Acne and Skin Aging Combination
By Cynthia Bailey MD.
Acne and anti-aging skin care routines have ideal opportunities to address both concerns at the same time.
- Start young and prevent skin aging while fighting acne breakouts.
- Start with mature skin and reverse the signs of skin aging while discouraging acne at the same time.
I've created acne skin care routines for thousands of patients in my dermatology practice, routines that keep their skin acne-free and fight skin aging over the years.
You got me on these great products in my early 20’s (for acne) and I’ve been on them ever since. It was my 38th birthday yesterday and this woman giving me a pedicure thought I was in my 20s. She couldn’t believe it. I credit it to your products, they are fabulous. I’ve turned so many people on to them too. Tracy A,
Since acne products are often designed for teen complexions, they may not be right for mature skin and most complexions after adolescence.
That’s because acne products designed for teens are often made to fit a very oily complexion and formulated with the highest concentration of acne fighting ingredients. These types of formulations may be too drying or irritating for your skin after adolescence. Your skin's needs, as well as its tolerance to acne products, change with age.
The good news is that some great acne ingredients can also help fight skin aging.
If you use the right concentrations of ingredients that fight acne and skin aging then you will get a double benefit - anti-acne products that also fight the signs of skin aging. Dr. Cynthia Bailey
I created my Acne and Anti-Aging Skin Care Kit to combine the best ingredients to tackle both issues.
The best skin care routine to fight both acne and anti-aging concerns.
In this kit, you have the 7 best acne and age fighting medicines and ingredients in a 6-step routine including:
- Salicylic acid 2% to penetrate and unclog oily pores and carry other treating actives deep into pores where acne causing germs thrive.
- Glycolic acid 10% to brighten skin and unclog pores.
- Benzoyl peroxide 5% to spot treat pimples or apply to acne prone skin to kill the acne causing bacteria C. acnes.
- Retinol to help unclog pores, brighten skin, fight uneven skin pigment problems, and stimulate skin collagen renewal to correct fine lines and wrinkles.
- The right acne-friendly moisturizer to balance skin hydration and prevent dryness.
- The best green tea antioxidants to reduce excess skin oil production, skin redness and reload your essential skin antioxidant reserve to fend off free radical mediated skin aging.
- The best acne-friendly invisible pure mineral sunscreen to block UV rays that lead to collagen loss, skin aging, free radical formation and pigmented acne scarring.
Yep, it's a brilliant routine that covers all the essential bases. You can't do better with a dermatologist's appointment; I've given you access to the best science has to offer for acne and skin aging.
This is a Complete Skin Care Routine that leaves nothing to chance. I give you an option to add a Glycolic Acid Face Cream if your skin can handle it. It's easy to use.
The Best Products and Skin Care Routine to Fight Acne and Skin Aging
Step One: CLEANSE
The first part of your morning acne treatment and anti-aging regimen is to cleanse your skin so that the products you need to correct your acne and skin aging can penetrate into your skin.
The best facial cleanser for adult acne which is Foaming Acne Treatment Cleanser.
Foaming Acne Treatment Cleanser is included in the Kit. It is pH balanced and perfect for all skin types. It cleanses while providing a full 2% salicylic acid to deeply penetrate into oily or clogged pores, and10% glycolic acid. The 10% glycolic acid starts the age-fighting skin care process by brighten skin. Extremely oily complexions with tenacious clogged pores or blackheads benefit from a second cleansing step with my Acne Treatment Pads, which are a kit add-on option.:
If you have Pityrosporum folliculitis (a common type of 'fungal' acne after adolescence often seen first around the jaw and hairline) or acne rosacea add Calming Zinc Bar Soap for acne and use it at night.
Step Two: CORRECT
If you used a medicated cleanser then you already started to CORRECT acne and the signs of skin aging. Continue the process after cleansing by layering additional products to correct the issues associated with acne and skin aging.
I always recommend Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy for adult acne and this powerhouse is included in the Kit.
Green tea has also been shown to reduce sebum production and fight acne. It also calms skin redness and inflammation while reloading the skin's antioxidant reserve (depleted by acne inflammation, sun, and environmental stressors). Apply it right after washing during the day.
During the day, apply the benzoyl peroxide in the Kit to areas prone to acne to kill the acne causing bacteria called C. acnes. Benzoyl peroxide is better than prescription antibiotics at controlling this important cause of acne. Ideally you want to apply a product such as my Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Cream over the entire acne-prone area to prevent acne.
Alternatively, many people prefer to spot treat pimples after they have formed. Either way, benzoyl peroxide is an important part of acne treatment.
At night, fight wrinkles, blackheads, clogged pores and uneven pigment by using Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream in the Kit. This professional retinol cream also includes potent green tea antioxidants.
You can top retinol with glycolic acid by applying my Glycolic Acid Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream. if your skin can tolerate the two together. They work synergistically to stimulates collagen renewal to fight skin aging. I give you this as an add-on option with the Kit.
Step Three: HYDRATE
Apply Daily Moisturizing Face Cream for Oily to Normal Skin. that comes with the Kit. This much-loved acne-friendly moisturizer is ideal and also perfect for around the delicate eye area.
If you are using the Glycolic Acid Face Cream at night, you don't need a moisturizer because this product has a lightweight moisturizing oil-free base.
Step Four: PROTECT
You will not fight premature skin aging without a sunscreen. It's that simple! Protect your skin 365 days a year with one of my invisible and oil-free pure mineral Sheer Strength Sunscreen included in the Kit. The Matte Tinted absorbs oil doubles as makeup or a primer. The Spray is fabric friendly and un-tinted.
The best sunscreens for acne-prone skin to fight skin aging
My Sheer Strength Pure Physical SPF 50+ sunscreens are designed exactly for your combination of skin issues. Plus, they are oil free, fragrance free and feel ultra-light on your skin. Choose from:
Sheer Strength Pure Physical Tinted Matte Sunscreen SPF 30+ oil absorbing and tinted to help hide complexion flaws. This is my top choice facial sunscreen and the product I wear on my face every day.
Sheer Strength Pure Physical Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50+ moderately water resistant for sweaty activities and easily applies into hairy skin such as a man's facial hair!
The bottom line with skincare for acne and antiaging:
The best products tackle both problems at the same time! I've built them into one routine to take the guess work out of it for you. Alternatively, I've given you links to individual products and you can add them to your existing routine if you just need a single product or two.
Saric S, Notay M, Sivamani RK. Green Tea and Other Tea Polyphenols: Effects on Sebum Production and Acne Vulgaris. Antioxidants (Basel). 2016;6(1):2. Published 2016 Dec 29. doi:10.3390/antiox6010002
Al-Niaimi F, Chiang NYZ. Topical Vitamin C and the Skin: Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Applications. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(7):14–17.
Philipp Babilas, Ulrich Knie, Christoph Abels, Cosmetic and dermatologic use of alpha hydroxy acids, J. of German Society of Dermatology, 2012; 10:488–491
Leyden J, Stein-Gold L, Weiss J. Why Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2017;7(3):293–304. doi:10.1007/s13555-017-0185-2
Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, Korting HC, Roeder A, Weindl G. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):327–348. doi:10.2147/ciia.2006.1.4.327