An Esthetician & Acne Specialist's Tips For Dealing With Winter Breakouts

It raises the question: How can you treat those pesky breakouts without completely robbing your skin of moisture? We tapped celebrity esthetician and certified acne specialist Zaida Gordon, founder of Skintegrity LA, for all of her winter breakout tips: 

Rather than opting for the aforementioned benzoyl peroxide, witch hazel, and the like—Gordon first recommends seeking out ingredients that heal breakouts and calm the skin simultaneously. "Apply a less drying acne treatment, such as a sulfur spot treatment," she says (like this option from Face Reality). Sulfur is a great ingredient for sensitive skin, as it helps remove oil from the surface of the skin and prevent blackheads, yet it's less irritating than other acne-fighting ingredients. 

Or, you can always repurpose a harsher (yet effective) serum, lotion, or mask as a spot treatment: Simply tap the solution onto the zits and let it sit overnight. That way, you're targeting the breakout without stripping your whole complexion of moisture. 

Mild kaolin clay is beloved for sensitive skin, while bentonite clay is especially stellar at clearing acne: One study found that a mask of jojoba oil and bentonite clay3—applied two or three times a week for six weeks—could reduce the number of acne lesions by an average of 54%. This Volcanic Sea Clay Detox Masque from MARA contains both types of clay, and it doesn't fully dry down into a hard, cracked shell, so it's especially gentle on the skin. 

Just make sure to cover the ice with a towel before holding it up to your skin; you don't want to completely shock your skin with the freezing temperature, as that can lead to even more inflammation, sometimes broken capillaries. 

Specifically, the dehydration can cause the release of CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone)4, a hormone that tells your sebaceous glands to produce more oil to compensate. Humidifiers can moisten up the air and stop the dehydration in its tracks; here is one we love, and these are some of our favorite desk options, or you can try some other DIY methods to increase the humidity in your home.

Clearing breakouts often takes time, patience, and a little guesswork—but in the wintertime, it may take even more precision and care. The key is balancing the acne-fighting (and typically drying) ingredients with soothing, hydrating players that tend to the skin barrier and keeping your complexion moisturized.