How many times should you wash your face?

[Guest Posts]

On behalf of Chloe:

I’ve got mild acne. Should I wash my face more than twice a day or does this make it worse? I read different things on the Internet and just not sure what I should do.

[Dr Anjali Mahto]

Dear Chloe,

Many thanks for taking the time to post a question. Generally speaking, those with acne or blemish prone skin find their skin get shiny or feel oily - particularly by mid-afternoon as the day goes on. Many also choose to cover their spots with foundation, concealer or other make-up.

I think it is a good idea to make sure you are cleansing your skin twice daily - morning and evening. The evening cleanse is particularly important to remove make-up and sun-screen which can otherwise block your pores potentially making spots worse.

Choose cleansing products made for acne-prone skin. These often contain ingredients such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and niacinamide. There has been a recent trend for double cleansing and the use of facial oils to cleanse the skin, but my advice would be to avoid this. I would not recommend using oils on the skin if you suffer with acne. (The theory is that "like dissolves like" and using an oil cleanser will be more effective at removing facial oiliness. However, facial oils are very different to the oils on your skin so best avoided - they can make your spots worse.)

Look for products that have a light, gel-like texture and are ideally marked as "non-comedogenic". If you work out or exercise regularly, cleansing after this is also a good idea to remove sweat and other debris from the skin surface.

I hope that helps and good luck!

Anjali