Skin school

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore and loosen the plug of oil and dead skin sitting there. Most other exfoliants only work on the surface.

Start low and slow. A low strength, two nights a week, on a small patch of skin first. If nothing stings or peels after a week, use it on the whole face, still two nights a week. Only go up from there if your skin stays comfortable.

Do not stack it with another strong active on the same night until you know how your skin handles it. If you add two things at once and your face reacts, you will not know which one to stop.

The outer layer of your skin is a barrier. It keeps water in and irritants out. When it is damaged, everything stings, including products that used to be fine. Moisturizer helps that layer hold together, which is why skipping it makes acne treatments harder to tolerate.

If your face is oily, pick a gel or a light lotion labelled non-comedogenic. Dry or sensitive skin does better with a cream.

Put it on while your skin is still slightly damp, then give it a minute before sunscreen.

Post-acne marks fade more slowly when skin is exposed to sun. A broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning lets them fade on schedule and protects new skin as it forms.

Use two finger lengths for the face and neck. Squeeze a line of sunscreen down your index finger and another down your middle finger. That is the dose. It will feel like a lot the first time.

If you are outside for hours, put more on every two hours. And pick one you do not hate, because the sunscreen you skip does nothing.

Washing too often strips the oil your skin needs, and skin often answers by making more. Twice a day with a gentle, low-foam cleanser is the sensible default.

Always wash in the evening. Sunscreen and the day's oil need to come off before anything else goes on. Wash after heavy sweating too.

The test is simple. After rinsing, your face should feel clean but not tight or squeaky. If it feels tight, the cleanser is too strong.

Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, vitamin C. Each can irritate on its own. Starting all of them at once usually ends in a sore face and a routine you abandon.

Add one product. Wait two to three weeks. Then decide whether to add the next. Keep a short note of what you changed and when, because you will forget.

If something stings or peels, stop it. Go back to cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen for a week, let the skin settle, and try again more slowly.

Skin replaces its outer layer over about a month. A product that promises clear skin by the weekend is promising something skin cannot do.

Consistency beats intensity. Three steps you do every day will do more than eight steps you do twice a week.

If breakouts are painful, cystic, getting worse, or have not improved after a few months of steady care, see a doctor or dermatologist. They have treatments we cannot give you, and going is the sensible next step.