It may seem like it’s impossible to find anti-aging products for acne, but Korean products often offer the best of both worlds: superior acne-fighting ingredients along with great nutrients that help ward off fine lines and sagging. Below, a five step anti-aging routine for adult acne.
Anyone who has ever dealt with a major breakout well after high school knows that acne isn’t just a problem for teens. Acne can plague anyone at any age, and it’s important to adjust your skin care as you mature to ensure that you’re simultaneously targeting pimples and signs of aging.
It might seem complicated to fight both these things at once, but with the right tweaks and products, you can easily keep acne under control while maintaining youthful, smooth skin. Here are a few of our favorite K-beauty inspired tips for creating an acne-fighting anti-aging regimen.
Double-Cleanse For A Clean Start
The foundation of a true K-beauty routine is starting off with a double-cleanse. This ensures that you have a clean base to work with and allows concentrated treatments to deeply penetrate and work more effectively. The oil cleanse helps to breakdown makeup, sunscreen and other debris, while the water-based cleanser foams deep down and whisks away any remaining dirt and pore-clogging residue.
Try the Hanskin Cleansing Oil & Blackhead BHA, a texture-focused oil cleanser with exfoliating beta-hydroxy acids to break down dead skin cells while jojoba, olive and grapeseed oils hydrate. Follow with the gentle but effective COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser which fights blemish-causing bacteria thanks to salicylic acid and tea tree oil, but it’s gentle enough that it won’t dry out your skin.
Exfoliation Is Key!
Using an exfoliator is such an important part of any K-beauty routine, and works to stop breakouts and smooth fine lines. Helping to whisk away dead skin cells and encourage the production of healthy new ones, using the right exfoliator consistently will lead the way to more even-textured and brighter skin. Exfoliating in the midst of a breakout can be irritating to skin that may already be sensitized, so try a gentle formula like the Neogen Dermalogy Real Cica Pad.
These extra-soft pads are soaked in an essence containing centella asiatica extract, known for its ability to soothe and repair skin. It also contains hyaluronic acid, which deeply hydrates and plumps the skin. Collagen production will be boosted and the barrier of the skin will be repaired, leaving your complexion looking less red and inflamed and with a healthier overall appearance.
Treat Uneven Skin Tone With Special Care
Brown spots, hyperpigmentation, and acne scars can all work together to make skin look uneven and older than it is. It’s important to spot treat these areas with powerful ingredients.
The Acwell Anti Mark Gel Cream is an ideal product for fading dark spots thanks to the brightening power of licorice root and the soothing, redness-fading properties of niacinamide. Aloe vera gel also helps to calm inflamed skin. Regularly applying this gel to problem areas will help to calm healing acne and fade any telltale spots.
Try An All-In-One Overnight Mask
BHAs work wonders not only to fight blemishes but to improve skin tone and texture, meaning they’re an awesome ingredient to seek out if you want healthy, youthful-looking skin.
The COSRX Low pH BHA Overnight Mask is the perfect last step in your nighttime routine if you’re trying to prevent acne and signs of aging at once. It contains 0.9% BHA to knock out blemishes, along with soothing centella asiatica and hydrating glycerin, for an all-in-one lightweight texture that can be applied in a thin layer for overnight soothing, repairing and blemish-fighting action.
Use An SPF That Won’t Clog Pores
Many people shy away from sunscreen because they believe it might lead to oily skin or pore-clogging breakouts, but daily SPF application is an integral part of preventing premature aging and the darkening of acne scars and hyperpigmentation. Thankfully, skin care technology has advanced to make SPF formulas more lightweight and comfortable to wear, and it’s much easier now to find sun protection for acne-prone skin.
The Dr Oracle A-Thera Sunblock SPF 50 was created for those worried that sunscreen might cause further breakouts. With a lightweight, gel-cream texture, this sunscreen dries matte and feels silky, while bamboo water offers light hydration and cantle asiatica extract calms inflammation. Acne-prone skin will fall in love with this sunscreen and prove that even oilier skin types can protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays.
+ What are your favorite anti-aging products for acne? Let us know in the comments.
