Five Top Acne Tips
Breaking Down this Prevalent Skin Affliction with Esthetician Misha Perelmuter
After struggling with acne for several years and understanding the mental load it can take, it forced me to dive deep. I never wanted to feel that sort of lack of control again, so finding solutions became imperative. Blemish prone skin isn’t something that just goes away it must be managed and maintained. It’s not a one size fits all treatment — it’s a customized and holistic approach that drives results. I have found these 5 things make a world of difference.
xMisha
TIP 1: TAKE INVENTORY
Acne – some of us know her well, while others have been blessed to only deal with her on occasion. Regardless it’s important to know which type you’re dealing with and how to mitigate. Inflamed acne includes cysts, nodules, pustules, and papules. Non-Inflamed Acne includes blackheads and whiteheads.
When battling any type of acne you want to be very intentional with your product choices and the order of operations. I know it might be tempting, but do not flood your routine with actives and layer them to the gods. All that will do is lead to a compromised barrier causing even more inflammation.
TIP 2: KEEP YOUR ROUTINE SIMPLE
Your morning and night regimen should start with a double cleanse to ensure the removal of any impurities. Be mindful and gentle with your massage for about a minute maximum. If your washing your face in the shower make sure it is the last step you do!
You really don’t need many actives in your routine; most of the ingredients used should be gentle and hydrating. Blemish prone skin tends to have an abnormal desquamation rate compared to other skin types. This means the dead skin cells aren’t shedding at the rate they are being produced, therefore the skin appreciates consistent exfoliation. Incorporating the Sofie Pavitt Mandelic Clearing Serum or the Reome Active Recovery Broth will be effective yet gentle enough for daily use.
Why do I recommend these? Mandelic acid is the largest size AHA molecule, which ensures a more delicate delivery system — allowing the product to slowly penetrate without irritation, making it ideal for many skin types.
Reome Active Recovery Broth is truly a delicious experience. It uses 16 different bio-fermented and biomimetic actives such as high beta glucan oats, niacinamide P3 and snow fungus, just to name a few. Through this process of bio-fermentation and biomimicry it enables a more efficacious and targeted approach all while reducing its environmental footprint — win, win!
TIP 3: MASKS AND A POSITIVE MIND SET CAN CALM INFLAMMED ACNE
When dealing with inflamed acne like cysts and pustules, incorporating a mask several times a week will help to dry out the breakout and kill bacteria. I like the Sofie Pavitt Reset Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Mask which uses kaolin clay and benzoyl peroxide. This is particularly important if you have had a lil’ skin picking fit.
Which brings me to my next point – THROW OUT your magnifying mirrors. Dealing with acne can be quite debilitating and getting up close and personal with it gets really discouraging. Instead of hyper focusing under the fluorescent bathroom lights — light a candle, create a VIBE. Setting up a relaxing space to do your evening ritual will allow your head to rest and prevent the start of anxious picking. One of my favorite candles as of late has been Discotheque’s Remezzo — with notes of cardamom, saffron and moss it will most definitely get you in your zen zone.
TIP 4: RETINOIDS CAN COMBAT NON-INFLAMED ACNE
Incorporating a retinoid is super helpful in battling non-inflamed acne like whiteheads and blackheads. A retinoid will shorten the life cycle of your blemishes and promote new healthy keratinocytes. Starting out with something like Environ AVST Gel which uses retinyl palmitate – a lipid based derivative – is going to allow for all the benefits we love from vitamin A without any of the irritation.
TIP 5: LED IS YOUR FRIEND AND PARTNER
Lastly, adding in an LED device will be the cherry on top. Great for all acne types, cycling between blue and red LED – making sure your time spent under blue light is about 1/3 of the time you spend under the red light. Blue light kills bacteria which is great, but you don’t wanna over do it because our skins’ microbiome is also full of good flora that help protect the skin. Red light stimulates ATP to help promote collagen and elastin production while reducing inflammation. My favorite devices include: Lumara Viso Pro LED mask and the Lightstim For Acne.
