Exfoliating creams and peels are one of the latest acne treatment trends. There are a host of websites and infomercials that claim that their exfoliating product will end your acne problems forever, but is there any truth to their claims? Well, that all depends on the company and what exactly they want you to put on your face or any other affected area.



Exfoliating your skin is essentially removing dead or excess skin cells that make up the outermost layer of your skin. While this outer layer does provide a little protection from UV light and some chemical irritants, it also prevents over active oil glands from secreting oil properly, which leads to clogged pores and potential acne outbreaks. Exfoliating takes away this outer layer, which does help your pores to breathe, and normally makes your skin somewhat smoother and softer. Overall, exfoliating in general does help with acne, but all exfoliating products are not the same, and care must be taken to ensure that you are using the right exfoliating product for your needs.

The effectiveness of an exfoliating product, whether it is a cream or a peel, will be determined by its active ingredients. Some exfoliating products only remove the dead skin cells, but others will do several other things to help your skin and better treat your acne problem. Certain exfoliating products will also contain some kind of antibacterial ingredient. An exfoliating product with an antibacterial component will improve your complexion by removing dead skin cells and killing the bacteria that are causing the acne. Another exfoliating component that many users love is an anti inflammatory ingredient. An anti inflammatory will reduce the redness and swelling associated with acne and help make your existing acne much less obvious while it works to eliminate acne.

However, there are some things you want to watch out for when selecting an exfoliating treatment. Certain chemicals and exfoliating creams work are designed to combat acne on certain parts of your body. There are many effective treatments for facial acne, but most facial treatments do not have much sway on acne on other parts of the body, especially the back. The skin on your back is much thicker than on your face, so harsher chemicals are needed to clear back acne, and those chemicals used on your back are very likely to irritate your face and cause a rash or the appearance of sunburn. Salicylic acid is one such ingredient that is generally not recommended for use on your face.

One natural exfoliating product that has been used for several centuries is sulfur. In addition to removing excess skin cells, sulfur also helps your skin to heal so that pimples disappear more quickly. Sulfur can be found in over the counter acne medications, and some of them combine an anti inflammatory for even faster results. Azelaic acid is another commonly used exfoliating agent. Azelaic acid comes either as a peel or a 20% lotion, and works very well for most people.

One advantage of using sulfur or Azelaic acid as an exfoliating treatment is that they have relatively few side effects for an acne treatment. Sulfur and Azelaic acid are not likely to irritate your skin, or lighten or darken your skin. However, with any acne treatment there is a possibility of overuse, in which case your skin gets dried out. In any case, you should be very careful about using different acne treatments simultaneously, especially with sulfur. The drying effects of various treatments, in addition to the risk that comes with combining chemicals on your face, can be disastrous.

Before you run out and buy any kind of exfoliating cream or peel, take a few minutes to find out the ingredients and find out how they work. Using an exfoliating product could interfere or react with your current acne treatment, or dry your face out entirely. Also, many people report that they are much happier with exfoliating products that not only exfoliate, but also have an anti inflammatory or other active ingredient. However, when first using an exfoliating peel or cream, or any other acne treatment, you may want to try it on a small area at first to make sure you do not have any kind of allergic reaction or sensitivity to this change in your skin care regimen. Good luck!