Acne and clogged pores

Acne and clogged pores are not the same thing, but they almost always come together. (Clogged pores are one of the causes of inflamed acne). It makes sense to tackle both issues together in your routine.

Acne is an inflammatory skin condition. In other words, when you have acne, it means that the immune system in skin is on high alert. It attacks any possible threat with inflammation. As the result, inflamed spots appear.

The other part of acne coming to be is a presence of acne-triggering bacteria. An interesting fact that these bacteria live both on acne-prone and acne-free skin. The bacteria on their own do not cause acne. This is why acne is not an infectious skin condition.

Inflamed acne spot appear when immune cells in skin are on high alert and too many acne-triggering microbes live on the skin. We do not know for sure what comes first: the immune cells going on high alert responding to the bacteria, or more acne-causing bacteria growing (when the immune cells goes on high alert, our skin becomes a more favorable environment for the bacteria). In practice, it does not matter much. To help reduce and prevent acne, we need to both help our skin immune cells calm down, and reduce the number of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.

To help calm down your skin immune cells, we recommend treating acne-prone skin as a sensitive skin. In a nutshell, it involves using a minimal amount of products, going fragrance-free, and moisturizing well.

As for the acne-triggering bacteria, there are two main ways to reduce their number on our skin:

1. kill or prevent them from growing with antibacterial ingredients (for example, benzoyl peroxide or prescription antibiotics);
2. make their living conditions on the skin less favorable.

Acne-triggering bacteria do not like oxygen. That's why they live inside the pores. The more closed, or clogged a pore is, the better it is for the bacteria. This is why reducing clogged pores helps prevent acne.

We can reduce clogged pores with two methods. First, we can reduce the amount of "skin debris" (aka loose dead skin cells) that get stuck inside pores. We can do it using exfoliation. Salicylic acid is the most effective exfoliator for preventing clogged pores. The second method is reducing the amount of sebum (natural skin oil) that our skin produces. When sebum mixes with the "skin debris", it creates a sticky substances that clogs pores. Retinoids are the most effective skincare actives that can help reduce sebum production. (Retinoids also help regulate inflammation that results from the immune cells activation, which helps reduce acne as well).

Sebum production in our skin depends on hormones. This is why we get acne when we have more sebum-stimulating hormones in our bloodstream. For example, this is the case during teen years, in times of stress, and before female monthly period.

There is also a link between diet and acne for some people, but we need more studies to understand how exactly it works. Healthy balanced nutrition without excessive free sugars is probably helpful for preventing clogged pores and acne.

Other WIMJ resources about tackling acne & clogged pores:

• Guide to Retinoids against acne & clogged pores
• Food & acne
• Topical antioxidants against acne & clogged pores

Top actives against acne & clogged pores

Retinoids

Retinoids can help you clear and prevent acne and clogged pores. The American Academy of Dermatology recognises retinoids as "the core of topical therapy for acne". This comes from hundreds of high-quality clinical trials. Learn more about Retinoids against acne & clogged pores in our Guide.

Azelaic Acid

Azelaic Acid is present in our skin naturally. It is produced by normal skin’s microbiome. In skincare, it is an effective and gentle active that helps calm down inflammation, regulate sebum production in skin and help speed up the skin cell turnover. For clogged pores & acne, the ideal concentration is between 10% and 20%. It rarely causes irritation, but the risk is higher if you are using more than 10%.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide works for both reducing clogged pores and preventing inflamed blemishes. It helps to make the skin less oily (reduce sebum production). It rarely causes irritation and works well in the same routine with other anti-acne actives like Retinoids. The ideal concentration for helping against acne & clogged pores is 4%-6%.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid (sometimes called BHA) is an exfoliating acid that can work inside skin pores. This is because it is oil-soluble (other exfoliating acids like AHAs and PHAs are not). In this way Salicylic Acid can improve the pore clarity. Salicylic Acid also helps reduce inflammation. The concentration of 2% is effective. It can be used as a spot treatment.

It is quite a strong exfoliator. Be careful not to overdo it: over-exfoliation can make your skin sensitive and more prone to inflammation. This can lead to more acne.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide is effective against inflamed spots. It is not helpful for clogged pores. It works against acne through deactivating acne-triggering bacteria inside the pores. The downside is that it is doing it by generating free radicals and this isn't good for skin in the long-term. Benzoyl Peroxide is often irritating and leads to skin dryness. Concentrations between 2.5% and 10% are used to treat acne. The higher the concentration, the greater the irritation risk. It is best to use Benzoyl Peroxide for a short time, when you are dealing with active inflamed blemishes. Other anti-acne actives like Retinoids are better for managing & preventing acne long-term.

Benzoyl Peroxide (BP) can be used together with other anti-acne actives in a routine, but it is best not to combine it with other actives in one skincare step. For example, if you use BP and Retinoids, apply BP in the AM and the Retinoid product in the PM. Especially avoid using products with BP in the same step with anti-oxidants including Azelaic Acid and Vitamin C.

Healing acne patches

Hydrocolloid spot patches help to heal the skin trauma from active blemishes faster and minimize the scarring. Hydrocolloid patches alone do not reduce inflammation. It is best to apply a spot treatment with Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide on the blemish first, and then apply the patch. Or you can select a patch with an anti-inflammatory active added to it.

Example routines against acne & clogged pores

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