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Did you know that the type of skin you have can influence the type of acne that you have, and how to treat it? Topical treatments have never been one-size-fits all, and it's important to understand your skin type to treat it properly.
While AcnEase is designed to work for all skin types, there are a couple of extra steps that you can take to ensure that your skin is happy and healthy from the inside out that totally depend on your skin type. Your skin type is usually a result of your genetics, but in extreme cases, it can be induced by using the incorrect products for your skin!
You will know if your skin is oily if it seems to have a constant shine, regardless if you moisturize or not. A myth about oily skin is that it doesn’t need moisturizer—this is totally false, as all skin needs moisture to be healthy! Opt for oil-free moisturizers to provide essential hydration, and if concealing pimples, opt for a setting powder applied on top to keep makeup in place. Oily skin is also more prone to blackheads forming than other skin types.
Dry skin often feels tight, especially right after cleansing. Needs extra moisture and hydration to ensure that any makeup looks seamless without flakiness or peeling. Dry skin can easily be worsened with topical treatments that are too harsh, such as retinoids.
If you have normal skin, lucky you—you’ve won the skin type lottery! Normal skin doesn’t too oily or too dry, it’s perfectly balanced. However, that doesn’t mean it can be unbalanced by using products that aren’t quite right for normal skin—using too many drying treatments can leave it feeling stripped of moisture, while products that are incredibly heavily moisturizing could leave skin feeling oily.
You might have combination skin if you feel like your skin has aspects of two or more categories above. For example, you might have an oily t-zone, but dryer cheeks. Keeping tips in mind for each of these skin types for different parts of your face will be essential for ensuring acne is under control.
But, if you have olive skin, that’s another factor coming into play that affects how you treat acne. Remember, you can have any of the skin types above and have olive skin, as it refers to the melanin in your skin, rather than how your skin behaves.
Olive skin is typically classified as Fitzpatrick Skin type three and darker. If you're not sure if you classify as olive-skinned, there a few quizzes online! But in general, if you have dark eyes, hair, and skin that tends to tan rather than burn—you probably have what's considered an olive skin tone. But what does that mean when it comes to acne?
With any kind of skin inflammation—whether it's acne, a scratch, or a bug bite—olive skin types are more likely to develop something known as Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation or PIH for short. PIH occurs when trauma happens to the skin, in our case, acne.
When trauma occurs, melanocytes are triggered. These melanocytes have a role in restoring the pigment to the healing skin, but can sometimes overproduce melanin—leaving behind the darkened reminders of where acne used to be. PIH does happen to all skin types, however, its effects tend to last the longest and be more visible on darker skin because of the naturally higher levels of melanin.
It’s important to note that PIH is different from acne scars, such as icepick, rolling, or boxcar scars. PIH’s trademark is that it is a completely flat, dark mark, while acne scars typically show a significant change in texture from normal skin, and can take more time to treat than PIH. However, the overall treatments are similar—it just takes a longer time to see results.
There are also some common skincare mistakes that can worsen PIH—mainly, popping and picking at acne. Avoid the temptation to pop and pick at the skin by spot treating, or using hydrocolloid pimple patches that suck out all the ‘gunk' of a zit. It's important to remember that this only reduces the likelihood of PIH—not erases it. For some skin types, no matter how delicately they treat their skin, PIH comes up anyway, and that's where part two of dealing with PIH comes in.
In the short term, PIH can be covered up and concealed—just like spot-covering inflamed acne, a non-comedogenic concealer can be used to temporarily hide any lingering PIH spots. Just be sure to use a clean brush every time to prevent potentially spreading zits! A combination of color correcting and concealing can help make skin look flawless. A tiny dab of an orange color corrector over PIH means that you can use less concealer for a more flawless result. In the long term, a combination of internal and external treatments can be used to diminish the appearance of PIH.
A product that's crucial for reducing its appearance—as well as the likelihood of PIH forming in the first place—is using a UVA and UVB blocking facial sunscreen every day. This is essential because it protects the new, vulnerable skin from UV rays which could easily darken and damage it, leading to persistent PIH. Just like with any scar on your body, it’s important to keep it out of the sun!
And yes, I mean a separate sunscreen product—even if your moisturizer contains SPF, it’s likely you’re not applying enough to protect your skin. There are lightweight, non-comedogenic formulas available, especially from Japanese or Korean brands that help to protect skin without causing more breakouts! Using a daily sunscreen product goes a long way to ensuring that skin is even-toned, glowing, and flawless—no sunspots or PIH in sight.
A topical treatment containing skin-nourishing ingredients designed to even skin tone can speed up the process of fading PIH as well. The Rejuvel 3D Cream Serum is designed to target all skin conditions, including correct dark spots caused by acne. A serum like this can be used morning and night to ensure that skin can make the most of the ingredients for radiant, PIH-free skin.
AcnEase also helps to support the fading of PIH from within by boosting skin health. After your full course of AcnEase to banish active acne, a maintenance dose is recommended to ensure the long-term health of your skin to ensure there are no further PIH-causing breakouts!