Remember These Tips from a derm PA

I'm a derm PA and these are things that I want you to remember. Those little black or brown dots on your nose probably aren't blackheads. They're sebaceous filaments. They're a normal part of your skin's anatomy that channel oil up to the surface. Which means everyone has them and you can't really get rid of them for good. The most you can do is make them look less noticeable by keeping your pores clear. Retinoids like retinol, retinAL or adapalene would be my first choice for keeping your pores clear. Salicylic acid can be a helpful addition since it's able to penetrate the pore and help clean it out. And even double cleansing with an oil-based cleanser can help lift up that excess oil in your pores. If you haven't tried hypochlorous acid yet, it's a really gentle way to help calm irritation, redness, and even some breakouts. You can use it after cleansing on dry skin, but you want to make sure you let it fully dry down before applying your other skincare products. And if you have acne prone skin, it's also helpful to spray it throughout the day. So you're working a long shift, you're wearing a face mask all day, or you're going to the gym. And some people worry that it's going to mess with your skin, but these formulas use low concentrations, which makes them generally well tolerated and gentle. If you're trying to soften a true scar, then silicone is your most evidence-based option at home. You can use a silicone gel product or they have silicone sheets. You want to use it consistently for a few months to see a different. If you get little bumps across your forehead, it's usually either acne or fungal and they're treated completely differently. Fungal bumps are usually uniform, which means they're the same size and there's a lot of little ones, they come in clusters and they're often itchy. And for that, you need an anti-fungal like ketoconazole shampoo over the counter, which has 1% and you would use it as a face cleanser, leave it on for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then rinse off. And then you have comedonal acne, which are your whiteheads and your blackheads. For those, you really want to focus on unclogging the pore and the most effective option would be a retinoid like adapalene gel. You can also try salicylic acid as an addition or an alternative. Retinoids = apply at night. Retinol, retinOL, retinAL, tretinoin. Most retinoids should only be used at night and that includes your retinol, retinOL, retinAL and tretinoin. And that could be an eye cream, a body lotion or a face retinoid. Most retinoids tend to break down in sunlight, so using them during the day makes them less effective. The main exception for over the counter is adapalene gel since it's photo stable. So now you know and follow if you want more tips from a derm PA!