How Effective is Salicylic Acid for Acne?

Blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, pustules - these are the various forms in which acne appears on the skin. It is unsightly, discomforting and can cause a lot of pain to the one who is experiencing it. A poor, oily diet, hormonal imbalance, an oily skin, stress and improper hygiene, these are the main culprits which are behind acne. As acne is so common, especially in teens and people in their early twenties, the market is flooded with over-the-counter ointments and medication to treat it.

Salicylic acid is a very common ingredient in various creams, gels, lotions, face washes, face cleansers, skin toners, medicated pads and other skin products which are sold as acne treatments. Salicylic acid is an organic, beta hydroxy acid, which is derived from the willow tree. In acne treatment products, this acid is available in the concentration ranging from 0.5% to 2%. Most of these products need to be applied on the skin once a day and are believed to cure the symptoms of acne such as redness and bring down the skin breakouts too. So, for all those who are contemplating using salicylic acid products for acne treatment and want to know whether its proclaimed benefits and efficacy is indeed true or not, the following information will be of immense help.

First of all, apply the skin product containing salicylic acid totally in accordance with the instructions given on the pack, otherwise it can cause side effects such as skin irritation, a burning sensation, dryness, peeling and flaking of the skin. If you observe these symptoms, reduce the application. If the side effects are still visible, stop the treatment and start looking for a more suitable alternative.

The effectiveness of salicylic acid lasts only as long as you continue its application. The moment you give up on the treatment, the acne will come back! However, there are lots of benefits of applying salicylic acid on acne prone skin too, so you should at least give it a try once to see whether it has any positive effects on your skin. Let us know in detail the pros and cons of salicylic acid for acne.

Pros

Exfoliates the Skin
The reason behind recommendation of salicylic acid for acne sufferers is that it is a very good skin exfoliator. A major reason why a person suffers from acne is that the dead skin cells tend to shed and block the hair follicle, resulting in acne. As salicylic acid is an excellent exfoliator and has the ability to penetrate deep into the follicles, it sloughs away the dead skin cells in the follicle, thus clearing off the skin pores. This brings down the blockages of the hair follicle and lowers the incidence of acne in the process! So, for all those who want to know, if salicylic acid is good for acne, the answer is a big YES!

Removes Blackheads and Whiteheads
Regular application of salicylic acid helps in loosening the blackheads as well as the whiteheads. Although it may take months, but this loosening actually happens and thereafter, whiteheads and blackheads can be removed easily from the skin.

Suitable for Sensitive Skin
One of the greatest benefits of salicylic acid is that it can be applied on all kinds of skin. So, even if you have an extremely sensitive skin and are apprehensive of putting on other kinds of acne treatments such as glycolic acid on your skin, you can apply salicylic acid without any kind of worry. Any acne treatment with salicylic acid is suitable to all skin types as it hardly causes an adverse reaction on the skin.

Reduces Swelling and Pain
Salicylic acid is great in bringing down any kind of swelling or inflammation that is associated with acne, thus bringing relief from pain that is so often felt by many an acne sufferers. So, for those of you who want to get rid of discomfort and redness caused by acne breakouts, start taking treatment containing this wonder acid!

Cons

Although there are many benefits of salicylic acid, on the flip side, this acid can take care of only mild cases of acne. For people who suffer from moderate to severe acne, this treatment might not prove to be much helpful. Moreover, it might actually take months for this acid to work and show its positive effects on the skin. As is touted that it helps in loosening and removal of whiteheads and blackheads, it does so only if they are small. For large blackheads, you will have to rely on some other effective acne treatment as salicylic acid might not work on them.

As mentioned above, acne is caused by a number of factors, so in order to get rid of it, one has to work at it, both from within and outside. Taking a balanced, oil and fat free diet, keeping stress under control and exercising every day is a must to cure yourself of this skin condition. As for salicylic acid treatments, even if they don't do much for your acne, one thing is sure that they will improve your skin's texture, due to their exfoliating properties. So, if for nothing else, you can apply skin products with salicylic acid to get a glowing skin!