Dry and acne-prone skin: how to treat and what products to use

Acne usually appears on oily skin, as it is caused by an excessive release of sebum by the sebaceous glands, leading to the proliferation of bacteria that leads to inflammation of the follicles.

Although it is rare, some people who have acne and oily skin may feel dry skin, having difficulty finding products that satisfy the need for hydration and pimple treatment.

There are still cases of people who have dry or dehydrated skin, but who suffer from acne, probably because they have sensitive skin, whose skin barrier is insufficient to protect it, making it more susceptible.

Is it normal to have acne with dry skin?

Some people who experience dry skin may also have acne, as they have sensitive skin and a skin barrier that is insufficient to protect the skin properly.

In addition, these cases can also be treated with oily but dehydrated skins, which may have oiliness and shine but lack water. This can often happen due to certain treatments that are carried out to treat acne.

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Dehydrated skin

Oily skins can become dehydrated due to the loss of water through the enlarged pores, which are very characteristic of oily skins. In addition, people with oily skins use products that are too abrasive, which strip the skin's natural protective oils.

Dehydration is often mistaken for dry skin, because it causes similar symptoms. However, while a dry skin is a skin that produces an insufficient amount of natural oils, being a malnourished skin, a dehydrated skin has an insufficient amount of water, but it can produce excess oil, which leads to the development of acne.

So when people who have acne feel dry on their skin, it usually means they have dehydrated skin, lacking water, which is mistaken for malnourished skin, where fat is lacking, called dry skin.

Dry skin

Anyway, if dry skin is sensitive or is not well treated and if very aggressive soaps are used, it can become fragile and susceptible to the entry of bacteria and chemicals that lead to an alteration of the skin barrier function and to the activation of the response immune, causing inflammation and the formation of so-called pimples.

In addition, they can also appear due to clogged pores, which can be caused by overuse of cosmetic products.

Mixed skin

Dry skin can also be oily skin, which is known as combination skin. This type of skin is usually oily in the T area, which is the forehead, chin and nose area and is dry on the rest of the face. Thus, a mixed skin may have acne in the T zone due to excess sebum production, but remain dry on the cheeks, for example.

How to treat this problem

The ideal is to evaluate case by case, which can be done with the help of a dermatologist, because the treatment will depend on the type of skin.

1. Dehydrated skin with acne

Before choosing the right products for this situation, it is important to know that dehydrated skin is a skin that needs water and ingredients that retain it in the skin. However, these products cannot have a lot of oils in the formulation, so as not to make acne worse.

So, the ideal is to opt for a face washing product, which respects the physiology of the skin, such as La Roche Posay's Effaclar facial cleansing gel or Bioderma Sebium micellar water and a moisturizing product with or without mattifying action, such as the Bioderma Sebium Global emulsion or the Effaclar Mat anti-oil facial moisturizer, which should be used daily, morning and evening.

In addition, exfoliation should be done about 2 times a week and a purifying mask and a moisturizing mask, about once a week. You can also use a solution, which is applied locally to the stick-shaped pimples, and a serum for dehydrated skins from Skinceuticals or Avène, for example, which is applied daily before the moisturizer.

If the pimples are inflamed, physical exfoliants should be avoided, which are those that have small spheres or sands in the composition, so as not to worsen the inflammation and opt for chemical exfoliants that have alpha hydroxy acids in the composition, as is the case of Sébium Pore Refiner from Bioderma.

If the person wears makeup, they should always opt for an oil-free base, which usually contains the label "oil-free".

2. Mixed skin with acne

Acne-mixed skin needs to be nourished and hydrated, which is difficult to achieve with just one product, because either that product gives the skin too much oil, worsening acne, or insufficiently, leaving the skin drier.

What you can do is opt for a washing product that respects the physiology of the skin, such as Clinique cleansing gel or Bioderma Sensibio H2O micellar water and insist more on the T area, to remove excess oil and choose a cream moisturizer whose label has the indication for mixed skins, which is generally available on all brands.

In addition, exfoliation can be done in the same way as in dehydrated skins and the purifying mask can be applied only in area T. In cases where these measures are not enough, an anti-acne moisturizer can be applied in area T and a different one on the rest of the face, which nourishes the skin, such as Avène's Hidrance Optimale moisturizing cream.

If the person wears makeup, they should always opt for an oil-free base, which usually contains the label "oil-free".

3. Dry skin with pimples

In situations where the person does have dry skin and some pimples appear, the products to use are a cleansing gel or cream for dry skin, such as Bioderma Sensibio H2O micellar water or Vichy and Pureté Thermale cleansing foam. a cream also for dry skin, like the hydrating cream Hidrance Optimale, by Avène or the Sensibio cream by Bioderma, for example. See also a homemade solution for dry skin.

Pimples can be treated by applying a product locally, such as a stick-shaped lotion, such as the drying stick from Zeroak or Natupele, for example.

For all cases, it is very important to remove makeup before bed, because it is during the night that the skin is regenerated, so it is necessary to remove all chemicals and pollutants that the skin accumulates throughout the day.

Also check out the following video for some tips on what to do to have perfect skin: