The Best Products Featuring Salicylic Acid

If you’ve got oily or acne-prone skin, then salicylic acid is your best friend.

What’s salicylic acid? It’s an acid that contains the same anti-inflammatory ingredients as aspirin. Salicylic acid is used in liquid form to treat oily and acne-prone skin due to its antibacterial and drying effects. Essentially salicylic acid breaks up dead skin cells, unclogging blackheads and whiteheads. It also reduces oil production and helps to fade discoloration and inflammation.

How Much Salicylic Acid to Use?

When starting out using products containing salicylic acid, it’s important to use it every other day or night in order to determine how your skin will react. Most over-the-counter treatments only have between .5 and 2 percent salicylic acid, so they’re generally safe to use on a regular basis. If you haven’t experienced any irritation after two weeks of using salicylic acid every other day, then you can assume that it’s safe to use on a daily basis. If you’re allergic to aspirin or have rosacea, then you should steer clear of salicylic acid.

How to Care for Acne-Prone Skin

You just can’t use any old cleanser and moisturizer for acne-prone skin – in fact, caring for acne-prone skin can be tricky until you’ve found the right combination that works for you. Make sure you understand that not everyone who has acne has oily skin – your skin can be oily, dry, or sensitive and you can still experience acne breakouts.

Here are some expert tips on how to care for acne prone skin:

• Wash your face with a cleanser that contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to help dry up pimples.
• Don’t scrub or rub your skin while washing your face – this will irritate your skin and increase oil production.
• Use an oil-free moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores.
• Choose cosmetics that are oil-free – matte finishes in foundation, blush and eyeshadow are best for oily skin.
• Avoid touching your skin throughout the day since bacteria can easily be transmitted from your fingers to your face.
• Avoid tanning and tanning beds since acne treatments cause your skin to become extra sensitive to ultraviolet rays.
• Refrain from eating refined grains, sugars, and processed foods.

Want to Get Rid of Acne Breakouts?

Usually over-the-counter acne treatments work for the occasional pimple, but if you have more severe acne, finding the right treatment can be tricky. The best treatments inhibit sebum production, limit bacterial growth, and/or encourage skin cell renewal to unclog pores.

Some nonprescription treatments for acne include:

• As mentioned before, certain cleansers are specifically designed for acne. They usually contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or sulfur.
• Over the counter benzoyl peroxide creams help to treat acne by destroying the bacteria in pores. It usually takes four weeks to work, and should be used continuously.
• Salicylic acid helps to correct abnormal shedding of cells, and also helps unclog pores. It should be used continuously, and salicylic acid is available in different forms, including lotions, creams, and pads.

Prescription treatments for more severe acne are:

• Antibiotics are an effective acne treatment, and work by clearing the skin of bacteria as well as reducing inflammation. Antibiotics are available both orally and topically.
• Retinoids, derived from vitamin A, clear up moderate-to-severe acne. How? By normalizing the way your skin grows and sheds. They’re often used in conjunction with oral antibiotics.
• Oral contraceptives can be highly effective in treating acne if it’s caused by a hormonal imbalance. The maximum benefit of oral contraceptives on acne occurs in three to four months.

What Are the Best Products Featuring Salicylic Acid?

A lot of dermatologists prefer products containing salicylic acid over those containing benzoyl peroxide because they’re less harsh and irritating. A wide range of skincare products exist that have added salicylic acid, such as cleansers, moisturizers, facial scrubs, and topical creams.

Here’s our list of some of the best products to look out for:

Cleansers

1. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. This affordable cleanser that contains 2% salicylic acid foams nicely and rinses away clean.
2. Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser. This cleanser, which contains 2% salicylic acid, also has very small scrubbing beads that help to exfoliate skin, leaving your skin nice and smooth.
3. Ambi Even & Clear Foaming Cleanser. This cleanser helps to keep skin even in tone and it even fades dark spots left from pimples.
4. Olay Total Effects Daily Cleanser Plus Blemish Control. This cleanser is both anti-aging and anti-blemish, so what’s not to love? Especially designed for women with adult acne.
5. Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. This cleanser is great for those with super oily skin, leaving your skin feeling deeply cleaned but not overly dry.

Moisturizers

1. Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer. This moisturizer designed for acne-prone skin provides a balanced and even skin tone, helping to treat blemishes.
2. Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solutions Moisturizing Lotion. This lightweight lotion helps control oil and protects against blemishes without irritating your skin.
3. Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturizer. This moisturizer delivers the goodness of a moisturizer and a medicated acne control agent to your skin, providing optimum hydration to dry skin.
4. Yes to Tomatoes Repairing Acne Lotion. This moisturizing lotion contains all natural salicylic acid that penetrates pores to clear up blemishes, allowing skin to heal.

Facial Scrubs

1. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. This gentle scrub helps to prevent blemishes, cure redness and eliminate blackheads.
2. Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub. This vitamin-enriched scrub makes your skin feel refreshed, energized, and clean.
3. Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub. This oil-free scrub fights dirt, oil residue, and blackheads, leaving your skin clear and supple.
4. Yes to Tomatoes Acne Daily Pore Scrub. This acne-fighting scrub is powerful enough to combat blackheads and breakouts, but gentle enough for daily use.
5. Zum Face Sugar Facial Scrub. This scrub is empowered with lemongrass and natural cane sugar, which are natural exfoliants, to help improve skin texture and clarity.

Topical Creams:

1. Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel. This medicated gel that contains salicylic acid visibly reduces pimples and scars, preventing emerging breakouts even before they become visible.
2. Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Gel. This salicylic acid gel works instantly to visibly reduce spot size and redness in just four hours.
3. Alba Bontanica Acnedote Invisible Treatment Gel. This all natural gel treats and helps prevent breakouts for crystal clear skin.
4. Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel. This gel contains a four-in-one clearing complex with salicylic acid to start clearing blemishes instantly, helping to prevent new ones from forming.

Need a Little Extra Help Vanishing Acne?

If cleansers alone aren’t cutting it, here’s two non-invasive treatments that can significantly reduce the appearance of active acne and acne scarring:

LED Photo Facials

LED photo facials use narrow spectrum light to destroy acne-causing bacteria. The effects of the light therapy depend on the wavelength being used. Blue wavelengths kill acne-causing bacteria.

What’s a LED photo facial like? LED photo facials are extremely gentle and painless.  Before treatment, you’ll be asked to remove all make up and put on protective eyewear.  A medical professional will position the LED light close to the treatment area for a certain amount of time, usually around 20 minutes. Because there is no heat involved, you can confidently resume your normal activities directly following a procedure.

Outcomes tend to vary more with LED photo facial treatments. Some people notice results in as little as a few days. Others take a month or two to notice a change. Though LED results can be subtle at first, they continue to improve after each successive treatment. You’ll likely notice a big change in your acne after undergoing LED photo facials for three months or longer.

Botox

You’re probably thinking: Botox? For acne?

Yes, it’s true – Botox can actually help battle acne! Here’s how Botox works: Botox is a neurotoxin and works by attaching itself to nerve endings. Once this happens, the neurotransmitter responsible for triggering muscle contractions, called acetylcholine, can’t be released. To put it more simply, Botox injections temporarily relax the facial muscles that underlie and cause wrinkles.

Botox treats acne much in the same way as it treats wrinkles —  by blocking the chemical acetycholine in the skin’s dermis. Acetycholine is responsible for increasing the sebum production, so if it’s blocked, skin won’t overproduce oil. Less oil production means fewer breakouts. Not only does Botox control oil overproduction, it also reduces pore size as well.

What can you expect from your first Botox procedure? The best part about undergoing Botox is that it’s quick and painless. You’ll generally receive a consultation beforehand to determine the best treatment for your needs. And when you do undergo a treatment, a topical numbing gel will be applied fifteen minutes prior. Six to eight injections will be administered into the underlying muscles. Most people say that the injections feel similar to getting vaccinated – that is, they feel only a few seconds of mild discomfort as the Botox enters the injection site. A few hours afterwards, the injection site may look red and feel irritated.

Let LaserAway Heal Your Acne

Say goodbye to acne with LaserAway.

LaserAway is proud to offer the most medical spa service options of any national skincare provider. LaserAway hires only the most highly trained staff experienced and certified in administering laser and other dermatological procedures. What’s more, LaserAway uses only innovative techniques and cutting-edge laser technology. LaserAway aims to make your medical spa experience comfortable, enjoyable and satisfying. Want to learn more about Botox? LED photo facials? Then schedule a free, no obligation consultation today by emailing LaserAway.net or calling the staff at LaserAway at (888) 965-2737. LaserAway looks forward to helping you turn back the clock with Botox.