Salicylic acid helps clear pores, reduce inflammation, and is good for gentle exfoliation. It's a great ingredient for acne-prone skin, especially if you have oily skin type. Salicylic acid works more effectively when layered with niacinamide. Niacinamide is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and helps with acne.
Being oil soluble, salicylic acid can penetrate deeper into the skin layers, but it can also dehydrate and irritate skin. Niacinamide, on the other hand, reduces inflammation and boosts skin's natural moisturization. Niacinamide is a very accommodating ingredient.
It is considered the best idea to apply niacinamide before salicylic acid. This is because the humectant traits of niacinamide ensure the natural skin barrier contains the correct levels of water. When the skin barrier is moisturised and healthy it can keep itself protected from exposure to free radical damage.
Niacinamide helps build cells in the skin while also protecting them from environmental stresses, such as sunlight, pollution, and toxins. Treats acne. Niacinamide may be helpful for severe acne, especially inflammatory forms like papules and pustules. Over time, you may see fewer lesions and improved skin texture.
“Purging” is another term for breakouts, though there are some differences. Though some people do report experiencing irritation and breakouts after using the ingredient, niacinamide is unlikely to cause purging. That's because it doesn't affect the skin in a way that usually triggers purging.
As it's well tolerated by most people, niacinamide can be used twice a day everyday. It works at any time of the year although it comes in particularly handy in winter during cold, dry weather and frequent use of central heating. Use it in the run-up before starting your retinol treatment and alongside it, too.
Salicylic acid works to treat acne by unclogging blocked pores. It does this by breaking down the bonds between dead skin cells so that they can release from the pore more easily, and breaking down oils, such as sebum. Salicylic acid also decreases the skin's sebum production, leading to fewer breakouts.
When applied to the skin, salicylic acid may work by helping the skin to shed dead cells from the top layer and by decreasing redness and swelling (inflammation). This decreases the number of pimples that form and speeds healing.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
First Aid Beauty makes a “great” salicylic acid spot treatment that targets blemishes, blackheads and whiteheads and is gentle enough for those with sensitive skin, according to Garshick.
Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid works more effectively when layered with niacinamide. Niacinamide is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and helps with acne. It's always good to use salicylic acid in a cleanser or a face mask and layer it with niacinamide.
Is it okay to use salicylic acid every day? While it is okay to use salicylic acid every day, it could cause irritation. Many dermatologists, therefore, recommend using the acid in moderation, beginning by applying it three times a week and working up from there.
Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid work differently, but they can both be helpful in treating acne. While current research supports benzoyl peroxide's effectiveness, salicylic acid may cause less side effects. You can use these two OTC medications together or separately.
Shah notes that the concentration of ingredients in your acne product doesn't always affect how well they work, but it can. If you're having continued issues with your skin, it's possible the concentration of an ingredient like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide could be contributing.
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.
Retinoids such as Tretinoin, acids such as salicylic, and benzoyl peroxide are just a few of the products that cause purging. These products contain active ingredients that increase the skin cell turnover rate, therefore causing your skin to purge.
Niacinamide is an ingredient that is gentle enough to be used twice a day, seven days a week, Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Rabach say. To apply niacinamide, first wash your face and, if you use one, apply a toner.
How and when do you use niacinamide? Niacinamide can be used morning and night. Because it plays well with other skincare ingredients (even potentially tricky actives such as exfoliating acids and vitamin C) it will sit happily alongside anything else you're using.
When selecting niacinamide products, Dr Ho advises that “a concentration of 4-5% niacinamide is ideal—enough to improve acne and fine wrinkles”. Higher concentrations, like The Ordinary 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc, have not yet been proven to exhibit a higher rate of efficacy.
You may experience some redness and irritation when you start using niacinamide products. Some of this may be normal and lessen over time, but lasting irritation may be a sign you're using too much or a product with too high of a concentration of niacinamide for your skin type.
It seems that niacinamide has a normalising ability on the pore lining, and this influence plays a role in keeping debris from getting backed up, which leads to clogs and rough, bumpy skin. As the clog forms and worsens, the pores stretch to compensate, and what you'll see is enlarged pores.
Skin purging typically looks like tiny red bumps on the skin that are painful to touch. They are often accompanied by whiteheads or blackheads. It can also cause your skin to become flaky. The flare ups caused by purging have a shorter lifespan than a breakout.
If your acne tends to be inflammatory, such as papules and pustules, opt for benzoyl peroxide to stop outbreaks at the source. For sensitive skin, start with salicylic acid, since it's less likely to cause irritation.
Research on the chemical differences between these two acne-fighting agents has shown that salicylic acid opens the pores and has a bit of a sloughing, exfoliating effect. However, benzoyl peroxide is superior for treating acne because it has an anti-microbial effect and a better antioxidant effect.
Yes, you totally can. Niacinamide actually layers very well with retinoids and benzoyl peroxide, by reducing the inflammation and irritation, and making it easier for our skin to tolerate these strong actives.