How to Treat & Prevent Moderate Acne
This post is part of a comprehensive series on Acne. To start at the beginning, click here.
MODERATE ACNE is when your sebaceous glands are overactive and the results are clogged, inflamed pores. You can see blackheads, whiteheads, and red pustules and papules (pimples & red bumps) on the face and sometimes on the chest or back. This is often referred to as inflammatory acne and acne scars may develop after the spots have healed. Generally the more intense the inflammation the greater the injury to the skin & risk for scarring.
It is not only teens who get moderate acne. Adults can get this type of acne too, particularly women in their 20, 30s, 40s and even 50s. Moderate acne will usually not go away on its own.
Treating Moderate Acne:
Unlike Mild acne, we need to use more aggressive ingredients to slow down the sebaceous glands and keep the pores open, so oxygen can enter to control the acne “p” bacteria.
Step 1: Cleanse the skin from grease and oil & open the clogged pores.
Use Wasabi Cleanser with salicylic acid and wasabi to help open the clogged pores, control sebum and take down bacteria. You may also want to visit a professional esthetician to schedule regular chemical peels to help open the pores and keep them open, allowing oxygen to flow into the pore and kill the acne “p” bacteria.
Step 2: Kill the bacteria & keep pores open.
Use Wasabi Gel with niacinamide (vitamin B3), micro-encapsulated salicylic acid, wasabi and hyaluronic acid. This is our “work horse” when it comes to moderate & severe acne. These ingredients will not only help to open the pores and keep them open, but it will also kill the acne “p” bacteria and slow down the production of sebum, all while helping keep the skin hydrated with hyaluronic acid. This part of acne care is usually missed in other brands of treatments. The strong ingredients necessary to keep the pores open are also drying and hard on the skin. Hyaluronic acid helps to counteract those issues.
Step 3: Reduce inflammation & swelling.
We recommend using Pink Silk, which contains super anti-inflammatory antioxidant Astaxanthin. This lightweight, non-greasy serum will reduce redness, hydrate, and protect the skin from free radicals without clogging pores.
Step 4: Use sunscreen to keep redness and inflammation at bay.
Using acne ingredients can make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s harmful rays, so it’s especially important to wear a facial sunscreen that won’t clog pores, like our Ultra Shield 30 Moisturizer.
Recommended Products for Moderate Acne:
Along with topical products for Moderate Acne, you may want to research these clinical treatments to see what might be the best fit for you:
- Light & Laser Treatments
- Chemical peels
- Microdermabrasion
- Facials
Next week we’ll be discussing Severe Acne, and its specific characteristics and needs.
