodically spritz yourself with and keep your skin feeling comfy, one to try is GM Collin’s Sensiderm Mist.
- Careful not to let acne treatments ‘pool’ in your smile lines. If you accidentally nuke this area, try putting a bit of Lira’s Recovery Balm on the area before you apply your treatment products for a few days until it calms down (don’t worry it won’t break out if it’s just a day or two).
- Stop adding random over the counter acne products into your routine, only use what has been suggested by your skin care professional. It’s so easy to over layer, I see girls using acne control makeup or spot covers that have other acne ingredients in them, or the addition of acne pads, or wipes with astringents in them like grapefruit, all I can say is STOP! All this layering adds up to a chemical peel, ouch! Professionally, I may layer your products, but we are cautious how much and how often.
- If you are using a scrub or a cleansing brush, back off for a little bit. Cut back on the frequency you are using it by about half until your skin can recover a little. Also, if you are using a professional medicated scrub, you can apply it in the shower with a bit more water than usual and just let it sit on your face for the 2 minutes rather than scrub with it.
- Don’t use acne products while you are working out. Sweat can get acne products into your eyes, and when mixed with sweat it can be a really powerful skin irritant. Cleanse skin with a mild cleanser before you hit the gym. Try Hexam or PureActive Mild Cleansing Gel.
- Check in with me, I’m here to help. I deal with this sort of thing all the time and probably have some ideas for you. Remember, all I want is for your skin to be happy and you happy in your skin. xoxo
*If you need any of the products listed in the article by Vivant or Lira, drop me an email, I keep them in stock at the shop.