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Comedogenic is an important word to know when dealing with acne and cosmetic products. Its definition is "tending to produce or aggravate acne". Therefore, a comedogenic ingredient or product is one that will exacerbate acne problems.

For this reason, it is a good idea to read the label of your skin care and cosmetic products before buying them. If you find any comedogenic ingredients, stay away from that product. If you have already purchased a product containing these types of ingredients, throw it out.

Acne Formation

Our skin's sebum is complex, made of six or seven principal ingredients, including triglycerides and squalene, a precursor of cholesterol. The triglycerides are broken down on the surface of the skin by microbes to liberate fatty acids, which cause acne episodes in genetically predisposed families. As we shall see, many cosmetics also contain these acids. Unfortunately, some cosmetics contain esters of fatty acids such as isopropyl mystrate or butyl stearate which are more likely to boost the production of some acne lesions. These cosmetics can interfere with traditional adult acne treatments.

Before we talk about cosmetic ingredients, we should consider the purpose of sebum. We could be under the impression that sebum is vital to our skin's health. However, there is no evidence to back up that idea. Apparently, the discharge of sebum is just a vestige whose usefulness has been lost in the process of evolution.

Sebum doesn't prevent wrinkles either. Wrinkling, or aging of the skin, is a consequence of accumulated sun damage, and no moisturizer on the market is capable of reversing this exhaustion of tissues.

Harmful Ingredients in Acne Treatments

3 main groups of offending ingredients

Lanolins Among cosmetics ingredients, the most commonly used is lanolin. Lanolin is basically sheep skin oil taken from wool. The fatty acids in lanolin, just like fatty acids in our own oil, tend to aggravate some acne in the skin of individuals with inherited tendency towards acne. Many lanolin by-products commonly being used in cosmetics are damaging to acne-prone people, i.e., etoxylated lanolins and acetylated lanolins. The partially synthetic lanolins are capable of permeating skin pores even better than natural lanolin. Lanolin oil, itself, is acceptable.

Isopropyl Myristate and its Chemical Cousins

One of the worst products is a penetrating oil called isopropyl myristate. It is the main ingredient in penetrating rust remover called Liquid Wrench. Isopropyl Myristate aids cosmetics go on more smoothly and have a slicker feel. This particular penetrating oil is so invading that if left over night in a beaker, it will actually migrate over the top, down the sides and onto the table top. There are many chemicals analogous to isopropyl myristate in cosmetics. The most common are: decyl oleate, putty sterate, octyl palmitate, myristyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, octyl sterate, isostearyl neopentonate, isopropyl isothermal and isocetyl stearate and PPG myristyl propionate. All must be avoided, as must other surfactants such as laureth-4.

Drugs As Acne Treatments

Maybe one the most troublesome recent discoveries about acne-producing potential is the red colorations used in blushes. Some of the red dyes used in drugs and cosmetics are comedogenic. This discovery is not unexpected considering they are coal tar by-products. Ever since doctors realized that acne was an occupational hazard of chimney sweeps, coal tar has been recognized for its acne-causing properties. An acceptable substitute for red tincture is carmine, a dye extracted from insect wings and discovered by the Aztecs.

Always be on the look out for these comedogenic components. To keep your skin healthy, remember to read product labels. This simple tip can mean the difference between beautiful and damaged skin.