The Acne Journal

Not all home acne remedies are bad, indeed some can even alleviate irritation or inflammation,

but the only thing that will get you clear is a managed home care routine that works to prevent the acne cycle from starting in the first place. This includes the daily use of exfoliants and anti-bacterial ingredients used together in the right way. Anything short of this has only a band-aid effect and won’t do anything for long term control of your acne.

Some common home acne remedies are...

Vitamin A, or retinol, is considered by many a "wonder" product.

This is because it's proven an effect on both acne and anti-aging and skin rejuvenation. Our acne clients already know how effective Vitamin A is in keeping their pimples at bay. Let's look at how this versatile ingredient can work wonders for anti-aging clients. 

Vitamin A can aid your skin by recalling its proper function. Known as a “cell-communicating ingredient,” vitamin A blocks incorrect messages...

Those of us who are acne-prone understand how difficult it can be to find moisturizers, sunscreens, and makeup that are safe to use and won’t clog your pores.

To help us make the decision of what is okay to put on our faces, we often rely on those safe, scientific-sounding words on the labels as “non-comedogenic” and “dermatologist approved." These labels suggest to the buyer that the product has been tested by skincare experts who have found the product to meet...

What makes acne products effective? In order to get rid of acne, they need to:

• Penetrate the inside of the pore – stopping acne where it starts.

• Help to keep the pore clear of dead skin cells.

• Kill bacteria inside the pore.

• Be noncomedogenic (non-pore-clogging) so as to not make your acne worse.

At Elements Acne Clinic, we have found that acne products that include mandelic acid, vitamin a propionate or benzoyl peroxide are the best ones. But, it’s not enough to find and...

One of the most common complaints of even the best acne products is that they irritate and dehydrate the skin. 

People tend to stop using their acne products when their skin gets dry and peely, so they never get completely clear, nor do they stay clear.  I want to go over some strategies that can make using acne products a more productive, comfortable process.

1. Know from the outset, that you are going to have some dryness and peeling from acne products.  Any product that is...

Warning - acne products that you buy from the drugstore most likely have pore-clogging ingredients in them. Here are some real-life examples:

• Clearasil:
  The offenders are: Glyceryl Stearate SE, Isopropyl Myristate
• Another comedogenic benzyl peroxide (Zapzyt)– cute name….
  The offender is: laureth 4
• Persa Gel – comedogenic
  The offender is: laureth 4
• Walgreens benzyl peroxide (bpo) – comedogenic
  Offender is: laureth 4

Wondering what else might be making...

Comedogenic ingredients, more commonly known as pore-clogging ingredients, contribute to 90% of acne (you read that right, 90%!), with diet and lifestyle issues contributing to the remaining 10% of breakouts. Yet, comedogenic ingredients are the most overlooked topic in skincare and acne solutions.

All pore-clogging ingredients are rated on a scale of 1-5.

• 1 and 2 are considered not-clogging
• 3-5 rate very clogging. 
• Every ingredient on our pore-clogging list falls in the 3-5's or...

When it comes to makeup and acne, it’s all about choosing the right products that won't make your acne worse! 

We’ve partnered with our client and makeup guru @jarznar, and PRIIA Cosmetics to showcase some of our favorite acne-safe products to create an easy-to-copy makeup look. 

5 Tips to Complete Your Full-Face Ance Safe Makeup Look

Tip #1 | Find multi-use products

Layer PRIIA Liquid Mineral Foundation and Powder Foundation together for a...

When it comes to foundation, the powder foundation is the underdog. 

Powder foundation can appear intimidating, or difficult to apply in comparison to liquid foundation, but really, it couldn't be easier! 

We love PRIIA’s Loose Mineral Foundation. This multi-tasking powder foundation can be applied multiple ways, is 100% acne-safe and doesn’t have that melt-away makeup problem many liquid foundations have (except Priia's, of course).

We’ve partnered with...

We must be asked at least once a day about Proactiv and all of its copycats.

My response is that it’s a good start. There is good science behind Proactiv and that is why it works for some people. But for the rest of you, have you noticed that it stops working after about three weeks? Why is this?

For the most part, Proactiv skincare products are not strong enough for people with stubborn acne. Or, they may be strong enough at first, but then the skin actually “gets used” to...