The keys to reducing redness from acne are to apply anti-inflammatory compounds while being gentle to your skin. That’s right — gentle. This means don’t try to use every scrub or irritating product to treat your acne. Instead, try using a “keep it simple“ approach.
If you apply too many oil-removing products, your skin could react the opposite way: It could start to overproduce oil, which will worsen your acne. The goal is to keep your skin clean and apply targeted products to reduce redness while your blemishes heal.
Here are some tips for reducing redness:
- Cleansing: The first step is reducing redness which is gentle cleansing with non-comedogenic cleansers to reduce clogging of pimples.
- Misprizing: Using a calming moisturizer with niacin amide and hyaluronic acid which can reduce the redness.
- Salicylic acid: Apply topical salicylic acid to red, irritated blemishes. Salicylic Acid is a peeling agent that also has anti-inflammatory (anti-redness), antimicrobial, and antifungal properties when applied at percentages ranging from 0.5 to 5 percent.
- Pimple patches: Consider pimple patches or stickers. If the redness is limited to one (or two) locations, you can purchase pimple patches designed to minimize a pimple’s appearance. Most contain salicylic acid.
- Ice: Apply a cloth-covered ice pack over recent inflammation intermittently.
Sometimes, you’ll need to call in the professionals for consistent, painful, and inflamed pimples. A dermatologist can evaluate your skin and prescribe medications or treatments.
