Salicylic acid vs acne

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Hello everyone!

Sorry for the long silence, I’ve been really busy, and the weather was terrible – I’m very sensitive to the weather. (How do you react to the weather?)

Let’s continue about acne. I’ve already written about a two-step cleansing routine. I’ve covered the hydrophilic oil, and now I want to talk about the second step. I’ve tried many different cleansers. Some were good, some not so much. I experimented for quite a while and found two ideal options for myself.

The first is cleansers with salicylic acid.

If your skin is acne-prone, you’re probably already familiar with salicylic acid as an ingredient in cosmetics, or at least have noticed it on the labels of most acne-fighting products.

Salicylic acid is an organic compound that has been used for many years in the chemical industry and medicine. Before medical scientists identified the numerous therapeutic effects of salicylates, people in different countries independently discovered through experimentation that willow leaves and bark were helpful for pain and fever. For example, in the 4th century, Hippocrates gave women willow leaves to chew as a pain reliever during childbirth. Long before Columbus, Native Americans used crushed willow bark as an anesthetic compress.

In 1828, the German scientist Johann A. Buchner isolated salicylic alcohol glucoside (a derivative of salicylic acid called salicin) from willow bark. Ten years later, in 1838, the Italian chemist Raffaele Piria converted salicin into a compound he named salicylic acid, from the Latin salix, meaning “willow.” In 1897, Felix Hoffmann, working for the pharmaceutical company Bayer, synthesized acetylsalicylic acid (originally discovered by the French chemist Charles-Frédéric Gerhardt in 1853), which became known as aspirin (trade name). So, the familiar headache pill and salicylic acid are closely related.

Today, this cosmetic ingredient is derived from white willow bark and wintergreen leaves, and is also synthesized in the laboratory. Salicylic acid is used in cosmetics not only as an active ingredient but also as a preservative—due to its bactericidal and fungicidal properties—to extend the shelf life of the product.

One cause of acne is excess sebum combining with dead skin cells and bacteria, forming a plug in the pore. Salicylic acid helps remove and loosen skin cells by exfoliating them, penetrating pores, and dissolving sebum—freeing pores from impurities and leaving them clear. Therefore, salicylic acid is ideal for treating blackheads and whiteheads.

Salicylic acid also reduces inflammation. Similarly, salicylic acid helps reduce the amount of pro-inflammatory mediators that cause inflammation in the skin. This helps reduce redness, swelling, and soreness around ​​the pimple. By the way, if you are allergic to aspirin, be careful when using salicylic acid, as you may also have an allergic reaction to it!!!

Oil against oil? Who is the winner? You!

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Hello, friends!

Let’s continue about living with acne? 😉

As I’ve already written, I’ve suffered from acne since my early teens. Unfortunately, it hasn’t completely disappeared, but it’s become much less of a problem. How did I do it? Let me tell you right away: it wasn’t easy, and it took quite a while. But now I can share my experience on what to do and what not to do.

The most important thing I’ve learned is that patience and consistency are essential. Even if at first it seems like nothing is improving, you still need to maintain your routine and think about how beautiful your skin will be without acne.

As I’ve written in previous posts, proper skin cleansing is crucial. I searched for the best method for a long time. Soap? Scrub? Herbal infusion? Finally, I found what I think is the best option, and I call it a two-level cleansing.

The first level is hydrophilic oil. Hydrophilic oil was first discussed half a century ago, when makeup artist Shu Uemura literally saved models who had to remove complex makeup multiple times a day with it. Over time, the beneficial properties of hydrophilic oil were recognized not only in the Japanese fashion world. Korean manufacturers made it world-famous, and its celebrity fans included Marilyn Monroe, Katy Perry, and Liv Tyler.

The idea of ​​washing your face with oil sounds strange, to say the least, since it doesn’t dissolve in water. But not hydrophilic oil: it’s not for nothing that its name literally means “love of water.”

A hydrophilic oil always contains two components: the oil itself and an emulsifier, which helps the product wash off the skin easily.

I’ve read a lot of advice on how to use cleansing oil properly. Most suggest applying it to dry skin, massaging it in, and rinsing. I disagree. In my opinion, it’s best to apply the oil to damp skin; it spreads better and cleanses pores. Rinse the oil off with a lot (really, a lot) of water.

How do you find the right oil? You have to experiment. Start with the simplest (and cheapest) options, because, frankly, all the vitamins, peptides, and other additives aren’t that important. The main thing is the oil and polysorbate. Then, when using a cream or gel, you’ll add vitamins and everything else your skin needs.

Important! If you’re allergic to any oil or the product it’s derived from, be sure to read the ingredients!

I’ll list some commonly used ingredients in cleansing oils:

Avena sativa, or oat;

Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, or aloe vera gel;

Mentha piperita, or peppermint extract;

Lavandula angustifolia, or lavender extract;

Citrus medica limonum peel oil, or lemon oil;

Olea europaea fruit oil, or olive oil;

Simmondsia chinensis seed oil, or jojoba;

Helianthus annuus seed oil, or sunflower oil.

Cocos nucifera oil

Arachis hypogaea oil, or peanut oil

Polysorbate 80

I’ll talk about the second level of cleansing in the next post.

How do you cleanse your skin?

I was hopeless and considered myself a freak.

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I’ll continue my story about acne.

My first ones appeared when I was about 11 years old, and I went to school. There weren’t many, but I felt like everyone was looking at me and noticing my skin.

Then I did the worst thing I could have done: I started popping them myself, which in turn spread the inflammation further. Well, we’re all a bit silly sometimes, even when we’re adults, and 11 is far from being mature. Yeah, I wouldn’t do that now.

Unfortunately, my obsession with popping pimples became a habit, and I still suffer from it. Even the smallest, most inconspicuous pimple makes me want to pop it right away. You shouldn’t do that!

My most important advice to everyone! Don’t try to remove acne yourself; consult a doctor or cosmetologist. If you have to, do it right. Treat the skin with an antiseptic, put gauze or a bandage on your fingertips, and gently squeeze the pimple. Then reapply the antiseptic to the area. But I want to repeat: do this only as a last resort!

Another regret I had was that there were no adults around me at the time who would appreciate the seriousness of my primarily psychological problem and help me cope with it. Everyone kept telling me: it’s okay, it happens to everyone, it will soon go away! Ha! It still hasn’t gone away, but the current state is more noticeable to me than to anyone else, because even my friends say, “You have good skin; you look great. Everyone has skin problems sometimes.”

But it cost me years of near-despair and self-doubt. Only when I found a suitable way to combat acne did my life change and become easier. I could go out without fear, meet new people, and stop thinking of myself as ugly.

Maybe my case is unique, and others experience it more easily and quickly, but my life is my life, and for me, everything happened the way it did.

In future posts, I’ll write about my “discoveries” and life hacks. For now, I can only say: the most important things are cleansing, care, and self-confidence.

How was or are things going for you?