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Want to know how to get rid of acne despite your sensitive skin? Today you’re going to learn which products are effective but won’t irritate your skin at the same time.
As if treating acne wasn’t already difficult dealing with acne-prone sensitive skin can really be a challenge. Acne treatments are generally harsh, this is why if you have sensitive skin you need to know exactly which product you can choose from.
In this article, you are going to learn what are the best practices for sensitive skin, how to shop for products that are less likely to irritate your skin, and finally get rid of acne while still protecting and caring for your sensitive skin.
This acne routine is really simple and specifically thought for sensitive skin. So, grab pen and paper or simply your phone and let’s begin!
Disclaimer
if you are using any prescription products already, talk with your provider first. it is good practice to talk with your Dermatologist before you start any new products.
How to shop for acne products that will clear your skin
Before we get to the routines, I want to give you some vital information. I want you to be educated on the products I recommend, this way you can also do your own research.
Also, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by all of the skincare products out there these days, so it’s important that you know exactly what you’re looking for.
Basically, there are four main ingredients you absolutely need to include in your skincare routine for acne: benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, retinoids, and sulfur.
Benzoyl peroxide
Products containing benzoyl peroxide can be used to treat mild to moderate acne (jump to this article to know which acne type you have).
Benzoyl peroxide is anti-inflammatory which means it can be your best friend especially if you have inflammatory acne. It is also comedolytic, meaning it prevents the formation of comedones. In other words, it is also able to treat whiteheads and blackheads.
This ingredient is anti-bacterial as well but it does not cause bacterial resistance. Basically, even if you use benzoyl peroxide regularly bacteria won’t be able to defeat it as it can occur with antibiotics for example.
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant, specifically, it is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) that is able to unclog pores, therefore, is awesome for clearing acne.
There are a lot of other ingredients that work similarly but salicylic acid is oil-soluble. This means it is able to be absorbed in your oil glands to unclog pores more efficiently.
It is anti-inflammatory and comedolytic and it can work in just a few days.
Retinoids
Retinoids are wonderful ingredients. They are best known for their anti-aging properties but they are able to treat acne as well. Honestly, I think these should be among your top choices.
If you want to know more about retinoids and retinol check out this article on how to introduce retinoids and retinol into your skincare routine.
Sulfur
Honestly, I think sulfur is not talked about enough when it comes to acne. Sulfur has anti-bacterial properties and helps peel away dead skin cells avoiding the clogging of your pores as well.
Implementing this ingredient just a few times a week into your skincare routine could work wonders for your acne.
Ingredients to avoid for acne-prone skin
We covered the amazing ingredients you should look for now let’s just talk about what ingredients you definitely need to avoid when it comes to acne.
- Coconut oil: it is extremely comedogenic.
- Physical exfoliants: they can cause more inflammation and spread more bacteria around your face causing more breakouts.
- Denatured alcohol: it can break down your skin barrier
- Shampoos can contain ingredients that will cause acne over time, here is what you should avoid
- Isopropyl Myristate
- Isocetyl Stearate
- Isodecyl Oleate
- Isopropyl Isosterate
- Isopropyl Palmitate
- Isostearyl Isostearate
- Isostearyl Neopentanoate
- Some ingredients in makeup products can also cause acne. In particular, avoid blushes and powders with the D&C Reed Dyes.
Shopping tips for sensitive skin
These ingredients, especially in higher concentrations can be harsh. This is why you need to pay attention to all of the steps in this acne skincare routine to limit the possibility of irritation as much as you can. Of course, choosing the right products also plays a big role in this.
Here are somethings you should consider while shopping for skincare products in general, not just for acne, if you want to minimize irritation.
1. Start off with a wash-off product to build a tolerance
The first tip I have for you is to start off with wash-off products. For example, if you want to introduce benzoyl peroxide in your routine don’t start with a heavy-duty treatment but prefer a cleanser.
You will still rip off the benefit of this active while avoiding irritating your skin too much since the product is only going to sit on your face for a few minutes.
2. Stick to fragrance-free products
Sensitive skin types are way more likely to be irritated by fragrance. I know they smell nice but if you want to get rid of acne you need to use some potent ingredients and you need to make sure you can tolerate them.
Remember that a product that is labeled as unscented is absolutely not the same as the one which is labeled as fragrance-free. Basically, fragrance-free means that the product is free of fragrance while unscented just means that the scent in the product is masked so it doesn’t smell of anything.
Unscented products still contain fragrances and essential oils, watch out for them!
3. Avoid hyaluronic acid, it will draw your actives deeper into your skin
Hyaluronic acid, or HA, is a humectant that works by drawing more water into your skin. While doing that is able to draw in also the other actives you apply onto your face, for example, retinoids.
If you apply potential irritative ingredients – like you are going to if you use this acne skincare routine – and also use products that contain HA you risk irritating your skin even more!
4. Prefer 100% mineral sunscreens
Mineral sunscreens tend to be way less likely to cause irritation and therefore are more suitable for sensitive skin types.
I know they usually leave a horrible white cast but there are some sunscreens out there that absolutely won’t. Also, some of the best tinted sunscreens are mineral, this is something you could try to minimize the Casper-the-ghost look.
If you have a darker skin tone, don’t worry I also include something for you too!
5. Only use creamy hydrating cleansers
This is a no-brainer. If you want to make sure your skin barrier is protected and you want to minimize the likelihood of irritation sticking to a hydrating cleanser is absolutely in your best interest.
6. Avoid salicylic acid, at least initially
Differently from oily skin types, sensitive skin is way more likely to experience irritation, as you well know by now. This is why introducing too many actives in your skincare routine all at once is not a good idea.
Morning skincare routine for acne-prone sensitive skin
1. Treatment cleanser
In the morning, you are going to start off your day with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser. At first use it as you would a normal cleanser, just to see how your skin will react to it. After a few days, if you see your skin is happy with it, try to leave it on for a few minutes, this is going to increase the effectiveness of this powerful ingredient.
Now, there are a lot of benzoyl peroxide cleansers out there. The ones with the best formulation and that I personally liked best are this two.
Differin cleanser with benzoyl peroxide
I really liked this one but it can be slightly more irritating than the PanOxyl one. At least this is what I’ve heard from my friends with sensitive skin who kindly tried out these products for me.
I think you need to see for yourself though, every skin is different.
PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash with 4% Benzoyl Peroxide
Now, this is absolutely perfect if you are just starting out. The only catch is that this cleanser only contains 4% benzoyl peroxide.
It could be that this is all you can tolerate but, after a few months of regular use, if you see your skin is doing really well with the ingredient but you would still like a little bit more potency you can try PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 10%.
Be aware that this is their maximum strength and your sensitive skin may not tolerate it well. So, if you’re having good results with the 4% I suggest you stick with that.
2. Moisturizer
For moisturizer, you definitely need something that is going to soothe and hydrate your skin in order to avoid any skin barrier damage.
One that I love using, especially in the morning, which is gentle and will hydrate your skin without the greasy look is Neutrogena oil-free moisture. Also, this is obviously fragrance-free as well as all of the products included in this skincare routine.
Another one of my absolute favorites is the Aveeno calm and restore oat gel moisturizer, whenever my skin is irritated I lather my face in this, it is phenomenal! They also recently came up with a more rich formula if you feel like you need more hydration, it works great, especially in colder months: Aveeno calm and restore redness relief cream.
3. Sunscreen
Like everyone in the world, you need to wear sunscreen. Especially if you have sensitive skin, it is absolutely a bad idea to go out in the sun without protection, you just risk more irritation.
One of my favorite sunscreens for sensitive skin is also by Neutrogena, you can tell how much I love this brand 😂. It is the Neutrogena sensitive skin face sunscreen. This is fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and also water-proof, it will not budge for at least 40 minutes in the water!
Also if you really work it in well it will not leave a white cast, at least not on pale skin. I have to admit though that you really have to work the product in, if you’re really lazy this may not be for you.
Another one I absolutely loved is the Dr Jart every sun day sunscreen. It is pretty lightweight and it applies nicely but if you wear a lot of make-up I don’t recommend it, I find that it tends to peel up a little bit. On my really light makeup days though this worked just fine.
Finally, for my darker skin tone girlies, the Black Girl Sunscreen Make it Hybrid Sunscreen will absolutely work for you! I checked on Youtube for proof that this could work even on darker skin tones and it definitely can! I think you will love it.
Night skincare routine for acne-prone sensitive skin
1. Gentle facial cleanser
You are going to start off your nighttime skincare routine with a gentle and creamy cleanser that is going to hydrate and calm your skin down, to further reduce the possibility of irritation.
Now, I was only able to find one cleanser that checks all the boxes, meaning it is
- Sensitive skin friendly
- Without hyaluronic acid
- I actually enjoyed using it
It is the Vanicream gentle facial cleanser. I actually first discovered this one on Youtube from a dermatologist that suggested it for sensitive skin, so it’s safe to say you can use it.
Also, it is absolutely cheap, which is always a plus.
2. Retinoid treatment
Retinoids are wonderful for so many things and they will definitely help you with acne and post-acne lesions as well. As you may know, though they can be incredibly irritating. This is why I suggest you start this routine skipping this step entirely.
It’s extremely important you start with one ingredient at a time. After a few months, if you adjusted to the routine you can then introduce a retinoid. Please, listen up on this it is very important!
Aurora’s tips
if you really want to start a retinoid right away you can, just swap the benzoyl peroxide cleanser with the Vanicream one for a few months. Once your skin is able to tolerate the retinoid you can introduce benzoyl peroxide.
To start with, since you have sensitive skin I suggest the CeraVe retinol serum. This one does contain HA but it’s already in the formulation with retinol, this means it was studied to behave alongside the retinol.
If you decide to start with retinoids instead of benzoyl peroxide or if you want a higher potency after you’re able to tolerate the CeraVe serum here’s my suggestion. Differin adapalene gel 0.1%.
Do not be fooled by the 0.1% this product is strong! This is not retinol, the active ingredient here is adapalene which is much stronger but, as such, it will give you faster results. The only problem here is that it can lead to more irritation compared to retinol.
Honestly, especially for sensitive skin types, when you start with adapalene you should follow a specific skincare routine for retinoids to minimize the possibility of irritation as much as possible at least in the first few weeks.
If you can’t tolerate retinoids, you can’t use them – for example, you shouldn’t use them if you’re pregnant – or if you just don’t want to, swap them with the same treatment you use in the morning.
3. Moisturizer
For your night moisturizer, I highly recommend the Aveeno calm and restore redness relief cream since it’s richer it will take care of your skin perfectly. Of course, if you don’t want something so heavy-duty you could also stick to one the other recommendations for the morning:
Naturally, using the same moisturizer morning and night is more cost-effective but if you want to spice it up a little bit and try an even more heavy-duty product I suggest the COSRX Snail Mucin 92% Repair Cream.
This is just amazing! I absolutely love this, whenever I apply this my skin feels super plump and healthy the morning after.
It has a very dense consistency, as you would expect from snail mucin, but surprisingly it absorbs really well and also pretty fast.
If you also have dry skin I highly highly recommend it.
Also, a fun fact, snails are not mistreated in the process whatsoever. Actually, if snails are in distress or traumatized they release dangerous toxins in their mucin making it unusable for cosmetic purposes.
Why you should trust me
I know you don’t know me and you can’t see me so here are a few reasons why I think I’m worthy of your trust.
- I’m not a dermatologist but I am a med student, which means I’m studying these topics right now or I studied them very recently. All the information is fresh in my mind 😂.
- I have suffered from acne in the past and I know the struggle also, for this reason, I have tried to clear my acne and failed many times which gave me a better understanding of what’s wrong and what’s right. Plus, now I know why what I was doing was wrong.
- I am a skincare junkie, I love talking, reading, and gaining new knowledge about this topic
- I am a research girlie through and through. Before I purchase ANYTHING I research it until I know exactly how to use a product and why I should use it.
- I follow some fantastic dermatologists on Youtube and many of today’s tips were taken from the budget dermatologist.
