Face Washes for Acne

One of the most common ingredients you will find in face washes for acne is benzoyl peroxide.  It is effective in killing p. acnes, keeping them from forming a biofilm over your pores and causing them to plug up.  Benzoyl peroxide is useful for reducing blind pimples, the painful, swollen lumps where inflammation is occurring beneath the surface of your skin.³ While an effective agent, a couple of considerations need to be made when using washes containing benzoyl peroxide.  First, it may make your skin dry, red, and itchy, especially in the first few weeks of use, so start at a lower concentration (2.5% or so) before trying a higher dose.  Also, it can bleach hair and fabric, so be careful not to splash on your clothes when washing and use a white or old cloth when drying.⁴

Another ingredient sometimes used in washes is sulfur.  In addition to having exfoliating effects, sulfur acts as a bacteriostatic agent.  That is, while it does not kill bacteria, it can keep an infection of p. acnes from growing or spreading.  The downside to sulfur is that it smells unpleasant and can affect the color of your skin.¹

Many disorders of the skin, including acne, are caused or exacerbated by inflammation. Therefore, reducing the inflammation in your skin can help alleviate an acne breakout.  A wide range of manufactured and herbal compounds are used in face washes for their anti-inflammatory properties.  Zinc is an important element for overall dermatological health, and some zinc compounds used in washes, such as zinc gluconate, convey anti-inflammatory properties.  Dipotassium glycyrrhizate, derived from licorice root, can reduce inflammation and act as an antioxidant.⁵ Products containing tea tree oil have become increasingly popular for skin health as well, and its anti-inflammatory activities have recently been shown to be helpful for controlling acne.⁶

Essential oils and natural, plant-based butters are all the rage these days.  However, you should take extra care when using any oil-based products on your skin as they can actually clog your pores and make your breakouts worse, at least when used in high enough concentrations.  The advice for such substances is that if they are listed in the first seven ingredients of a skin care product, it should not be used on your face (lower down on the list means it is likely at a low enough concentration to not have a detrimental effect).  Use this caution with the following ingredients, as well as other lipids (fats, oils, and waxes): isostearate, myristate (myristic acid) or lyristyl lactate, laureth-4, oleth-3, coconut butter or oil, lanolin, lauric acid, palmitate, stearyl heptanoate and stearic acid (stearate), cetearyl alcohol, cocoa butter, mink oil, soybean oil, shark liver oil, D&C red #30, oleate, isostearyl neopentanoate, glyceride, and laureth-23.⁷

When performing your daily facial wash with your chosen cleanser, there are a few things to keep in mind. While your washing routine is fairly straight forward, you need to perform it correctly to avoid further irritating your skin.  Dermatologists recommend washing your face only twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening.  Use your bare hands to wash, as cloths and other devices can be irritating.  Do not scrub while washing, and dry your skin by gently patting, not rubbing.^1,3 Following these steps will keep your skin from becoming inflamed in the process.