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Non-comedogenic foundation: a good product for acne?
Applying makeup when you have acne-prone skin is an obstacle course. It’s not about adding comedones to those that already exist. But there are many so-called non-comedogenic foundations on the cosmetic market.
What is acne?
Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous follicle, the follicle through which hairs and hairs can grow. Six million people suffer from it in France, the suffering being physical and psychological. 15% have severe forms.
It affects the face, neck, thoracic region, and more often the back in men, and the lower face in women. It is often during puberty and therefore in adolescents that the disease begins under the influence (but not only) of sex hormones. In women, acne can be triggered by hormonal disturbances involving male hormones.
At best, the episode lasts 3 or 4 years and adolescents are cleared of it between the ages of 18 and 20.
What are comedones?
To understand what comedones are, we must remember the different stages of acne:
- Retention phase (hyperseborrheic): the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands thickens or becomes too abundant around the hair; it is especially the so-called T zone of the face which is affected (nose, chin, forehead). The bacteria normally present on the skin (the flora) delighted with the abundance of food begin to swarm in the area;
- Inflammatory phase: these excess bacteria cause inflammation. Open comedones or blackheads (amalgam of sebum and dead cells) then appear. They measure 1 to 3 mm in diameter. We can try to extract it by pressing on each side but this maneuver is dangerous (risk of superinfection). These blackheads are called “skin worms” (referring to their appearance when they come out). Closed comedones appear at the same time: the follicles are blocked by sebum and dead cells (keratocytes). An indurated bulge forms centered by a paler area: the white dots;
- The later phases (papules, pustules, nodules, abscess cysts) leave the subject.
Blackheads are therefore blackheads and whiteheads.
What is a comedogenic substance?
A comedogenic substance is a substance capable of causing the development of comedones, that is to say of contributing to clogging the pores of pilosebaceous follicles and causing sebum and dead cells to accumulate. Among these comedogenic products, we must remember:
- Mineral oil fats (from petrochemicals);
- The PEGS;
- Silicones;
- Certain synthetic surfactants.
But these products are not contained in so-called natural cosmetics. On the other hand, some natural cosmetics contain comedogenic vegetable oils.
Why use a non-comedogenic foundation for acne?
It will be understood that non-comedogenic foundations do not contain the aforementioned comedogenic substances. They must :
- not to be fat;
- be sufficiently covering;
- do not clog the pores;
- avoid the cardboard effect so that the skin is radiant;
- let the skin breathe.
Information to know:
- not all “oil-free” products are non-comedogenic because some oil-free foundations are still comedogenic;
- there is no mandatory test or display statement on non-comedogenic products, hence the difficulty in choosing them;
- however, many ranges of makeup specially designed for acne-prone skin are available on the web, facilitating a wide choice.
An important new recommendation
Acne is topical since the HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) has just communicated about severe acne and the use of isotretinoin in young women of childbearing age. This advice may not be of utmost importance for patients with mild illness, but unfortunately, acne sometimes gets worse. Do not hesitate to consult a doctor.