Stop Summer Breakouts – Summer Acne Series: Part 2

There are hundreds of cleansers and topical products to help get rid of acne and stop summer breakouts. Figuring out which ones will work for your skin can be difficult. Today, we’re covering the best cleansers and topical products to help treat and prevent acne. If you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from acne breakouts—don’t worry! The following products can help treat acne at the source so your skin will be clear all summer long!

(Check out Part 1 of our Summer Acne Series for treatments that work wonders for getting rid of acne.)

We’re going to break down our products into two categories: skin cleansers and topical products.

Best Skin Cleansers to Treat Acne

There are many different skin cleansers to help with all types of skin issues. For acne and breakouts, our Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts recommend these skin cleansers: 

1. Dermacare’s BPO 5% or 10% cleanser
2. Dermacare’s Clarifying Cleanser
3. SkinMedica’s AHA/BHA cleanser

Dermacare’s BPO 5% and 10% cleansers

Dermacare’s BPO 5% and 10% cleansers contain BPO. BPO stands for benzoyl peroxide. Cleansers containing BPO are great for driving oxygen into the skin. This is important because acne bacteria can’t survive in oxygen. These products are great for preventing and treating acne breakouts. 

You’ll see even more improvement when using this alongside an acne treatment service such as BLU-U® Light, a Light Chemical Peel, or BBL Forever Clear. 

It’s important to note that BPO cleansers can dry out some people’s skin. If your skin is prone to being dry, choosing a preparation and schedule for using it, as well as pairing with a good moisturizer will be helpful. 

Dermacare’s Clarifying Cleanser 

Dermacare’s Clarifying Cleanser contains 2% salicylic acid. It’s great for those who have acne and who either have drier skin or skin that may not respond well to BPO cleaners. Everyone’s skin is different so it’s important to find what works best for you!

A salicylic acid cleaner is great for those with congested skin and comedonal acne (“whiteheads” and “blackheads”), but is also a beneficial option for those who have acne with lots of inflammation. This is because salicylic acid helps to unclog pores by breaking down dead skin cells and oils, such as sebum. Once broken down, dead skin and oils can more easily release from pores and be washed away. 

SkinMedica’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

SkinMedica’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains microbeads, alpha hydroxy acid, and beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid). These ingredients work together to exfoliate the skin, leaving it with a nice, healthy glow. The exfoliating abilities of this cleanser make it great for those who have acne scarring or need a little help with the texture of their skin. 

This cleanser is perfect for those who have more resilient skin and can tolerate a bit more. 

Best Topical Products to Treat Acne

At Dermacare of Hampton Roads, we have a lot of topical medical-grade skincare products to treat acne. All of these products are prescription strength or “pharmaceutical” quality. This is important because it means that they work at the cellular level to actually improve the function of skin cells. The product bases are pH-balanced and formulated in a way to ensure that the active ingredients are able to actually be absorbed into the skin. This means they’re not just left sitting on the surface of the face. This is different from “cosmeceutical” quality products that can be purchased at a retail store. (Cosmeceutical products often mask damaged skin instead of treating the problem.)

Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts recommend these five topical products for acne breakouts and prevention:

1. SkinMedica’s Retinol Complex (comes in 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% strengths)
2. AlumierMD’s Bright & Clear Solution
3. Dermacare’s Acne Control Serum
4. Image’s Clear Cell Restoring Serum
5. Dermacare’s HydraLite moisturizer

SkinMedica’s Retinol Complex 

One of the most popular topical products is the SkinMedica’s Retinol Complex. This comes in 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% strengths. Retinol is the only topical ingredient that can be applied to the top of skin and penetrate down to the dermis. This means it can also push other products deeper into the skin, making them more effective. (Fun Fact: We can even incorporate vitamin C with it to increase efficiency, or Dermacare’s Acne Control Serum to help penetrate the skin on a deeper level.) This product is also a great exfoliant, which makes it good at treating acne.

Because of the Retinol content in this product, it can be rather potent. For this reason, it’s best to use it 2-3 times a week while your skin has time to adjust.

AlumierMD’s Bright & Clear Solution

This award-winning skin conditioning solution helps refine your complexion. It uses lactic acid and caviar lime to gently exfoliate to brighten and improve skin texture. Lactic acid is a great ingredient for acne treatment as it is part of the alpha hydroxy acid family. It’s good for exfoliating dead skin cells and helps renew and strengthen skin. It also helps improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

This product also contains salicylic acid which helps exfoliate and soothe the skin. Salicylic acid is also oil-soluble. This allows it to penetrate deep into pores where it can exfoliate inside the follicle, targeting congestion. 

This product is great for people with acne and can be used once or twice daily. It’s also a good daily skin care product for people who do not have acne.

Dermacare’s Acne Control Serum

This acne control serum is amazing! It contains 5% BPO, so it’s great at driving oxygen into the skin. (Remember, driving oxygen into the skin helps kill acne-causing bacteria.) The serum is formulated to be applied to dry skin as a spot treatment for acne lesions after cleansing, and it can be used in the morning, evening, or both. Being able to use this twice a day makes it a good option for those suffering from severe acne and those prone to oily skin. This product pairs well with either a BPO or salicylic acid cleaner. 

Image’s Clear Cell Restoring Serum

To heal your skin while you sleep, we recommend trying the Image Skincare’s Clear Cell Restoring Serum. It’s a great nighttime serum for acne-prone skin which helps to calm and heal skin over time. It’s non-clogging, oil-free, and includes vitamin B6 to help reduce irritation and inflammation. Image’s Clear Cell Restoring Serum helps to decrease oil production without drying out the skin, and it tends to help nicely with hormonal acne flares!

Dermacare’s HydraLite Moisturizer

Now that we’ve covered cleansers and topical products like serums, let’s talk about moisturizers. It’s a common misconception that moisturizing your skin will cause more breakouts. It’s actually very important to keep your skin hydrated. What you want to avoid are moisturizers that clog your pores. Our HydraLite Moisturizer is an oil-free, lightweight moisturizer that’s non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores). It’s great for hydrating and doesn’t leave a heavy feeling on the skin.

If you have questions or want to find out which products are best for your acne, you can book a free virtual consultation with one of our Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts. If you already know which one you want—give us a call at 757-547-7546 to order!

If you’ve read Summer Acne Series Part 1 and 2 and still don’t know what to do about your acne, we’re here to help! You can give us a call at 757-547-7546 or book a free virtual consultation. Our Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts will listen to your concerns and current skincare routines then recommend a course of treatment tailored to your needs.