Many may wonder if moisturizing is essential, especially if we have acne-prone skin. Moisturizer for acne prone skin is an important part of our skincare routine and a big part of how we treat acne. It’s easy to pick out a moisturizer and put it in your cart, but before you buy one, you should check the label and list of ingredients to ensure it’s suitable for your skin type.
People with acne-prone skin shouldn’t moisturize, but this is a myth. Even though it can be hard to find a moisturizer for acne prone skin that hydrates, doesn’t clog pores, or makes acne worse, well-hydrated skin will have fewer breakouts.
When it comes to moisturizing, people have a lot of questions, such as:
- Does your face need to be moist?
- Does moisturizer for acne prone skin help the skin?
- If you don’t moisturize your face, what will happen?
- What is the best way to keep your face moist?
- Does moisturizer make acne worse?
- If you have acne, should you moisturize at night?
- Should you put lotion on acne on your body?
- Does moisturizer make acne worse?
- What is a good (or the best) moisturizer for acne prone skin?
Do You Need A Moisturizer For Acne Prone Skin?
When you have acne, it can be hard to know if you need to moisturize your face or not. Because acne can make your skin feel oily and greasy, you might not think of using a moisturizer for acne prone skin.
Yes, people with acne should moisturize, but they should use a lotion or cream that doesn’t clog pores or cause pimples. Your acne-prone skin should be delicate if you moisturize it once a day.
Moisturizer for acne prone skin can be helpful in some situations, like when you travel to very dry places. You might also need moisturizers when it’s cold, after a medical procedure, or when flying. But Dr. Zein Obagi says that moisturizer can also be bad for your skin, especially if you use it every day because you risk making your skin look older instead of younger.
Some people may think moisturizing will worsen acne, while others may say that you need it. Our skin naturally sheds dead cells once a month. From the bottom of the epidermis, new skin cells move up to the surface of our faces, where they die and flake off to make room for the next layer of skin cells. People say that moisturizer gets in the way of this natural process because it keeps old, dead skin cells from falling off on their own. Not only can moisturizers make your skin look dull and feel dry, but they can also slow down the growth of new skin cells.
Some say that moisturizers only have surface effects and don’t get to the root of the problem. This leads us to the following question:
Do Skin Moisturizers Really Work?
Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner says that people with acne need to should moisturize their skin. Some people with acne have dry skin even though they have pimples.
In general, moisturizer is good for your skin because it acts as a protective barrier. However, if you use it too much, your skin could become dependent on it and not exfoliate or make as many natural lipids and proteins on its own.
Most moisturizers are mostly made of oil and water, and they work to keep the skin from losing moisture. No matter how much lotion you use, it won’t help your skin regain moisture. Some dermatologists say that moisturizers are more likely to hurt your skin than to help it. The moisturizer can also help your skin if you use it right.
Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, adapalene/tazarotene/tretinoin, and isotretinoin, used to treat acne-prone skin, can cause your facial skin to become dry, so you may need to moisturize your face. The goal of a moisturizer for acne prone skin is to keep the top layer of skin from losing water, and it also acts as a barrier to protect the skin from damage from the outside world.
Moisturizing also helps skin that is prone to acne in a number of other ways, such as:
- Cutting down on oil production
- Getting more skin cells to turn over
- Getting rid of inflammation
Moisturizing Ingredients That May Be Particularly Beneficial For Acne
Now that we know that moisturizing does help acne, are there any ingredients that may be better than others?
Research shows that most moisturizers for acne-prone skin use both glycerine and dimethicone. Glycerine draws moisture to the skin, and dimethicone keeps moisture in. Most of the time, these are called “oil-free” moisturizers. Something called “oil-free” means that it doesn’t have any mineral oil or vegetable oil in it.
Glycerin is one of the most effective humectants, but when used on its own, it can increase TEWL by 29%. Because of this, it is suggested that occlusive agents be used with humectants like glycerin.
Dimethicone is silicone and can reduce TEWL without making skin feel greasy. It can work as both a barrier and a moisturizer and won’t clog pores or cause skin allergies.
Several other ingredients often found in a moisturizer for acne prone skin that can help people with acne by reducing inflammation. Among these things are:
- Green Tea
- Aloe Vera
- Allantoin
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Centella Asiatica (Cica)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- Resveratrol
Many of these ingredients also have antioxidant effects. Since some research suggests that free radicals and oxidative stress may play a role in acne, they may help make acne look better.
What Ingredients Should You Avoid in Moisturizer?
Diethanolamine, monoethanolamine, and triethanolamine are all ingredients that you should avoid. These three things are clear and have no color. Most of the time, they are in cleansers and soaps, but they don’t mix well with a regular moisturizer.
It would be best if you also avoided moisturizers containing mineral oil. Mineral oil is a byproduct of petroleum, making the skin around your pores feel like plastic. This fills them up, and soon your pores will be filled with acne.
Can Moisturizer Cause Acne?
Plain and simple: giving your skin too much moisture can cause acne. The reason is that your skin will be able to take in what it needs to stay looking fresh. The rest of the product sits on your face and forms a thin layer of oil, bacteria, and other ingredients.
This layer will then block the pores, which causes pimples and zits. So, moisturizers can cause acne, but usually only when you put too much on your skin.
Aside from that, moisturizer for acne prone skin can help keep pimples and zits from getting worse. If you don’t believe us, here are some ways moisturizers can help acne and your skin.
5 Signs You’re Using Too Much Moisturizer
Sometimes you don’t know you’ve moisturized too much until it’s too late. Some signs can help you avoid this, though. Here are the five most common signs that your skin is getting too much moisture.
Your Skin is Really Dry
Even though it might sound like the opposite of what you want, it’s true! If you use too much moisturizer, your skin will dry. When you use too much lotion, your skin stops making as much oil.
Because of this, your skin will start to make less oil, drying it out. At the end of the day, your skin type is the most important thing to consider when choosing a moisturizer.
For naturally dry skin, look for moisturizer for acne prone skin with Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. Glycerin and urea are two other ingredients that help draw water to your face.
If your skin is naturally oily, use a moisturizer for acne prone skin that doesn’t clog pores. This means that it won’t add to the extra and make your pores clogged.
You Have Clogged Pores
If your pores are clogged, it’s a good sign that you’re using too much moisturizer. The reason is easy to understand and has already been talked about. If you use too much moisturizer, the extra sits on your face.
If this extra moisturizer has nowhere to go, it will eventually fill up your skin’s pores and block them, which can lead to acne, whiteheads, and blackheads.
You Breakout A Lot
This is also a common sign that goes along with clogged pores. If you get pimples often, it’s a good sign that you’re using too much moisturizer.
Clogged pores cause most acne flare-ups, and as we’ve already talked about, clogged pores are one of the best ways to tell if you have too much moisturizer on your skin.
Increased Sebum Production
If you already have oily skin, using too much moisturizer can cause your sebum production to be all over the place. You already have oil on your skin when you moisturize.
If you use it carefully, it won’t cause any problems, but if you use it too much throughout the day, your sebum production will go off. Because of this, you might make more oil than you would like.
Your Skin Feels Tight
This is the opposite of what moisturizer is supposed to do. Moisturizer for acne prone skin works by pulling water from the air and keeping it in the skin. This is what makes your skin feel less itchy and tight. But if you use too much water, you take away that feeling.
Instead, it will make your skin very dry. Before then, your skin will feel tight, which is a good sign that you’ve used too much lotion. Most of the time, your skin gets tight before it starts to dry.
So, if your skin is getting tighter in one spot, it’s probably a good idea to cut back on how much moisturizer you’re using.
How To Choose The Best Moisturizer For Acne Prone Skin
Pay close attention to the label: “Oil-free” or “noncomedogenic” are the two most important words to look for on a moisturizer for acne prone skin, and you probably won’t have to look very hard. Rebecca Baxt, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Baxt Cosmedical in Paramus, New Jersey, says that these moisturizers are easy to find. “If it says either of those things, you can be sure it won’t clog your pores,” she says.
Check to see what’s in it: “Pick active ingredients like squalene, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides,” says Corey L. Hartman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, AL, and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama School of Medicine.
Consider the texture. If you tend to have dry skin or skin that is both dry and oily, choose a moisturizing cream. Dr. Kauvar says that people with oily skin should use a light lotion or gel.
Look for SPF. The sun can make acne worse. “Many moisturizers for acne-prone skin don’t have any scents and have chemical-free, non-irritating sunscreens,” says Dr. Kauvar. “This helps prevent blemishes long after the pimples are gone.”
Top 5 Moisturizers For Acne-Prone Skin
If you have acne-prone skin, you might want to try one of these moisturizers.
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
This moisturizer for acne prone skin with SPF 30 can be your go-to before you leave the house in the morning. Its expert blend of ceramides, naturally occurring fats in the skin, and hyaluronic acid, a humectant, makes dry patches impossible, even on sensitive, acne-prone skin. Niacinamide, a type of vitamin B3, makes the skin’s protective barrier even stronger.
Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer With Sunscreen
Non-clogging, non-greasy, and odorless? Look, look, and look again! This light formula doesn’t clog pores and never makes the skin look oily. It also has SPF 30 to protect sensitive areas. “I’ve always used pricey lotions. One reviewer said, “I can’t believe it, but this works just as well as those to moisturize my skin deep down.”
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Fluide Protective Moisturizer, Lightweight Oil-Free Face Moisturizer, For Sensitive Skin
This moisturizer for acne prone skin is best for oily or combination skin because it has no oil or scent. It’s made with glycerin, a humectant that draws water to the skin, and squalene, an emollient that creates a protective barrier to give your skin a boost of moisture. Still, it sinks in quickly and leaves a matte finish, so there won’t be any shiny spots.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Cetaphil products have been popular for a long time. This lotion isn’t greasy, doesn’t clog pores, and doesn’t have any scent. It’s suitable for people with acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and other sensitive skin conditions. It uses glycerin, vitamin E, and dimethicone to make the skin feel soft and smooth.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Oil-Control Moisturizer
This smooth formula is a dream for people with oily skin. It has hyaluronic acid, which gives the skin a nice plumping effect, and mineral powders and niacinamide, which keep oil in check all day. Also, it goes on quickly, smooths out pores, and hydrates well without making the skin feel greasy.
In Conclusion
Still, it’s important to remember that no skincare routine is the same for everyone. Before you spend your hard-earned money on moisturizer for acne prone skin, it’s very important to figure out what’s causing your adult acne in the first place.
If you don’t know how to treat your acne or don’t know where to start, you should talk to a professional. When taking care of your skin, you can go to a dermatologist or a medical aesthetician. Aestheticians have probably seen it all in their careers, and they can work with you to create a routine and regimen that will focus on your skin’s needs and treat any problems you might be having.