Skin school

Your skin has tiny holes called pores. Oil and dead skin get stuck in them, and germs grow there. That is a pimple. The pimple gel kills the germs. The acne gel opens the holes and stops new pimples from starting.

Start slow. Every other night for two weeks. A pea of each, in a thin layer on the whole area that gets pimples, not just on the spots. If it stings a lot, wash it off after an hour that night. Dry, red, or peeling skin is common in the first few weeks. The adapalene label also says acne may look worse before it gets better, and that this is normal.

Get 2.5% pimple gel, not 10%. The American Academy of Dermatology says to start with 2.5%, because it is less likely to dry or burn your skin. The adapalene label says sore, red, or dry skin is more likely when you use more than one acne medicine. The plan already uses two, so it leaves out salicylic acid.

The top layer of your skin is like a wall. It keeps water in and keeps bad stuff out. When that wall is hurt, everything stings, even creams that were fine before. Moisturizer helps the wall stay strong. That is why skipping it makes the acne gels sting more.

If your face is oily, pick a gel or a light lotion. Look for "will not clog pores" on the bottle. On many boxes it is written "non-comedogenic". Same thing. If your skin is dry or stings easily, pick a cream.

Put it on while your skin is still a little wet. Wait a minute before sunscreen or the acne gels.

When a pimple goes away, it can leave a brown or red mark. Sun makes that mark darker and makes it stay longer. Sunscreen every morning lets the mark fade on time and keeps new skin safe.

Use two lines of sunscreen, one down your pointer finger and one down your middle finger. That is the right amount for your face and neck. It feels like a lot the first time. Most people use too little.

If you are outside for hours, put more on every two hours. Pick one you like, because sunscreen you do not put on does nothing.

If you wash too much, you take away the oil your skin needs. Then your skin makes even more oil. Two times a day with a soft face wash is the right amount.

Always wash at night. Sunscreen and the oil from the day have to come off before you put anything else on. Wash after you sweat a lot, too.

Here is the test. After you rinse, your face should feel clean but not tight. If it feels tight, the face wash is too strong.

Strong creams for pimples include salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinol, and vitamin C. Each one can sting on its own. Starting all of them at once is how you end up with a sore face and a plan you quit.

Add one cream. Wait two or three weeks. Then decide if you want to add the next one. Write down what you changed and when, because you will forget.

The one exception is the two acne gels in your plan. Doctors' guides pair them on purpose, and the plan starts them slowly, every other night. Do not add anything else new while you start them.

If something stings or peels, stop it. Go back to just face wash, moisturizer, and sunscreen for a week. Let your skin calm down. Then try again, slower.

The American Academy of Dermatology says it takes at least 6 to 8 weeks before you start to see fewer pimples. The adapalene label says results can take up to 3 months. A cream that promises clear skin by the weekend is promising something skin cannot do.

Doing it every day beats doing a lot. Three steps you do every day work better than eight steps you do twice a week.

If your pimples hurt, are deep under the skin, are getting worse, or have not gotten better after a few months of doing the plan, see a doctor. A doctor has stronger medicine. Going is the smart next step, not a fail.