Acne scrubs can make your breakouts worse. Here’s what to do

Try as you might, no amount of scrubbing will make acne go away. In fact, the opposite can be true — facial scrubs often make acne breakout worse and can cause more damage to your skin. It is better to use a hydroxy acid cleanser or treatment product that will gently cleanse your pores instead.

FACE SCRUBS ARE NOT THE BEST TREATMENT

Facial scrubs contain abrasive particles — whether microbeads, crushed walnut shells or other similar substances — to provide physical exfoliation to the skin.

The trouble with this type of exfoliation, especially on the face, is that it can damage the delicate skin barrier. A damaged skin barrier cannot properly hold onto moisture, nor can it keep harmful irritants and allergens out.

When you use a physical scrub as an acne treatment, you could be making matters worse by damaging the skin barrier. Dry flakes of skin clog pores, causing whiteheads and blackheads, and acne-causing bacteria is able to thrive in this environment.

Too much friction can also contribute to acne scars, as the skin will need to repair itself.

Scrubs that remove healing acne lesions can also cause a skin pigmentation problem called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The result is a discolored patch of skin where the acne lesion was once the skin has healed.

HOW TO GENTLY CLEANSE PORES

To avoid these complications caused by acne scrubs, try chemical exfoliation instead.

This type of exfoliation uses topical ingredients like beta and alpha hydroxy acids to speed up the skin’s natural cell turnover rate.

Salicylic acid is a type of beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that is very effective at cleaning pores, while also preventing inflammation. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that can be included in cleansers for acne-prone skin.

You can also talk to your dermatologist about adding other anti-inflammatory ingredients to your skincare regimen. Pure argan oil has strong anti-inflammatory characteristics and does not clog pores.

BOTTOM LINE

As a general rule, stay away from very abrasive face scrubs for acne-prone skin — they are likely to make breakouts and acne scarring worse.

Instead, use the right chemical exfoliant for your skin type to keep your pores clean and free of acne-causing bacteria.