helpppp acne problems

[rushingriverrr]

hi there, im a 20 year old girl, i have acne on my cheeks and chin, and i was wondering what are some products you’d recommend to help clear them out. i currently use the cerave sa cleanser along with the ordinary niacinamide serum, however the niacinamide serum seems to have made my skin worse. this is what my acne currently looks like. 

please help 🙂 

 

 

[PrettyFaceChase]

I used Biossance Amino Aloe Gentle Pore-Minimizing Cleanser + Squalane 6.76 oz / 200 ml , Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum 1.7 oz/ 50 mL , Glow Recipe Mini Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturizer 0.85 oz/ 25 mL and Biossance 100% Sugarcane Squalane Oil , in that exact order every night and in the morning skip the TLC because it should not be used in daylight due to sunlight. Find a good suncreen and drink lots of water, I drink 1 gallon a day! It did take about 6 month to see a drastic improvement but this saved my self-esteem sooooo much! I'm 35 and I never had acne as a teenage, it popped up around 25, and nothing I tried worked for my skin. I did not want to do the Accutane route so I keep looking and these products are my holy grail! I will forever be purchasing these product. Please give them a try! 

[WinglessOne]

Hi @rushingriverrr ! Have you seen a dermatologist or primary care doctor about your acne? That's a good first step to get a personalized treatment plan. A doc might recommend a retinoid for acne, usually either tretinoin or adapalene. If you're in the US, you can buy adapalene at your drugstore: Differin gel is the most famous one, but La Roche-Posay also makes one, and I've even seen a generic Walgreens version. Adapalene is very effective but must be introduced slowly to your skin to reduce irritation. It can also cause a month of "purging" because it boosts your skin call turnover rate, which also speeds up your acne cycle. Think of it as the retinoid evicting all that crud from your pores. 

When you use the CeraVe SA Cleanser, do you let it sit on your face for a few minutes before rinsing? That's the only way the salicylic acid (BHA) it contains will have long enough skin contact to do its job. That's true of any BHA or benzoyl peroxide cleanser. 

CeraVe doesn't state how much BHA is in that cleanser. But they do in their newer Acne Control Cleanser: that one's 2% BHA and might be closer to your skin's needs. The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser 5 oz / 150 ml is another good 2% BHA cleanser. If your skin's not super sensitive to benzoyl peroxide, consider trying the PanOxyl cleanser you can find at your local drugstore. Benzoyl peroxide's more effective than BHA for acne. 

You can also try a leave-on BHA product. Many people's favorite is Paula's Choice Mini Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner for Clear Skin 1 oz/ 30 mL . I use Paula's Choice CLEAR Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution with 2% Salicylic Acid 4 oz/ 118 mL because my particular skin's quite reactive/inflammation-prone. Paula's Choice makes other leave-on BHA products in 4% and 9% strength; you might not need something that potent (2% works fine for most folks), but you can buy samples at PC's site to test. 

Another good acne fighter is azelaic acid, which also targets dark marks left behind by acne. Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster for Redness Relief 1 oz/ 30 mL is my favorite, but also consider The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10% Suspension Brightening Cream or FaceTheory Lumizela Azelaic Acid serum. Those are all available OTC at 10% strength. A doctor can prescribe 20% azelaic acid if necessary. 

And then there's sulfur, which can help with acne. You can try a sulfur cleansing bar (usually available at drugstores) or a leave-on product like Sunday Riley Saturn Sulfur + Niacinamide Spot Treatment Mask 0.5 oz/ 15 mL . The INKEY List Succinic Acid Treatment 0.5 oz/ 15 mL also contains sulfur, plus BHA. 

There are other ingredients that might help, and plenty of products that contain them. Those are the ones that most come to mind. Really though, a doc can steer you in the best-for-you direction. 

[rushingriverrr]

thank you so much for all your advice! i haven’t seen a doctor yet since i used to have clear skin before covid started and we had to wear masks all the time, but since my acne has only been getting worse, i think i will go see one now.