Closed comedones is essentially built up oil, sebum, and dead skin cells. Now that my skin barrier is stronger after going a little too crazy with skin care products, I wanted to start introducing exfoliating products that will help eat away at the built up dead skin cells on my face. Thing to keep in mind with this process…
It’s going to take weeks! ⏳
A lot of time is needed in order to let exfoliation do its job, without exasperating my barrier and leading to worse inflammation and acne breakouts. Having sensitive skin is all about finding a balance between using active ingredients to help address problems and not doing too much in which your skin barrier becomes compromised. All without losing your patience and becoming frustrated with lack of progress because you just have to move at a slower pace then anything you see online.
The number one ingredient I heard that works the best for closed comedones is Salicylic Acid.
For me, using Salicylic Acid (SA) became way to harsh for my skin. Before my outbreak, I would use the Cerve Salicylic Acid Cleanser everyday, but afterword my face would get splotchy red and feel itchy if I left the cleanser on my face. I still wanted to exfoliate but wanted to find a product that was significantly more gentle, hydrating and eventually could segway back into using SA.
EqqualBerry Swimming Pool Toner
A new Korean skincare exfoliating product that is marketed for people who have very sensitive skin. Fungal acne safe, extremely hydrating, and doesn’t cause any sort of redness or inflammation.
One of the things I kept getting confused about was whether I had closed comedones or fungal acne. Pretty sure its closed comedones since my face isn’t itchy and I can see small white heads. I felt confident to use a product that was safe for both concerns though.
After cleansing, I would take a few drops on a cotton round and spread over my face. I would leave the cotton round for a few extra seconds along my jawline to give my facetime to the product on my most concentrated area of closed comedones.
CeraVe Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser
This has been a cleanser I have used for years. Although its a frequent product I use, if used to much or on a compromised skin barrier, my face completely flares up and gets splotchy red 🍅
After using the EqqualBerry Swimming Toner for approximately a week, I started to reintroduce this cleanser once every 2/3 days. After oil cleansing, I would do a 2nd cleanse with the CeraVe Salicylic Acid Cleanser to make sure all the residue from the oil cleanser gets washed off and also get the added benefit from the acid. Make sure to leave it on your face for a few min to let the active ingredient penetrate then wash off.
Don’t Overdue it
I would start out only doing one of the 2 options above. One day use the EqqualBerry Swimming Toner, the other use the CeraVe Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser. Once I built up strength against both products, I tried to use the EqqualBerry Swimming Toner in the morning and the CeraVe SA Cleanser in the evening for a deeper clean. Its only been a few days with this routine so will provide an update if any issues.
