Spot the solution: Acne treatments that won’t dry out your skin

Too many of us are too familiar with acne. For teenagers it can be a great knock to confidence, for adults it seems like a plague that will never end. Many treatments claim to cure it but the reality is many of them don’t work and can leave the skin irritated and dried out.

What is important for acne-prone skin is that it is kept clean and well moisturised; products which strip the skin and irritate it in an effort to reduce oiliness will only worsen the problem.

Dermalogica have a range called Clear Start, which my little sister Ellen has tested for me. I was initially concerned about the “foaming” element of the cleanser (€16.45), as many foams can be very harsh and drying, but Ellen tells me this was her favourite product in the range. It didn’t leave the skin tight or dried out but gave a thorough clean. Salicylic acid, which unclogs pores and calms redness, makes up 50 per cent of the ingredient list.

Similarly, the Cooling Masque (€20) “genuinely makes your face less red and helps with irritation,” which is quite the endorsement from my hard-to-please teenage sister.

She was less impressed with the Oil Clearing Matte Moisturiser (€20) and Hydrating Day Lotion (€20), which she said did not moisturise enough and left her with dry, red patches. This is quite a problem with acne ranges which try too hard to reduce oiliness.

I have always been a fan of Simple’s Rich Moisturiser, which properly soothes and nourishes skin. It would be a good cheap accompaniment to the more pricey but worth-it Dermalogica face wash and Cooling Masque. And the Simple Facial Wash will keep skin clean and nourished but without the active acne-clearing ingredients such as salicylic acid.

If you want to try out the range, Dermalogica have a tester kit for €20.50.