Acne Facial Cleanser

The Real Effects The 3 Most Used Acne Facial Cleansers Have On Your Face  

Most people think that when using an acne facial cleanser, the way to use them is to scrub, scrub and scrub again, but this is the wrong approach. Getting oil off of your face is important when it comes to keeping it clean, but your face has natural oil on it that is necessary to keep your skin healthy and soft.  Cleaning too often and with products that are too harsh will strip those natural oils and cause dryness and even wrinkles.  Using products that are harsh and using them too often also means irritating your skin.   

Bath  soap 

Many people still rely on bath soap to cleanse their face.  Unfortunately the same cleansers you might use for the area under your arm are not going to be good for the delicate area of your face!  Think about this for a moment - the dirt, sweat, dead skin cells and things such as this that you get in other areas of your body just aren't going to be present on your face, at least not to the same extent.  Additionally, the areas of your underarms, groin, and feet all harbor bacteria (which is one reason for them to have odors) and you need to use a soap or cleanser strong enough in these areas in order to kill those bacteria.  Your face however, even if it has acne, does not have the same bacteria and certainly not to the same extent. 

Most commercially available soaps contain very heavy cleansers and when these are used on the face this causes those natural oils to be stripped.  Without those oils, skin is more prone to wrinkles and irritation. 

Additionally, most bath soaps contain heavy perfumes and other additives that make them more desirable to use in the shower but more damaging to the face.  Perfumes and dyes of any type are very irritating to the skin on the face. 

Astringents 

By definition, an astringent is a substance that by nature causes the skin to constrict.  Astringency is the effect caused by the tannins in certain fruits that make your mouth pucker.  When you apply an astringent to your skin this causes the blood vessels to constrict and proteins to coagulate; the skin then hardens or toughens up.

Most with some form of acne are told to use astringents because of their drying properties, but these simply dry up excess oil and don't really treat or cure acne at all.  While excess oil can and does cause acne, using something as harsh as an astringent on your face all the time will only strip your skin of natural oils and cause it to become overly dry.  While an astringent can help in some cases, it's usually better to address any problems you may be causing yourself because of diet or other outside factors. 

Toners 

Toners are actually very good for your face; they close up the pores after you've cleansed or used any type of mask or other product.  They also absorb any excess oils and add moisture back to dry areas of the face. 

Most people should use a toner on their face, and those with oily or acne-prone skin especially so.  They help to finish up the job of cleansing and moisturizing but don't strip the skin of natural oils.