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The Best Spot Treatments, According To Dermatologists
Baffled by the world of acne skincare? Here, dermatologists recommend the best topical products
Put down the toothpaste and step away from the scrubs. We appreciate how tempting it is to throw everything but the kitchen sink at an angry red blemish, but let us promise you this: all those internet hacks are making the situation worse.
The solution is a spot treatment: but not just any spot treatment. The shelves might be heavy with creams, gels, serums and stickers, but not all blemish busters were created equal. A lot of traditional spot creams are loaded with alcohol that makes them astringent with a capital A: great for making the skin feels satisfyingly squeaky-clean, but not such good news for your moisture barrier. Strip the bad stuff too enthusiastically, and you’ll be removing the good stuff, too, leaving the door open for redness, irritation and extreme dryness.
'It is important not to be too aggressive on the skin, particularly if you suffer with congestion and acne,' confirms consultant dermatologist Dr Ophelia Veraitch. 'Over "stripping" your skin can cause more oil production, peeling, pigmentation and even worsening of your acne.’
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The true solution lies not in annihilating those pimples with harsh formulas, but in nurturing the skin while dissolving the oil and grime at the centre of a spot. Dr Veraitch recommends six main ingredients to her patients hoping to treat breakouts. Below, she walks us through them:
- Zinc sulphate: controls sebum, or oil production. In fact, a recent study found that topical zinc sulphate can be as effective as taking oral antibiotics for acne.
- Niacinamide: helps soothe the inflammation and improve blemishes caused by acne.
- Salicylic acid: helps remove the top layer of skin and also helps reduce skin congestion. It can also bring down redness and inflammation in acne-prone skin.
- Tretinoin or retinol: these vitamin A derivatives are powerful anti-acne ingredients. They help reduce the severity of acne breakouts, clear up existing breakouts and reduce the dark spots left behind by acne.
- Topical antibiotics: these target the bacteria P.acnes that is implicated in the development in acne. Topical antibiotics, such as clindamycin, also have anti-inflammatory properties to help soothe the redness and inflammation.
- Azelaic acid: has anti-inflammatory properties to help with breakouts. It is a particularly effective ingredient at addressing the irregular skin tone that can be caused by acne, and the redness associates with rosacea flares.
So, when it comes to treating breakouts, you have options. Luckily for you, we’ve consulted the experts to reveal exactly which ones are up to the task, unclogging those pores without leaving skin irritated. From soothing toners to stickers and a few stellar spot gels, these are the treatments to trust. Now, step away from the bathroom mirror.
The best spot treatments to rely on now
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