If you’ve spent any time in the health and beauty section of your local store lately, you’ve probably been astonished by the sheer number of different acne skin care products that are currently gracing the shelves with their presence. It’s overwhelming! There are products for black heads, white heads, big pores, small pores, mild breakouts, heavy breakouts and everything that might possibly breakout in between. If you’re like me and you have trouble reading between the lines and understanding the sometimes confusing labeling on these products, it’s time to clear a few things up so that we can move forward to achieving beautiful skin.
With this goal in mind, I set out to find out just what the terms on the side of face washes and exfoliation products and lotions really mean. While searching for information about this topic around the internet, I came across a really cool site that is designed to educate people about how to take better care of their skin. The site is called DermTV, and instead of containing articles or blog posts about general skin care topics, the whole site is a database of short, informational videos that introduce a wide variety of topics pertaining to healthy skin.
One of the best videos I found on the site addressed my questions about acne products exactly, and clarified some of the confusing terminology that I’ve often read on common skin care products that are supposed to be acne friendly. The doctor that hosts the videos is a board certified dermatologist that’s been practicing and treating acne and other skin issues in New York City for over 30 years. The doctor explained that if you have acne, you automatically have oily skin, and the way to avoid breakouts is to avoid oil-based products.
The four most commonly misunderstood terms for acne friendly products were water based, oil free, non-clogging, and non-comedogenic. Water based and oil free products contain little to no oil in them, and therefore they are safe to use if your skin is prone to acne breakouts. Non-clogging products have usually been tested and found not to contribute to clogged or enlarged pores. Non-comedogenic is clearly the most unfamiliar term, although it simply refers to the likelihood of the product to cause blackheads, another type of clogged pore. The doctor advised that all of these terms can usually be found on quality acne prevention products and that you should look for products that display them.
