Should you exfoliate Acne Prone Skin ?

Often people ask me how I keep my skin looking dewy and blackhead-free. I'll let you in on my one of my little secrets. No, its not exfoliation. But it is "PROPER EXFOLIATION". Since i have acne prone and extremely sensitive skin, I cannot exfoliate my skin like others do. I exfoliate on a weekly basis to keep my pores clear. Because clogged pores will ultimately lead to acne. 

While dealing with acne, you cannot rub your skin against harsh and rough scrubs. Hence people tend to believe that people with acne can’t and should not exfoliate. But thats not true.

Now, before you run off and grab your SCRUB, you need to know how and with what to exfoliate sensitive, acne and breakout prone skin.

1. Exfoliation is extremely important in the treatment of acne. Don't ever think that acne prone skin can't be exfoliated. If you have exfoliated earlier and that has increased your breakouts, YOU MIGHT BE USING WRONG PRODUCTS FOR EXFOLIATION. Acne-causing bacteria dwells on dead skin cells. Hence you always need to get rid of dead skin cells in order to treat acne.


2. Don’t exfoliate on active pimples. Rubbing on active pimples and pustules will just spread the bacteria leading to more pimples and irritate your skin. You might feel that after using the physical exfoliants, your skin is soft and smooth, but they often aren't the best choice for acne-prone skin. The friction involved in using a physical exfoliant can irritate acne inflamed skin. This rubbng against your inflamed skin can make your skin red. In my case, exfoliants made my existing breakouts worse by irritating them. Hence I used the natural chemical exfoliant which is mild and helps clear up acne really fast !!!


3. If you’re concern is scars only, exfoliation is your best friend: Fading acne scars is a challenge but you can lighten them by regularly exfoliating. Exfoliation works wonders by removing dead skin cells from the skin and letting your skin to regenerate itself.



4. Use only soft and mild exfoliators, preferably natural alternatives like oatmeal and coffee. I would not suggest sugar scrubs because they are a little rough and rub against the skin. Traditional store bought apricot scrubs didn't work for me at all. Whenever i used that my skin broke out like hell, And when i stopped using them, my skin cleared up. Probably my sensitive skin could not bear the harsh exfoliating beads. And i realised that i am using wrong products.




5. Look for exfoliating ingredients: Use moisturizers and cleansers with chemical exfoliating ingredients like Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) , Beta hydroxy acids (BHA) like salicylic acid. These ingredients can reach deeply into the pores of your skin and work wonders to remove dead skin, blackheads and whiteheads.
   Especially salicylic acid is a miraculous ingredient for exfoliating acne prone skin. I use salicylic acid containing moisturizers and it helps my skin to remain clear. I suffered from clogged pores, but salicylic acid helped me to reduce oil and sebum on my skin, gradually reducing clogged pores.
   
   " DO NOT EVER FORGET TO MOISTURIZE YOUR SKIN AFTER EXFOLIATING !!! "