Home Care for Acne

Whether you are 12, 22, in your 40’s or 55 and over, acne is not just a phase to be tolerated or “gotten through.” It can be embarrassing and infuriating. It is not caused by improper cleansing or poor diet, though it may be aggravated by one or both.

Acne is not a disease to be cured; rather it is a condition that can and should be controlled with daily and periodic care. Acne is a genetic disease affecting the skin by a series of recurrent, infected breakouts such as blackheads, milia, pimples and cysts. Most cases of adolescent or adult acne can be controlled with topical treatments from one or more of the following sources:

1. Daily home care with professional skin care products
2. Clinical treatments by a licensed skin care therapist
3. Medical treatments by a physician or dermatologist

Excellent skin care and hygiene are vitally important to remove the excess oils and bacteria that stimulate acne.

Why do some people in their forties, fifties and sixties start having breakouts?

Stress and hormonal changes are the primary cause of the re-emergence of acne for adults between the ages of 40 and 60. According to researched compiled at The International Dermal Institute, "several factors can make a person more susceptible to acne breakouts. People who are prone to breakout should only use products that are non-acnegenic or non-comedogenic. Many of these skin-sensitizing products contain ingredients such as lanolin, artificial fragrance and colours, S.D. alcohol or mineral oil which can clog and irritate the skin.” Dermalogica’s products are non-greasy and completely water-soluble, making them ideal for breakout-prone skin. For more information visit their website http://www.dermalogica.com/.

Follow a Strict Regime in Caring for Acne Blemishes

1. Cleanse twice a day with tepid (not hot) water.

2. Use over the counter skin care products or professional skin care products faithfully; proper use can help prevent, as well as clear up, blemishes.

3. Sleep no less than seven hours per night on a consistent basis. Your body works best on a regular routine and with plenty of rest.

4. Eat a healthy balanced diet with plenty of variety and fiber.

5. Drink 6-8 glasses of water every day. Water flushes wastes from the body and helps to maintain a balance.

6. Limit seafood, salty foods and dairy; all contain iodine, which can trigger acne breakout in sensitive individuals. Avoid iodides in the diet:

Fast foods, all processed foods, seasoned salt, soy sauce, products with MSG, seaweed, sushi, Chinese food, Mexican food, nuts, processed meats (lunch meat, deli sandwiches, bacon, franks, sausage),vitamin supplements and condiments containing kelp. Cheese is one of the major acne aggravators. Hormone-laden foods, including wheat germ and peanut products, should be avoided. Some cold and flu medications contain bromides and can aggravate acne.

7. Get regular exfoliating treatments like enzyme peels with steam, or light peels (glycolic, lactic, PolyGel). They help topical medications and exfoliants, to penetrate better, and boost your home care efforts. Do not use a washcloth or buffing pad. Do not rub your face dry with a towel. These “mechanical” exfoliation methods can over-exfoliate your skin, cause excessive irritation, and can make your acne care products sting and irritate. What can be helpful is after cleansing, apply a thick coat of Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Cooling Mask, allow it to dry for 7-10 minutes, and rinse off.

8. Change pillow cases and sheets more frequently; oils and bacteria from your skin can build up in bedding and further aggravate the matter. Wash your clothes in fragrance-free detergent, use 25% less detergent, and wash 25% less clothes at a time. Whenever possible, run an extra rinse cycle. Avoid fabric softeners, especially “sheets” thrown in the dryer. Use a white satin pillowcase laundered in fragrance-free detergent without fabric softener.

9. Stop PICKING! Picking pushes acne lesions and ingrowns deeper into the pores, slows down the healing process, can cause scarring, and can turn ordinary breakouts into larger black, brown, red or purple spots. Rub ice cubes in a circular motion on red, inflamed lesions twice a day for 2 minutes to help reduce inflammation and swelling.

10. Be certain you remove any residue of hair care products from your skin. Avoid oily products containing isopropyl myristate and its chemical cousins, cocoa butter, coconut oil, vitamin E, fatty acids and natural oils, except safflower, sunflower and mineral oil.

Facing Acne

Lifestyle changes can often improve your skin. Stress is the Number One acne aggravator so try to do whatever it takes to reduce stress in your life. Limit your intake of caffeine and cigarettes, which stimulate the adrenal glands to wreak havoc on the skin’s natural processes. Minimize your sun exposure and reapply oil-free sunblock often when exposed to direct sunlight.

Most importantly, avoid oily cosmetics and products that may also contain D & C red dyes including blushes and powders. Some “oil-free” products actually contain synthetic oils (called fatty acids), D & C red dyes, detergents, etc., that are known acne-aggravators.


With the numerous advances in skin care formulations, increasingly more people are combating their acne with regular facial treatments and complementary at-home regimens.