Anti-Aging and Acne Care
We all want clear skin, and many people go through a long process of trying tons of different acne products looking for a solution (I know I did). However, it’s important to keep in mind that some acne products we use today can have negative effects tomorrow. It’s wise to take a few precautions, particularly when using strong topical creams, to make sure that you won’t need to trade those anti-acne treatments for anti-wrinkle treatments a few years down the road.
The fact is, most topical acne treatments (that work) also have the downside of making your skin more sensitive to sun damage. This is true for products that use the most popular active ingredients, such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid (BP and SA, respectively), and especially for those based on vitamin A derivatives, such as Retin-A and the prescription treatment Accutane. BP and SA come in a variety of concentrations, with the stronger concentrations being generally more dangerous (and not necessarily more effective for combating acne, either). Unfortunately, chances are that if something is strong enough to kill your zits, it’s also putting your skin at risk of increased sun damage (after applying a BP product, your skin is often twice as sensitive to sun damage as it is normally). Following your acne cream with a non-comogenic moisturizer is essential if you’ll be spending any time under the sun, and a moisturizer that contains SPF-15 is highly recommended.
For a time after they are used (longer for Accutane), acne creams tend to strip away the usual layer of oil from your skin. While too much oil is a bad thing, too little is also dangerous. This is one of the benefits of vitamin B5 acne treatment, in that it simply lowers your oil to a natural level, rather than stripping it away completely. These treatments can also dehydrate your cells, leaving you primed for sun damage. If an acne cream or cleanser ever leaves your skin feeling over-dried, know that you definitely have an increased risk of sun damage. Too much sun exposure is the number-one cause of premature fine lines and wrinkles, so time your application of acne treatments to avoid this, and follow them with protective moisturizers whenever possible.
