Overnight acne treatments that work

Treating your acne overnight is a great way to rid yourself of breakouts by morning. Getting rid of acne can be difficult and an overnight solution is not for everyone, but it's a step in the right direction for anyone suffering with acne. Why only treat your skin during the day, when it's being exposed to pollution, dirt and grime at the same time? Treating your acne overnight is a great way to reduce the size and redness of the affected area, and in some cases, rid yourself completely of a pimple or two.

Here are a few simple ideas for treating your acne overnight!

Using warm water, rinse your face every night before bed, and wash with a mild cleanser. Depending on your skin type use the following based cleansers;

• Oily skin – gel based
• Dry – soap free, the less it lathers up the better. Look for gel based with added moisturisers
• Combination – water based, light cleansers

A side note for combination skin: Treat the predominant condition, for example if your acne is concentrated in the t-zone, use a oily-skin specific product and focus less on the dry skin affected areas.

Make sure you remove all traces of dirt and make up, working in circular motions upwards and outwards. Rinse with fresh water and pat dry.

Even though we have been told since day one to religiously cleanse, tone and moisturise, most toners are alcohol based and act as an astringent, stripping away layers of skin. If you really must use a toner, use one that is alcohol-free. Apply with a clean cotton pad in light sweeping motions. This will remove any further dirt and make up, but if you cleanse properly there shouldn't be any left to remove!

Ever wonder why moisturisers come in both day and night timer versions? Moisturisers designed for nighttime use often contain more hydrating and moisturising ingredients, which help heal and replenish the skins protective barrier and lipids. As they are more hydrating they tend to be much greasier – not a great look to wear out and about during the day! Similar to cleansing, you want to choose your evening moisturiser based on your skin type;

• Oily skin – gel
• Dry skin – water based
• Combination – you may consider using two separate moisturisers to treat the separate areas.

Now, our skin is clean and ready for those acne busting products! Product layering became a big hit in Asia, where a poll showed the average woman used almost 10 products of an evening, compared to around the 3 or 4 they used during the day time. The reason behind this? When we sleep, it's our bodies time to rest and rejuvenate, both inside and out. Layering on treatments overnight give the products the best chance of penetrating beneath the layers of skin and getting to work. The more products we use, the more obvious it can look on our skin, and the last thing we want to do it go out covered in lotions, potions and gunk – best keep it behind closed doors!

So what kind of products should we be looking at?

• Targeted spot treatment – use a targeted spot treatment for treating individual spots and pimples. These products aim to dry the spot out, reducing size, redness and puffiness of the affected area. Just be careful as these products can be pretty harsh, containing the likes of Benzoyl Peroxide which can lead to severely dry skin. Use sparingly and only once a day.

• Clearing gels – These aim to not only calm inflammation of any current breakouts, but with long term use, should help prevent future breakouts. Though acne is not 'curable', these gels can minimise any future breakouts. They reduce the excess oils/sebum produced and also help clear out any previously clogged pores – all whilst you're sleeping!

• Oil control lotions - ideal for oily skin, these lotions control the oils your sebaceous glands produce, much like the clearing gels above. Non-greasy and light weight, they not only prevent excess oils, they also absorb any excess oil on the skin – perfect for those hot summer nights and a great base for other products.

Sometimes, too many harsh chemicals used over a period of time can irritate your skin, no matter how good it claims to be on the bottle, you are still layering unnatural chemicals onto your face on a daily basis, which can lead to further breakouts in the future. To avoid this, I would suggest having at least one product free day in the week – if not two! If you can't stand the thought of not using any products, give these natural remedies a go;

• Honey – naturally antibacterial, put a dab on the spot/pimple and a plaster over the top to stop it being rubbed off in your sleep. By morning the spot should be reduced in size and inflammation. Just be sure to rinse it all off! Use an all natural organic honey.

• Toothpaste - so it might not be an wholly 'natural' product, but you're always going to have some to hand! Mint contains menthol which is a natural anti-inflammatory. This will help reduce the redness that makes acne seem so unsightly and painful. Pop a dab on before bed and a plaster over the top if you want to avoid smearing it all over your pillowcase!

• Ice – give yourself an ice facial before you go to bed! When pores get really cold they close up, which in turn will force the pore to squeeze the oils and dirt to the surface. Put the ice into a little food bad, then wrap in a clean towel or muslin cloth and hold against the affected area for 10 – 15 minutes. Rinse your face to remove any dirt brought to the surface.

Be sure to change your pillowcase at least once a week, you don't want to go to all this trouble only to sleep on a dead skin cell covered pillowcase and undo all your hard work.

• Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and have a good drink before bed too to flush out the toxins and impurities in your system.

• Tie your hair back and keep it out of your face whilst you sleep, making sure to clip back your bangs/fringe too!

• Try to sleep on your back. This means your face is not touching or rubbing against any sheets, pillowcases or body parts, reducing the risk of bacterial contamination.

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