What Exactly Does Acne-Prone Skin Mean?

Despite washing your face regularly and eating a healthy diet, you still get massive breakouts and blemishes. Whereas your friend eats junk daily and constantly forgets to wash his face after a sweaty gym session—yet, he somehow has a clear, blemish-free complexion.

What’s the deal? You might simply have acne-prone skin. Although it may seem unfair, there is plenty that you can do about it.

Here are three of the things you ought to know:

1. Everyone has the same acne-causing triggers (oily skin, hormone fluctuations, etc.), but some individuals are more susceptible to getting breakouts due to larger pores or overactive oil glands.
2. There is still much that scientists don’t know about acne-prone skin. However, acne-prone skin is thought to be genetic.
3. It’s not your fault that you have acne-prone skin, but there are changes that you can make to prevent regular breakouts.

What Is Acne-Prone Skin?

You’ve probably heard the term “acne-prone skin” mentioned in countless skin care articles. As you may have guessed, it refers to skin that is more susceptible to breakouts and blemishes.

Although it’s a term that is used often in the skin care industry, there are few explanations as to why some people are more likely to have acne than others. The unsatisfying reason for this is because scientists still don’t know much about the why and the how of acne. 

However, we do have strong evidence that acne is largely hereditary. Some hereditary features can potentially make individuals more acne-prone, such as larger pores or a weakened immune system.

It may be disappointing that we know so little about the pathology of acne, but there is hope. Currently, scientists are studying many cytokines, chemokines and other proinflammatory mediators that could reveal breakthroughs in the treatment of acne.

In the meantime, there are a few effective ways to control your acne. With the right treatment for your moderate to severe acne, you can keep breakouts under control and achieve a clearer, balanced complexion.

How to Deal with Acne-Prone Skin

Dealing with acne is frustrating, especially when your friend seems to take his perfectly-clear skin for granted. But think about it this way—learning how to properly take care of your skin early will pay off in the future when your skin is smooth and supple compared to that of your peers.

While they dropped the ball on their skin care, your skin is glowing, blemish-free and looks 10 years younger. All you need is to learn a few proper skin care techniques to help your acne-prone skin keep blemishes at bay:

Find the right skin care regimen. Just because you have acne-prone skin doesn’t mean that your skin care regimen needs to be complicated. A men’s facial cleanser, exfoliating scrub and morning and bedtime moisturizers are an essential part of our men's skin care kit that every modern man should have in his bathroom cabinet.

Exfoliate 2x per week. Exfoliation is essential for removing dead skin cells which can clog pores and cause breakouts. Be careful not to overdo it—scrubbing too much can dry out your skin and worsen your acne. Stick to exfoliating once or twice a week at the most to slough off dead skin cells without taking the healthy skin cells along with it.

Choose the right acne products for men. Acne-prone skin can also be sensitive, which is why it’s important that you choose a men’s acne treatment system that doesn’t contain harsh ingredients. At Tiege Hanley, our acne products are formulated to be gentle on the skin, but tough on acne-causing bacteria.

Eat anti-inflammatory foods. Although this shouldn’t be your first line of defense (acne products are best for that), there are studies which suggest that some foods can help prevent breakouts in acne-prone individuals.

Specifically, the mineral Zinc has been shown to reduce inflammation and benefit the skin, as well as Vitamins A and E. In addition to your acne treatment system, try eating foods rich in Zinc (legumes, nuts, meat and whole grains), Vitamin A (carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, kale) and Vitamin E (bell peppers, asparagus, avocados, sunflower seeds) to reduce potential breakouts.

Final Thoughts

It’s not your fault that you have acne-prone skin. While there are environmental and lifestyle factors that can worsen your acne, your breakouts could very well be genetic.

But whether your acne is caused by late nights, unhealthy eating habits or just simple genetics, the result is the same: stubborn pimples that are total confidence-killers. Fortunately, the right acne treatment system can help acne-prone skin fight off bacteria-causing acne and keep breakouts under control.