Face wash can cause acne and breakouts, but the reasons differ. Sometimes, the true cause of a breakout can be hard to discern. Generally, sustained acne signifies that one of your face products isn't good for your skin. If you've been experiencing serious breakouts since using a new face wash, it's likely the culprit.
Acne treatments — especially those that contain active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid — are drying and a bit harsh on your skin. If you use too many treatments at the same time, your skin may become irritated, and you may actually suffer more breakouts as a result.
Experiencing a few more breakouts is totally normal when starting a new acne treatment. The reason is that acne medications cause rapid destruction of acne bacteria, which can cause more inflammation and sometimes result in an initial "worsening" of the condition (sometimes called a "purge").
Many acne face washes you can buy at the drugstore contain salicylic acid, a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) that can help unclog pores, or benzoyl peroxide, an antiseptic. Some people experience dryness or irritation from using these, and irritated skin can be more prone to acne breakouts.
"Not washing your face could cause the buildup of oil and dirt that may lead to acne, more prominent pores, and inflammation," she says.
Whether or not you have acne, it's important to wash your face twice daily to remove impurities, dead skin cells, and extra oil from your skin's surface. Washing more often than twice daily is not necessarily better; it may do more harm than good. Use warm, not hot, water and a mild facial cleanser.
What is skin purging? Skin purging refers to a reaction to an active ingredient that is increasing skin cell turnover in order to improve acne. When using prescription-strength acne medications, it's reasonably common for your skin to get worse before it gets better.
Why do I still have acne in my late 20s? At its root, adult acne is caused by the same things that cause teen acne: excess skin oil and bacteria. Any changes in hormones, including those brought on by pregnancy and menstruation, can trigger excess oil. Women who smoke also seem to be more prone to acne.
Most often, acne will go away on its own at the end of puberty, but some people still struggle with acne in adulthood. Almost all acne can be successfully treated, however. It's a matter of finding the right treatment for you.
Washing Too Often Can Worsen Acne
You can easily strip away all of the good oils your skin needs to stay healthy, leaving you with skin that is dry, red, flaky, and irritated.
By cleansing with water only, you're less likely to over-strip the skin's natural oil and therefore reduce the risk of damaging your skin barrier. Cleansing your face with water only not only reduces the oil-stripping action but also the physical rubbing action, which would reduce irritation to the skin.
The truth is, it is quite common to see acne persist into adulthood. Although acne is commonly thought of as a problem of adolescence, it can occur in people of all ages.
Acne commonly starts during puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 and tends to be worse in people with oily skin. Teenage acne usually lasts for five to 10 years, normally going away during the early 20s. It occurs in both sexes, although teenage boys tend to have the most severe cases.
Purging: Located predominantly in a defined area where you already have frequent breakouts. Skin purging also clears up much faster than a pimple or reaction. Reaction-based breakout: You're getting breakouts in new areas where you don't often get pimples.
Salicylic acid can be helpful for all types of acne.” Salicylic acid is a go-to OTC ingredient for acne since it dissolves the dead skin cells in clogged pores, helping treat existing acne and prevent future breakouts.
Dove Beauty Bar is a mild, moisture-rich soap, so it can replenish the skin's moisture. Rodney says that could help acne-prone skin, which is typically dry and dehydrated, and overproduces oil in response to the dryness, clogging pores and causing acne.
"There's really no reason to wash your face in the morning, especially if you thoroughly cleansed the night before," says Hirsch. (Ah ha! I win!) "But, at the same time, there's nothing wrong with cleansing the face every morning, as long as you're not overstripping the skin with harsh, drying cleansers.
Dermatologists recommend CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for people with acne as it works to cleanse the skin and remove oil, without disrupting the skin's protective barrier. It won't clog pores or dry the skin out, and contains niacinamide and ceramides to help calm and moisturize irritated skin.
You may be using unnecessary products. "Some people may just not be genetically predisposed to breakouts or may produce less [oil],” says Batra. If that sounds like you, you may actually find your skin looks better when you ditch your cleanser.
Men don't really care about your acne. As long as you love and take care of yourself, he'll love you back. We women care about and notice our own flaws more than anybody else does. So, you can relax and stop stressing about them.
Dr Daniel Glass describes the reasons why some people get acne while others don't, which include genetics and environmental differences. So like most medical conditions, acne is a mixture of genetics and environment.
Oil glands get stimulated when hormones become active during puberty. That's why people are likely to get acne in their teens. Because the tendency to develop acne is partly genetic, if other people in your family had (or have) acne, you may be more likely to have it too.