Gentle, anti-aging options for acne care
Acne has long been characterized as the plague of adolescent existence. It is one of those things that comes with the package of puberty and fluctuating hormones. Or at least, it was.
The face of acne is getting older. More and more Americans are experiencing adult acne. According to The Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, acne is affecting an increasing number of adult females. The rate of adult female acne has been shown in different studies to range from 14% to 54%. In addition, the mean age of adult acne patient referrals has jumped from 20.5 in 1984 to 26.5 in 1994.
Those who suffer from adult acne and want to treat it at home have different skin and different concerns from adolescent acne sufferers. Mature acne-prone skin needs products that also address a decrease in cell turnover. Products from the brand Exuviance, for example, which are available at such online retailers as Ulta.com and Beauty.com, feature anti-aging, as well as acne-fighting ingredients.
Natural ingredients that are gentle but still effective in clearing the skin are also important in today’s acne care market. Charcoal is a hot ingredient in acne products for its ability to detoxify the skin. It has been used in emergency rooms for years in the treatment of alcohol poisoning for its ability to attach to toxins in the stomach before they can get into the bloodstream. Now, activated charcoal is a potent ingredient making its way into acne skin care.
Both Bioré, from Kao USA, and Yes To, a natural beauty brand, have released a line of charcoal products for acne treatment in 2015. Bioré has three new products with charcoal that are designed to draw out impurities from deep in the skin. It added the new Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips to its line of pore strips. These strips are designed to reduce oil for 24 hours. They retail for $6.49 for a pack of six. The Charcoal Pore Minimizer has exfoliating micro-crystals to polish the skin and retails for $8.99. The Penetrating Charcoal Bar has a dual-action formula to exfoliate while deep cleaning pores, and binds to deep down dirt. It retails for $6.49.
Yes To has launched two new charcoal products in its Yes To Tomatoes Line. The Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser combines tomato extract, charcoal and salicylic acid in a gel-based formula with gentle exfoliating beads and retails for $9.99. The Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask has charcoal and salicylic acid to treat acne plus a botanical blend of tomato, aloe, watermelon, pumpkin and chamomile for extra conditioning. It retails for $15.99.