What Is a Good Routine For Skin Prone to Acne and Clogged Pores?

For acne to appear, the mixture of skin debris and skin sebum needs to become sticky. This can happen because skin produces too much sebum.

People who are prone to acne tend to produce more oil than those who don’t have acne. However, just because someone has oily skin doesn’t mean they will necessarily experience acne breakouts. Although sebum is necessary for acne to develop, high oil levels alone are not the only factor that causes acne. Besides the quantity of oil produced, there are also differences in the quality of oil between people who are prone to acne and those who aren’t.

Our skin needs linoleic acid to make ceramides, which are essential for a healthy skin barrier and the normal shedding of dead skin cells, including those within pores. When our skin sebum lacks linoleic acid, it weakens our skin barrier, and this in turn leads to skin debris getting trapped inside our pores.

Squalene is a type of lipid found naturally in the skin’s sebum, but not in any other part of the body. It works a natural moisturizer on the surface of our skin.

However, our skin’s squalene can have a negative effect. It can react with environmental stressors through a process called lipid peroxidation. This means that skin lipids, including squalene, are oxidized, resulting in the formation of reactive and inflammatory compounds. When squalene is exposed to environmental stressors like pollution and UV light, it turns into squalene peroxides, which can irritate the skin and weaken its barrier. As a result, the skin becomes more susceptible to inflammation, including inflamed acne.

The skin produces its own antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of sebum lipids. The most important of these antioxidants is Vitamin E, which is naturally present in the skin sebum. However, acne-prone skin tends to have less Vitamin E in its serum. This, combined with an excess of squalene, means that more irritating squalene peroxides are produced, leading to increased skin inflammation.

The composition and amount of natural sebum produced by our skin is regulated by hormones. As a result, any factors that affect our hormonal balance can also impact our skin’s sebum production. This includes genetics, life stages such as adolescence, menopause, monthly female cycle, pregnancy, or stress levels, nutrition, and overall health.

When we apply cosmetics to our skin, the ingredients can mix with our natural sebum. This mixture can be influenced by UV light, oxygen, and air pollution, potentially leading to clogged pores. This process is complex and can depend on various factors, such as the starting composition of our skin sebum. This composition can differ between different people and even for the same person at different times, such as during different stages of the menstrual cycle. It’s also important to note that ingredients that may increase pore clogging for one person may not have the same effect on someone else.

It’s true that some ingredients have a higher risk of clogging pores. However, the problem is that we rarely use a pure ingredient on our skin. Most of the time, it’s mixed with other ingredients, which can make the mixture more or less likely to clog pores than the pure ingredient. Comedogenicity ratings, which measure pore-clogging potential, are typically based on tests of pure or diluted single ingredients. As a result, these ratings aren’t very helpful in predicting the pore-clogging risk of products that contain multiple ingredients. While it’s theoretically possible that including a pore-clogging ingredient in a product could increase the risk of clogged pores, a product can still contain a comedogenic ingredient without actually increasing pore-clogging in practice.

In general, it’s highly unlikely that the cosmetic products you use are the main cause of clogged pores or acne. While some medications can cause acne as a side effect, topical cosmetics are almost never the primary cause of acne.

Certain bacteria called P. acnes are known to contribute to acne. These bacteria thrive in environments with little oxygen, which is why they live inside pores. The more closed or clogged a pore is, the better it is for these bacteria to thrive. However, P. acnes bacteria cannot survive in the presence of too much oxygen, which is why they don’t live on your makeup brushes or pillowcases.

To combat P. acnes bacteria, antibacterial compounds such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can be used in topical skincare products. In severe cases of acne, dermatologists may prescribe topical or oral antibiotics to control P. acnes growth on the skin.

Recent studies have found that inflammation occurs early in the development of acne and is caused by the sensitivity of the skin’s local immune system. P. acnes bacteria may not be the primary cause of inflammation, but they can worsen it by producing substances that break down skin sebum and activate the immune system. Scientists have also discovered that certain types of P. acnes are associated with acne, while others may actually promote skin health.

While reducing the growth of bacteria is important for controlling acne, a good anti-acne skincare regimen should also reduce inflammation and help balance sebum production. This highlights the importance of treating acne with a combination of actives, rather than solely relying on killing P. acnes bacteria. While benzoyl peroxide and antibiotics can be effective against acne, they may not be the best or most effective treatment option, especially when used without the support of other actives.

Acne is a complicated skin condition that can significantly impact your quality of life. If you are struggling with acne, it is best to seek personalized treatment from a qualified dermatologist.

A successful anti-acne skincare regimen should address multiple factors that contribute to acne formation:

• Regulate the skin sebum, reduce its production rate and balance its composition by using ingredients like retinoids, niacinamide, and azelaic acid. Moisturizers with linoleic acid and antioxidants like sodium ascorbyl phosphate can also be helpful. Don’t forget to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily to prevent squalene peroxides from forming.
• Improve skin cell turnover with retinoids and salicylic acid. A strong skin barrier is also crucial for healthy skin cell turnover.
• Reduce inflammation by supporting your skin barrier with a good moisturizer and gentle skincare routine.
• Control the growth of acne-triggering bacteria with compounds like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

Finally, remember that good nutrition, physical activity, and stress management can also make a big difference in getting acne under control.

Please note that this is not medical advice, and you should always consult a doctor for medical treatments.