Skin Care for Acne Prone Skin - What Helped Me Control My Acne

Its been a long struggle as far as acne is concerned. In the end of December last year I got a bad bout of acne and have had to take extra care of my skin to finally get it to a state where I can step out without heavy makeup. This post is my attempt to share with you what worked for me, hoping that if you are going through the same phase, it will help you too.

My face broke out into big cystic acne on the jaw area and started to spread downwards on the neck. This was the first time I experienced acne on my neck and it was awful.

Since I was not new to acne I knew what I had to do. Thankfully after following the routine regularly for 3 months I have been able to get it under control. I still have an occasional acne burst but its all under control now. The scars will of course take longer to heal and I am still working on that.

Alright so lets get started.

Skin Care Routine To Control and Heal Acne

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

Products Needed For Acne Control

A Good Face Wash

To start off you need a good cleanser for the face. Something that will remove all dirt, oils, makeup and yet be gentle on the skin. I used the Cosmedic SaliQT Active Body Wash on my face (as I had already mentioned in my review post HERE) - this body wash was so gentle that I tried it on my face and my face liked it a lot. If Cosmedic products are not available you can get hold of either the Himalaya Neem Face Wash (I have used this for over 4 years before I started experimenting with other products and I can really vouch for it), the Vedic Line Neem & Brahmi face wash reviewed HERE or the VLCC neem face wash (review coming soon). The Himalaya face wash is the most gentler of the lot.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

A Gentle Moisturizer

Unfortunately I still haven't found a face moisturizer that would not aggravate my acne. The moisturizer from Clean & Clear does work on some girls but for me that doesn't work either. I opt for a spray of Dabur Gulabari rose water if my face feels really dry or simply skip moisturizer. In my February Vellvette box I got the OFRA B5 serum and have since been using that. It has worked in hydrating my skin without causing breakouts. You can read the full review HERE.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

If you don't find your HG moisturizer, skip moisturizer application specially if you have oily skin. I know you must have heard everyone gushing about how important moisturization is, but trust me it is better to skip moisturizer than to have ugly breakouts! So just stick to rose water if nothing else works.

Some Light Makeup for Coverage

I am sure you've heard this one before as well - people telling you to not cover your acne with makeup as it might get aggravated. But if you have acne you can understand how horrible it feels to step out with a face that has breakouts all over. I believe it is important to cover the acne but with something that works for the skin. So hide the acne by layering a BB cream instead of a heavy foundation. BB creams provide moisturization, have sun protection, and are also very light weight. This makes sure that the acne does not get aggravated.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

I found my coverage rescuer in the form of the Garnier BB cream (which you can read about HERE). I have also used the Krylon TV Paint Stick and found that it does not aggravate the acne. So for parties I have used the heavier Kryolan TV Paint Stick for coverage (reviewed HERE).

If you are living outside India then you can get hold of the foundation from Neautrogena Skin Clarifying Makeup - it is also skin friendly and has worked earlier for me. Once I finished up my bottle I had to shift to other brands because I did not have access to repurchasing it. (Detailed review HERE)

You can also opt for some concealer to cover up dark scars that might have formed as well as to cover the redness. I use the Faces Vanishing Act Concealer that I reviewed HERE.

Benzoyl Peroxide

You need to purchase a tube of  Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5%. Benzoyl Peroxide is available over the counter in India but make sure you buy the 2.5% strength and not the 5% variant which is much more drying. 

Please note that Benzoyl Peroxide can be very drying in the initial stages but don't worry if you see some peeling. Your skin will become a little more sensitive to sunlight. Hence it is important that either your moisturizer or your makeup contains some SPF. The Garnier BB cream has SPF for sun protection which worked in my case.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

In case you are not sure please consult your doctore before starting off on Benzoyl Peroxide. You can use the rest of the routine and substitute Benzoyl Peroxide with some over the counter acne treatment like the Himalaya Acne-n-Pimple Cream (reviewed HERE).

A Gentle Face Scrub With Anti-Scar Properties

Now most acne will go away without leaving scars if you take care not to pinch them or mess with them in any way. But some cystic acne will leave horrible dark pink/purplish scars on the face. As the scars age it becomes difficult to get rid of them. This is why using a scrub with lightening ingredients goes a long way in keeping your skin scar free.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

We will need the scrub on a daily basis so pick out something that is gentle enough for your skin. I have been using the Vedic Line Papaya scrub. Papaya has natural lightening agents which works well on the scars. Even though initially I found the scrub a bit aggressive, I learnt to scrub with it using very gently hand movements and was then able to use this daily. You can read about the Vedic Line Papaya Scrub HERE.

A Neem/Fullers Earth Face Pack

A weekly regime of a face pack is necessary to ensure all skin impurities are lifted off. For the face pack you can use a Neem based or fullers earth face pack. I use the Himalaya Neem face pack as it really sucks out all impurities from the face. You can read full review of the face pack HERE.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

Now that we have all the necessary ammunition ready, lets find out the exact routine of using all these products to fight away the horrible ugly acne.

Morning Skin Care For Acne Control

The routine I would follow in the morning for acne control goes like this:

1. Wash the face with plain water.
2. Use the Vedic Line Papaya Scrub to gentle scrub off the skin.
3. Pat the face dry.
4. Apply OFRA B5 serum (or rose water) and let it dry.
5. Apply two layers of Garnier BB cream for making the skin appear brighter and clearer. Dab concealer only where required.

Skin Care For Acne Prone Skin

Night Time Skin Care For Acne Control

Now coming to the most important part. Before you snuggle up in your bed it is imperative that you remove all makeup and then tackle the acne. This is the routine I followed:

1. Wash the face with the face wash ensuring all traces of makeup are removed.
2. Pat the face dry.
3. Take your first finger and squeeze out enough Benzoyl Peroxide to cover the length of the finger. This is the amount that has to go on your face. Apply the entire quantity gently all over your face and neck and head off to sleep. After one week reduce the quantity to half and continue with that until your face gets cleared up.

Note that I have opted to use the scrub in the morning. This is because at night I have to apply Benzoyl Peroxide and applying it right after a face scrub can cause irritation on the skin.

Weekly Skin Care For Acne Control

Once a week in the morning after scrubbing off the face, apply a good face pack and let it sit for 20 minutes before washing it off. Do not speak during this time as you don't want unsightly wrinkles to start forming on your skin. Wash off the pack and spritz some rose water and let your skin breathe during the day. Continue with the night time routine as usual.

By following this routine religiously it has taken 3 months to bring the acne under control. I have combination skin and this skin care regime has worked for me. I hope you can pick up some things from it and modify it to suit your needs.

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