Comedonal Acne? My K-Beauty (mainly) skincare routine to prevent breakouts
Acne, so many types with so many names! From hormonal acne that creeps up around the chin or jaw line area every now and then? The massive invaders that rise from under the skins surface, settling in awkward places! Then the full on fungal (a minefield to treat) Or, the under the skin Comedonal type of acne spreading all over face but mainly the forehead and cheek areas, Nice! This type consists of flesh coloured bumps (papules). That are not always distinctly visible at first, due to them being rooted underneath the skins surface!
And, it doesn’t end there! Comedonal type of acne can be challenging to treat! ‘’ a comedo is formed by debris blocking the sebaceous duct and hair follicle. It is now known that comedones also involve inflammation’’ Which is what causes the skin to react & try to protect itself; just as it would in response to any form of infection (for example; like when you’ve been bitten by an insect! Ever experienced how the skin can swell up, even rash up? This is to protect itself against infection). So, here comes the redness, the raising of those bumps and the itchiness - Happy days!
My oily-combination skin type unfortunately leaves me more susceptible to this type of Comedonal acne than perhaps, someone with a dryer skin type? Thus, why it’s so important as a preventative action to have an effective & tailored skin care routine in place.
Now, here comes my K-Beauty breakout routine! As you know I love these products specifically for such innovative methods of production and if a little ‘strange’ ingredient composition.Basically, they’ve cracked a skincare code that we are still slowly unravelling here in the West!
(1) DOUBLE CLEANSE: The oil cleanse – Oil? Am I serious? With an oily skin type?! Yes, I am! The product I’m leading to is more of a balm but; before we proceed just to clarify: Oils are diverse! For clogged pores in general it’s important to avoid FATTY OILS (LINEOLIC ACIDS). A few example ingredients would be UN-fractioned Coconut oil, Cocoa butters, Wheat germ Oil, Shea butter etc. They are known, despite their hydrating properties to be a bit of a red flag for acne or Comedonal acne especially being quite rich allows them to block the pores encouraging irritation and further flair ups – AVOID!
BANILA - CLEAN IT ZERO, PURITY: Is what I like to use & rate highly! I love this product because It comes with a clean & simple composition. A balm like consistency being great for travelling too (no spills or leaks). Being hypoallergenic means; the chances for irritation / reactions are minimal. Making this perfect for sensitive skin types like mine. When applying this, the texture is almost like a sorbet (very light) then when in contact with the skin it’s a very fine oil texture, which washes off & removes all traces of make-up & impurities with it, leaving the skin feeling balanced and comfortable (not stripped or overly dry). This is with a PH level of 5.9; Free from artificial colouring's, synthetic fragrances, alcohol, parabens, mineral oils & is formulated for sensitive skin. For those looking for a product with minimal chemical content inside? This could be a great one for you too.
(2) FOAMING, WATER BASED CLEANSER: So, no double cleanse would be complete without the second round! This step removes any residues of oil from the first step, make up or SPF traces. As well as getting a bit deeper into those pores, ensuring they are fully cleansed. Thus preventing further bacteria build up! I’m especially picky in terms of what I’ll use! Preferring the Korean brands because they are usually free from alcohol, come with a low or normal PH level, as well as being gentle on the skin. My top two for controlling my comedogenic breakouts would have to be the COSRX Good morning foaming Gel cleanser (check my former post here) or:
NEOGEN: REAL FRESH GREEN TEA CLEANSING STICK: This product I like using in the evenings. Especially if I’ve been wearing heavier make up etc. This stick is classed as an oil (dual) cleanser? Although honestly despite it being very good; as a standalone oil cleanser this wouldn’t be enough to remove all my make-up, SPF in one hit. But, as a second step or, for the mornings this is great for my oily skin type.
The Green Tea stick was created by Soko Glams co-founder Charlotte Cho. It’s innovative by being formulated with 13 natural oils! A Pretty powerful stick, right? The oils help breaks down makeup traces & oils on the skin. The natural green tea leaves (visible all over this product, pretty cool right?). Gently exfoliate the skin! Another bonus is the low PH level means a gentle cleanse for the skin. My face always feels comfortable, clean & the oil on my skin feels balanced yet, not dry.
(3) EXFOLIATION: This is probably one of the most, if not the most crucial step for my specific type of acne! The key to containing it, is to keep the skin as clean and clear as possible! I find by using an exfoliation product around twice per week this helps remove dead skin cells & keeps my breakouts under control. It doesn’t stop them, but it certainly helps & I notice my overall complexion appears smoother & brighter which is always welcome. My essential for this is the NEOGEN RED WINE BIO PEELING PAD & you can read my former review here… www.rowisbox.com
(4) TONER: This is a step that I used to skip all the time! However, since embarking on my #kbeauty skin care journey, I now fully appreciate the vital role a good toner plays for its hydration benefits! For my acne prone skin, I’m in love with: BENTON'S ALOE BHA SKIN TONER
The reason why I rate this so highly believing that it works well is, because this product contains powerful skin benefiting ingredients such as; Salicylic Acid (Exfoliates, helps to reduce sebum & contains anti-inflammatory properties to help calm those bumps or papules). Aloe, known and awesome for its soothing and hydrating properties, again just what you want when suffering from this type of acne. It also has Snail Mucin (love it or fear it).?
(5) ESSENCE: Here’s a step I’d never heard of before K-Beauty! At first, I wondered if it would just be too much for my oily skin? Being a bit experimental & looking for something to help repair my damaged skin caused from the aftermath of breakout wreckage! Scars, mini holes or craters on the skin? – These can be an absolute nightmare to repair (as well as slightly soul destroying)! The essence product I use and find incredibly effective, helping with all of this is another product by cosrx:
ADVANCED SNAIL 96 MUCIN POWER ESSENCE. Snail Mucin as in from actual snails? Yes! Hmmm!? I thought the same at first too, believe me! But you must try it, at least once before you knock it, perhaps you may love it too. This product has a 96% content of snail secretion (SS). Don’t worry as strange as it sounds, no snails are harmed in the production of these products, with no odour or anything yukky about it. It does however, have a thicker consistency than some other essence products I’ve tried yet, not heavy as it sinks straight into the skin.
With such high content of SS gives the skin an intensive repair & hydration; Snail Mucin is an amazing ingredient with the ability to repair skin damage. This has really helped me out! With the overall texture of my skin being smoother when using this, good for dry flaky patches, whilst also lending a helping hand with dark patches too (hyper-pigmentation). With regular use, this one is a bit of a game changer.
(6) TREATMENT: This step is for targeting specific areas of concern and can range from anything you want to improve on. For me breakouts, skin texture, hyper pigmentation (dark patches). And acne scars being my most pressing concerns. I use COSRX TRIPLE C LIGHTENING LIQUID as it’s literally like a magical eraser for the skin with an almost 12 hour brightening effect! Be warned, the content of vitamin C inside this, is the highest percentage on the market so, approach with caution! You can check out my previous post on this one here….. www.rowisbox.com
(7) HYDRATION: I’m currently playing with a product by The Ordinary – AZELAIC ACID SUSPENSION CREAM 10% (NOT South Korean) But I like this as a base layer under my SPF by day. ‘’ Found in grains, Azelaic Acid is produced naturally by yeast that lives on normal skin. It brightens the skin tone while visibly improving the evenness of skin texture and reducing the look of blemishes. It is a multi-functional support ingredient for all skin types and acts as an effective antioxidant. This formula offers a very high 10% concentration of high-purity Azelaic Acid in a lightweight cream-gel system’’
I like this product as it’s light weight however in the beginning, I wasn’t convinced if it would sink in well feeling a bit synthetic! Yet, it’s not and this doesn’t clog up the pores. I also notice when I am having a particularly bad breakouts, how this cream seems to help calm it all down, quite quickly too. Note: This product is not overly hydrating & very matt in finish so, if your skin is more of a dry type. You may prefer to use this as a serum and then apply something a bit more hydrating on top? I only really use this during breakouts. Otherwise, I prefer something a bit more hydrating and with SPF.
So that was a bit of a long one! I hope I’ve not lost you all in the details? Does this post resonate with you? Acne is no joke and can really affect, not just on a physical level, on an emotional one too! However, don’t forget that there could be a deeper root internally, maybe a food allergy or specific sensitivities so, if possible it’s never a bad shout to go and see a professional, if possible & if nothing is truly working. I’ve been reading up on the benefits of Sulphur for treating comedogenic and fungal acne, it’s said to kill of the bacteria with strong claims of repair! I’m eyeing a product on Ebay! Once purchased and tested I’ll let you know how that goes.
Did you enjoy this post? If so share some love and hit LIKE or, any questions just drop me a COMMENT in the box below, I’d love to hear about YOUR journey or, any tips and tricks that have helped you out too?
#acne #Comedonal #comedones #persistent #breakouts #skinwoes #sulphur #hypoallergenic #skincare #kbeauty #acneroutine #skincare #lifestyle #blogger #beautyblogger
Recent Comments
1
Hi Rowena, excellent post, thank you for the information, definately learned something new.