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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 only make your acne problems worse.

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, composed of six or seven principal ingredients, including triglycerides and squalene, a precursor of cholesterol. The triglycerides are degraded on the surface of the skin by microbes to free fatty acids, which cause acne episodes in genetically predisposed families. As we will see, many cosmetics also include these acids. Unfortunately, some cosmetics include esters of fatty acids like isopropyl mystrate or butyl stearate which are more likely to boost the generation of some acne lesions. These cosmetics can interfere with traditional adult acne treatments.

Before we discuss cosmetic ingredients, we should consider the purpose of sebum. We could assume that sebum is vital to our skin's health. However, there is no evidence to back up that statement. Apparently, the discharge of sebum is simply a vestige whose function has been lost in the process of evolution.

Sebum doesn't avoid wrinkles either. Wrinkling, or aging of the skin, is a reflection of accumulated sun exposure, and no moisturizer on the market is capable of reversing the natural, aging process.

Harmful Ingredients in Acne Treatments

Three main categories of offending ingredients

Lanolins Lanolin is, perhaps, the most common ingredient in cosmetics. Lanolin is simply sheep skin oil taken from wool. The fatty acids in lanolin, just like fatty acids in our own oil, can aggravate some acne in the skin of individuals with inherited tendency towards acne. Many lanolin derivatives commonly being used in cosmetics are damaging to acne-prone individuals, i.e., etoxylated lanolins and acetylated lanolins. The partially synthetic lanolins are able to permeate 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 helps cosmetics go on more softly 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 several chemicals analogous to isopropyl myristate in cosmetics. The most common are: isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl isothermal, decyl oleate, putty sterate, myristyl myristate, octyl sterate, octyl palmitate, isostearyl neopentonate and isocetyl stearate and PPG myristyl propionate. All must be avoided, as must other surfactants such as laureth-4.

Drugs As Acne Treatments

Perhaps one the most troublesome recent discoveries about acne-causing potential is the red colorations used in blushes. Some of the red dyes used in drugs and cosmetics are comedogenic. This discovery is not surprising considering they are coal tar derivatives. Ever since doctors noticed that acne was an occupational illness of chimney sweeps, coal tar has been known for its acne-causing properties. An adequate substitute for red tincture is carmine, a dye derived from insect wings and discovered by the Aztecs.

Always be on the look out for these comedogenic components. Take a moment and read product labels. This simple action can keep your skin beautiful and healthy.

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