I want to apologize for the lengthy post in advantage, but after a lot of time and effort searching through different sites and forums, I have decided to turn to this site for help. I struggle with subclinical acne and have been searching religiously for a moisturizer suitable for my skin without any luck. Anyone who struggles with this form of acne can understand how frustrating this can be!
For anyone who is not familiar with this form of acne, it is basically a cluster of small, colourless bumps underneath the skin. I do not get full grown pimples or the typical redness/inflammation. Although I do suffer from cystic acne as well, my current acne treatment does keep it under control, but occasionally,one will appear here and there, very rarely though and is usually triggered by a product I have used on my skin. Essentially, what is happening with subclinical acne is the pores are getting clogged by waxy substance that is your sebum, and are unable to release the junk. However, instead of forming a pustule, they remain inert and sit there as clogged bits under your skin.That being said, I'm sure you can understand the frustration. Almost every product I have ever used, be it foundations, lotions, cleansers, have only worsened my skin, seeing as many products either contain oils, waxes, silicones, or other ingredients that clog pores. Even many products that claim to be non comedogenic have caused me to have a reaction.
My skin is pretty oily, especially in the tzone area. However, my current acne treatment, which includes topical creams and an ethyl alcohol topical solution, causes my skin to be very dry and flaky, typically around my mouth and eye area, and occasionally around my lower cheeks. So, basically, I am looking for a non comedogenic moisturizer that is suitable for oily, acne prone skin that is hydrating but will not cause breakouts. I have spent so much time and money on trying to find a good product with no luck so far. Seeing as I do have such sensitive skin and have already spent so much money on different moisturizers, I tend to go through numerous reviews before purchasing a product. Obviously, there are so many mixed reviews for every product. I understand that everyone's skin is different, but as soon as I see one negative review about a product causing someone to breakout, I automatically move onto the next product.
So far I have gone through many products, including Naturals Multi-Vitamin Moisturizer by Neutrogena, which was horrible. After only one use, I woke up with a cyst on my chin and the small bumps had significantly worsened. I have also used Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, which was okay for a bit, but after continued use, my face was even more dry and my subclinical acne worsened, as well. Other products include Murad Perfecting Day Cream with SPF 30, which made me more oily, Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Daily Moisturizer, Clarins Super Restorative Day with SPF 20 (extremely disappointing considering I had payed almost $150 for this cream), among many others. I was interested in Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, as well as other companies, such as Nivea and Cerave, however after reading through many mixed reviews, too many people had complained about these creams causing them to breakout or not being suitable for oily skin, which is a frequent reoccurrence for me.
I am at my wits end.... With this post, I am hoping to hear from someone with similar skin as mine and what has worked for them, seeing as their is not much online about subclinical acne.
I can't speak to specific products since we all have different sensitivities and what breaks one person out, may not break another out. I too, suffer from subclinical acne and, I agree, it is so frustrating. I've had a lot of success with alpha and beta hydroxy acids (salicylic acid) in unclogging my pores. And I'm not talking about your typical salicylic acid face wash but a leave on 1 or 2% lotion, liquid or gel that is formulated at the correct pH to actually do something for you! Most products that contain salicylic acid aren't that effective because the pH is too high for the acid to penetrate your pores and get that gunk out. I've had a lot of success with Paula's Choice products. She has multiple beta hydroxy acid (BHA) and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) products that are effective and leave your face hydrated and smooth (plus, BHAs help fight wrinkles so I can't argue with that). Keep in mind that acids aren't for everyone and there's a chance your break out could get worse initially or get worse and just not improve regardless of how long you use the product. This was a concern for me so I used the PC 2% BHA liquid on only a small portion of my face for literally 2 weeks before rubbing it all over. I also found a moisturizer (Paula's Choice Calm with SPF) that doesn't break me out. The awesome part is, you can buy samples for 80 cents a pop (and free shipping) so that you don't break the bank in figuring out what the heck is compatible with your skin. I ordered multiple samples of 8 of her products before deciding what was best for me.
There are also SO many choices for moisturizers, hydrating toners and essences if you break into the Korean beauty realm. I got into this about 6 months ago and I'm officially obsessed with all things skin right now. K beauty is all about only including ingredients that are good for your skin and omitting all that other junk. I used to think that all oils and silicones would break me out too and while I'm sensitive to some I've had a lot of success with products that do contain some plant oils. I've learned that the comedogenic rating scale is very inaccurate (even the dude who made the scale has now admitted that) which is part of the reason why stuff that claims to be noncomedogenic still breaks you out (the other reason is that the FDA doesn't regulate what claims people make on OTC beauty products so anyone can call their product noncomedogenic even if it contains the most pour clogging stuff known to man). The awesome part is that K beauty has gotten so popular in the US lately that many products can be found online (sokoglam, glowrecipe, memebox) or even in your local sephora. If you're looking for some binge worthy videos to get you started in the K beauty world then I included a youtube link as a good place to start. Renee in these videos is so knowledgeable, gives honest reviews of products and has the most glowing plumped out skin I've ever seen. She'll make you want to buy everything!
Lastly, if you're like me and sick of paying full price for products that you use for a week or two only to realize it's breaking you out and then sits in your cabinet a couple years (before eventually being thrown out) then keep in mind that if you buy in store or online from sephora, they have a 60 day return policy for partially used products.
I don't have all the answers but I definitely feel your pain so I hope this helped! And watch the videos 