If you have oily, acne-prone skin, then you’re probably already familiar with how one wrong move in your skincare routine could leave you with a face full of angry breakouts. It’s a tricky skin type to deal with, to the point where a clear complexion can seem like an impossibility.

However, while it may currently feel as though you’re going to be stuck dealing with breakouts forever, don’t lose hope. Read on as Lavelier shares some highly effective skincare tips that will soon see you sporting a blemish-free appearance.

Cleanse Your Face Twice a Day

Chances are that you’re already cleansing your acne-prone skin daily. If not, then this is likely to be a big contributor to your breakouts. When all of the dirt, excess sebum, and environmental impurities that build up on the skin are allowed to settle into the pores, pimples usually follow. 

However, cleansing once a day may not be enough. Studies that have been carried out on this topic have discovered that the appearance of acne lesions improves most significantly when a person cleanses twice a day – once in the morning and then again at night. 

Of course, this would also depend on the cleanser that you use. Many people with acne-prone skin tend to automatically reach for the strongest formula available. However, research shows that all of those specialized cleansers don’t have much of an impact on acne breakouts. 

Instead, the best cleanser to use on acne-prone skin would be a mild and gentle formula. It should thoroughly cleanse the skin but without overly drying it out, which is what the Lavelier Biology Mousse Cleanser excels at. This cleanser will effectively lift any impurities that are sitting on your skin’s surface, while also enriching the complexion with a potent cocktail of botanical extracts.

Use an Acid-Based Exfoliant

Exfoliating is essential for every skin type, but even more so for acne-prone skin. After all, breakouts are caused when blockages in the pores become inflamed. If you regularly exfoliate and therefore don’t allow your pores to become clogged in the first place, you’ll be able to dramatically reduce the appearance of pimples. 

However, if your exfoliant of choice is a face scrub, it’s time to rethink your ways. Scrubbing at the delicate skin on the face with abrasive particles is a surefire way to irritate the skin. And, as we all know, irritation quickly leads to inflammation and breakouts.

Face scrubs can also transfer acne-causing bacteria from one part of the face to another. If your pimples are confined to just one area of your face, then using a face scrub could lead to breakouts appearing everywhere.

So, when it comes to exfoliation, formulas containing hydroxy acids, like the Lavelier Intensive Facial Peel, are the way to go. This exfoliant makes use of mandelic acid, which is derived from almonds. It’s a gentle alpha-hydroxy acid that exfoliates the skin without leading to symptoms of over-exfoliation, which many harsher acids do. 

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

It can be tempting to forgo using a moisturizer when you have acne-prone skin. Since the skin already feels quite greasy and heavy, applying a moisturizer on top can often be the last thing that you want to do.

However, keeping your skin hydrated is so important if you want to cut back on the appearance of breakouts. Dehydrated skin cells stimulate an increase in oil production, which only makes acne worse.

The secret is to find a product that can hydrate your complexion without leaving your skin feeling even more weighed down, and the HydroTherm Completion Creme is perfect for this. 

Rather than containing the heavy plant oils that many moisturizers are formulated with, this lightweight blend hydrates the skin with a mixture of humectants. Sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, and coral seaweed extract all provide moisture-binding properties to plump up the complexion. At the same time, vitamins and antioxidant-rich botanicals work to brighten and rebalance the appearance, leaving the skin looking radiant.

Learn How to De-Stress

If you want to improve the appearance of your acne-prone skin, then you need to approach skincare from a holistic angle. This means taking your physical and mental health into account too. After all, both have a huge influence on your overall complexion.

When it comes to your emotional well-being, stress is something that is strongly linked to acne. Research confirms a clear correlation between stress and the severity of acne breakouts. 

Why is this? It all comes down to the hormones that the body releases when it’s feeling stressed. Hormones such as cortisol help the body to deal with stress. However, they also increase sebum production. This leaves the skin oilier than ever, which means acne breakouts become worse.

Simply learning how to de-stress can go a long way in improving your complexion. Everyone has their own methods for doing so – you’ll likely need to try a few techniques before finding one that works for you. However, whether it may be writing in a journal, listening to some calming music, or relaxing in the bath with an indulgent face mask, having a few go-to methods in place for whenever you’re feeling overly stressed will help your skin big time!

Use Targeted Serums to Fade the Visibility of Acne Marks

If the pimples weren’t bad enough, people with acne-prone skin also usually have to deal with the acne marks that follow. Also known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, these dark spots are triggered by inflammation. In order for the skin to heal, it produces melanin, which is its pigment. However, it often produces too much, leaving that area of skin looking darker.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ingredients out there that can help to fade the visibility of hyperpigmentation. It won’t happen overnight, but use them regularly and you should notice an improvement in a few weeks to a few months.

One bestselling product that has been designed specifically to lighten the look of dark spots is the Lavelier Skin Clair Repair. It contains a powerful blend of ingredients that have been proven to diminish the visibility of hyperpigmentation, while also leaving the rest of the complexion looking brighter overall. Apply this serum to your skin each night, focusing on any discolored areas.

Get Your 8 Hours of Beauty Sleep Each Night

Getting enough sleep is so important for your skin. This is the time during which your skin cells heal and regenerate. As a result, it doesn’t take long for sleep deprivation to result in a dull and drab complexion while also accelerating the skin aging process.

Even worse, a lack of sleep could also potentially exacerbate acne. Research suggests that sleep deprivation causes certain inflammatory compounds to be released in the body. These compounds not only trigger new breakouts but also make existing pimples even more inflamed.

If you struggle to get enough quality sleep each night, there are a few things that you can do to change this. For starters, make sure that your bedroom has a restful and welcoming environment. Dim lighting, comfortable bedding, and the right temperature setting can all help to induce sleep. You should also be limiting daytime naps, doing plenty of exercise, and sticking to a sleep schedule. All of this will soon have you snoozing like a baby!

Don’t Pick at Pimples

You probably already know that you shouldn’t be picking at your spots, but do you know why this is?

Well, when it comes down to it, pimples are the skin’s way of responding to a clogged pore. They’re vital when it comes to the healing process, and picking at a pimple only disrupts this. Not only does this mean that it’ll take much longer for your skin to heal, but it could also make your acne worse. Causing even more trauma to the affected area of skin while introducing new bacteria will only exacerbate inflammation. This will also increase your chances of developing acne marks and scars.

Struggling to resist the temptation?

Spot stickers can temporarily help. You place them directly over a pimple, which prevents you from touching it. Many also contain ingredients that help to soothe the feeling of inflammation.

That said, if you have a spot that’s particularly troublesome, then a visit to your dermatologist may be in order. They’ll be able to safely perform an extraction to get rid of the pimple for you, without leaving you scarred or marked.

Regularly Clean Your Pillowcases and Face Towels

We’ve already talked about how dirt and environmental contaminants can make acne so much worse. This is why cleansing is so essential. However, it can also help to try to prevent quite as much dirt from building up on your skin in the first place.

Sure, some impurities are inevitable, but there are others that you can control. Take your pillowcase, for example. It doesn’t take long for sebum, product buildup, and other impurities to work their way into the fabric. The next time you lay your head on that pillowcase, all of this bacteria will transfer back over onto your skin, joining all of the dirt that’s already on there. Do this too often and breakouts won’t be far behind.

That’s why it’s so important to ensure that your pillowcases are always as clean as possible. It may require you to do some extra laundry, but it’ll be worth it. 

This also applies to everything else that your face comes into contact with. Face towels are another common household item that often harbors large amounts of bacteria, so keep these clean as well. 

Your phone should also be cleaned daily. After all, think about the many different surfaces that it comes into contact with, picking up germs from each one. These then move onto your face whenever you hold your phone up against your ear. A simple wipe-down each evening can help to minimize this problem. 

Giving Your Acne-Prone Skin All That it Needs

Acne isn’t something that you can banish overnight. It can take several months, if not years, to get acne-prone skin under control. However, following all of the tips above will set you on the right path to rebalancing your complexion and minimizing the appearance of breakouts.

Click here to check out more bestselling skincare products from Lavelier.