Acne Product and Routine to Gain Your Health Skin Back!

Acne Product and Routine to Gain Your Health Skin Back!

Having acne is probably one of the most common hassles we all probably face. They make us feel embarrassed, and they can also ruin first impressions when we have to attend important meetings. But what if the skin care routine you expected to work doesn’t remove your acne? What can you do now?

One of the things you can do to remove acne is acne extraction. However,  it can not treat inflamed pimples since the procedure requires sterile tools to manually remove the dirt clogging your pores. Plus, you should never do this at home, and you will need to ask a professional to do it. So, the fee can be pretty expensive.

That being said, what else can you do? Another thing you can do is to use acne-fighting serums in your daily routines. But with their growing popularity, there are a lot of them available in the market, leading to the question: how do you know if a serum is good? And that specific question is what we will tackle today.

In this article, we will be discussing what exactly a serum is, what a great serum should contain, how to apply it, and other questions you might have. After this article, you will undoubtedly have a better understanding of serums and be a step closer to achieving that smooth and clear skin. We also made an acne-fighting routine to help you start using serums, so be sure to also check that out!

What is a facial serum?

From recent years until the current times, skin care and acne self care enthusiasts have raved about how beneficial serums are to our skin. While serums are great, it can be hard to understand why serums are revered by experts when you're confused with what the term really means.

Serums—in essence—are thin, fast-absorbing liquids known for their versatility. They are versatile in the sense each serum can treat a different skin issue depending on how it was formulated. So, you should not expect one serum to be an all-in-one solution, as each serum is made to focus on one skin-related problem.

With that said, you can find several kinds of serums available on the market. Here are the types you can get right now: anti-aging, skin-brightening, hydrating, skin-texture improvement, and anti-acne. If you're wondering what each kind is supposed to do, you can expect that from how they are named. For instance, an anti-acne serum should reduce excess sebum and remove pimples.

Why should you use a facial serum?

Speaking of which, why should we use serums when other products can do the same thing that they do? Well, serums are designed to only deliver the needed ingredients to address the skin issue they were made for. Meaning they don't have many other ingredients your skin wouldn't need to solve the said problem. This fact is also the reason why serums have thin liquids.

While anti-acne serums are highly effective, do know that using them alone will not be enough to treat cysts and truncal acne. Truncal acne refers to pimples found on the chest, back, and shoulders. You should visit a dermatologist for these kinds of cases.

What should you look for in a great anti-acne serum?

When you buy your serum, there’s not much that you have to really look for. Mainly because all you will be looking at are the serum’s ingredients. A serum’s packaging, color, and scent won’t matter much since these factors will not really affect its performance. So, here are some of the ingredients that you want to look for.

1. Anti-inflammatory ingredients

 The crucial ingredient to any anti-acne facial serum is its anti-inflammatory ingredient. Without it, the serum will not be able to clean your pores of bacteria and remove inflammatory acne. But out of the many anti-inflammatory ingredients, what would be the best for you?

The two most common anti-inflammatory ingredients you can find in serums are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. In terms of effectiveness, both chemicals are nothing short of excellent in eliminating excess oils and reducing the swelling and redness of inflamed acne.

However, experts have observed people reporting experiences of allergic reactions and skin irritation when using products containing benzoyl peroxide  (Tan, et.al. 2018). With that said, salicylic acid may be a better and safer option since it is gentler and fewer people have experienced irritations from it (Arif, 2015).

You should also know how much benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid are in some of the skin care products you may have. At higher concentrations, benzoyl peroxide can be more potent but harsher to the skin, so you want to be safer by using lower percentages of 2.5% to 5%. Meanwhile, salicylic acid usually comes in low concentrations of 0.5% to 2% (Tan, et.al. 2018). So, please be aware of these numbers when you’re shopping.

2. Moisturizing or hydrating ingredients

Aside from anti-inflammatory ingredients, you will also want to have some sort of ingredient to help retain skin moisture in your serum. It’s paramount to keep your skin hydrated to help keep your skin cells healthy. Plus, a moisturizing ingredient can ensure that your serum doesn’t remove too much sebum from your skin.

The two most commonly used ingredients in serums for retaining and providing moisture are hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Using hyaluronic acid for acne has been a trend for the past years. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of its more cost-effective alternative: glycerin. So, which is better?

Just to clarify, hyaluronic acid and glycerin are both humectants—a classification of moisturizing agents. Being humectants, they are both able to provide moisture without using fats and oils in contrast to another group of moisturizing agents known as emollients. Humectants can also improve skin softness, flexibility, and smoothness. Despite their similarities, experts consider glycerin as the most effective humectant (Sethi, et.al., 2016).

A possible reason for this is the difference between the molecular sizes of glycerin and hyaluronic acid. As stated by professionals, glycerin is significantly smaller than hyaluronic acid, so it can easily penetrate your skin’s barrier and hydrate deeper parts of the skin. In contrast, hyaluronic acid can only reach shallow parts and will mostly stay on the skin’s surface (Stessman, 2021). Thus, glycerin may likely be the better option for acne-prone skin.

How do you use a serum in your daily care routines?

Serums—being extremely versatile—can be added into even the most basic skin care for men. Although you would usually use an anti-acne serum twice per day, you can only do this when your skin is familiarized with the serum's formula. So, you cannot just do that yet when you buy a new serum.

As mentioned in the previous section, facial serums do not have added ingredients. Because of that, they only consist of the necessary components to do their job. This is the reason why we can’t use our newly bought serums twice a day as the new formula might be too strong and could shock our skin.

What you can do is use the serum once per day. So, how do you apply a serum? First, you will want to put a small amount of the formula onto your fingertip. Then, rub it onto the parts of your skin affected by acne. You can do this for at least a month to slowly introduce your skin to the new serum.

Additionally, you will want to use your serum right after you finish toning your face. You will not want to use your serum after putting on thicker layers like moisturizers or creams. This is because you want your skin to absorb every single bit of your anti-acne serum.

How long does it take for acne to go away?

We’ve talked about what a serum is, how to look for a great one, and how you use it in a routine, but you may wonder how long you will have to use anti-acne serums? According to the American Academy of Dermatology, getting rid of acne can take two to three months or even longer (Ludmann, 2021).

Please note that this is only possible through maintaining a proper routine and a healthy lifestyle. If your acne does go away within the said time frame, it doesn’t mean you will never have acne again. In the end, we are still exposed to bacteria and dirt from our surroundings, so we should continue to live healthily and execute our skin care routines.

What is a great serum to add in your anti-acne skin care?

Now that you know maintaining an effective routine is the best way to get rid of acne, you would want an anti-acne serum that would be great for the long run. You would want a product nothing short of quality, and we have the perfect pick just for you.

With all the factors necessary in acne treatment, the Mantisfy Anti-Acne Serum is excellent to include in any skin care routine for men and women. Its formula is crafted with salicylic acid to efficiently eliminate inflammation and stop the accumulation of excess sebum and dead skin cells—the two primary causes of acne.

The serum also has glycerin in its formula to provide and preserve your skin’s moisture, keeping balance and ensuring your skin cells are healthy. Moreover, its creators used glycerin to substitute other moisturizing ingredients such as oils and fats. Thus, the serum is flawless for oily or acne-prone skin as it can penetrate deep within your skin without adding more oil.

On top of that, natural ingredients were used to create the Mantisfy serum. It contains the plant extracts of edelweiss and salicornia and dendrobium nobile. These components are known for their powerful antioxidant properties and capability to fight free radicals. It also utilizes the extracts from phellodendron amurense and sophora flavescens to help further with acne inflammation.

Lastly, the serum doesn’t have tons of additional ingredients, giving you only the necessary constituents needed to remove acne. Its subtle herbal and woody tones also elevate the whole experience so that you can feel more relaxed as the serum takes effect.

To achieve maximum results, use the serum twice a day and remember to keep a 12-hour gap between each application. Just put a small amount on your fingertips, and that will be enough to treat the affected area of your skin. By the way, you should only use it once per day for at least a month after your purchase. This is for your skin to get familiarized with the formula and avoid shocking it.

if you need to create your own skincare routine, we have an in-depth skincare routine for men guide here.

Conclusion

To summarize, an excellent anti-acne facial serum should have effective anti-inflammatory and moisturizing ingredients. By having these two components, a serum will—without a doubt—treat inflammatory acne while nourishing your skin cells. Although a skin care routine helps fight acne growth, a healthy lifestyle is also significant for acne treatment. Just remember these things, and you will be a step closer to having smooth, acne-free skin!

References:

TAN, A.U., SCHLOSSER, B.J., & PALLER, A.S. (2018) A review of diagnosis and treatment of acne in adult female patients. International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 4(2), 56-71. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986265/. (Accessed: 28 February 2022)

ARIF, T. (2015) Salicylic acid as a peeling agent: a comprehensive review. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2015 (8), 455-461. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4554394/pdf/ccid-8-455.pdf. (Accessed: 28 February 2022)

LUDMANN, S. (2021). 9 things to try when acne won’t clear. American Academy of Dermatology. Weblog [Online]. November. Available at: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/diy/wont-clear (Accessed: 28 February 2022)

SETHI, A., KAUR, T., MALHOTRA, S.K., & GAMBHIR, M.L. (2016). Moisturizers: The Slippery Road. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 61(3), 279-287. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4885180/ (Accessed: 28 February 2022)

STRESSMAN, E. (2021). Is glycerin good for your skin? Dermatologists share the benefits. Today. Weblog [Online]. September. Available at: https://www.today.com/shop/glycerin-good-skin-benefits-t231783 (Accessed: 28 February 2022)