As if it isn’t bad enough having to battle wrinkles, but having to also struggle with acne is just depressing and confusing. Women don’t always outgrow acne, and lots of women who never broke out before can start breaking out in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and older; this is particularly true for women going through menopause.

So how in the world do you treat both? It’s actually easier than you think. The issue is that we think dealing with wrinkles is about heavy moisturizers or layers of creams and lotions, but it isn’t in the least. Those types of products don’t fight wrinkles! What fights wrinkles are specific ingredients such as antioxidants (like green tea or vitamin C), cell-communicating ingredients (like niacinamide or vitamin A), and skin-identical substances (like ceramides or lecithin). The texture of the product (cream or gel) is irrelevant.

Think about it like your diet. Salmon is good for you, but whether you eat it chilled, raw, broiled, stir fried, or poached, you are getting the benefit of the food. “Anti-wrinkle” ingredients can be found in a wide range of consistencies.

For someone struggling with blemishes, the ingredients that give lotions and creams their feel and appearance can clog pores so those types of products should be avoided. Gels, liquids, light serums, or watery lotions are unlikely to cause problems for blemish-prone skin. Every ingredient skin needs to fight wrinkles can be found in those types of products if they are well formulated.

To fight mild to moderate acne, the absolute best option is to start with a product containing 1% to 2% salicylic acid. This not only exfoliates the surface—which is one of the absolute best ways to fight wrinkles—it also has the ability to reduce, and in many instances practically eliminate, breakouts.

If you still need help resolving breakouts you should add a benzoyl peroxide-based product with a 2.5% or 5% concentration once a day, preferably at night. Research has clearly shown that benzoyl peroxide can be as effective, if not better than, prescription options to deal with mild to moderate acne.

Of course you still need a sunscreen because up to 70% of the wrinkles and aging you see on your face is a result of sun damage. Although if you are experiencing breakouts, a moisturizer with SPF in a lotion or cream form is likely to make matters worse by clogging pores. What I strongly suggest is wearing a foundation with SPF 15 or greater and a pressed powder with SPF 15 or greater.

You would also want to use a more emollient moisturizer just around the eyes. The eye area rarely, if ever, has a problem with breakouts and because the skin is drier there it helps to use that kind of moisturizer only around that area. But of course, it absolutely does not have to be labeled as an eye cream; any well-formulated lotion or cream will do.

It takes experimenting with effective products to find out what works for you. Here is what I recommend from Paula’s Choice:

Skin Balancing Cleanser (twice a day)
Skin Balancing Toner (once a day, under makeup as your moisturizer)
Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate (at night, over dry areas)
2% BHA Liquid (at night, but can be used twice a day)
CLEAR Regular Strength Acne Fighting Treatment (at night)
Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream (around the eyes twice a day)
Healthy Finish Pressed Powder SPF 15
Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20

The Cosmetics Cop Team held a contest asking our Facebook and Twitter fans to suggest what they’d like me to blog about. You can read my response to the winning question here. Actually, all of the questions were really great and challenging so I am blogging brief answers to those requests. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the contest! I loved it!

Brian N.
I’d like to see a blog about where the industry is going to go in the next 10 years and what’s new and exciting on the horizons in terms of research etc.

I’d like to know where it’s going, too. Right now it seems that consumers will buy anything that says “all natural” or “anti-wrinkle” (and people over 50 have more money to spend than any other group). In terms of what will really benefit skin that is yet to be seen.

Brandi L.
Adult acne and struggling with “teenage” like super oily skin in my late 20s. Always hoped I’d be done by now.

There is no difference in treating adult acne than teenage acne, and you would still approach your skin-care regimen in the same way. Follow this link to my article on Acne Treatment. Good luck, and let us know how you are doing on your routine!

Sabrina W.
I’d love to see you write more about your products and which are best for Rosacea. You have some information on your website and beautypedia, but not extensive information. So far I’m pleased with my new products.

Here is an article on our website about rosacea that I think will really help you: Rosacea Skin Care Solutions.

Caroline B.
Deceptive product advertising and why we continue to fall for the BS. What specific communications techniques do they use for particular target markets, and how can the consumer be more aware of these deceptive practices?

It’s all deceptive. Period. Why? Because women want to be beautiful and the claims, celebrity endorsements, and advertisements are too seductive to ignore no matter how repetitive and redundant they are. Keep in mind that even the cosmetic companies don’t believe what they advertise or they wouldn’t keep launching new products, making the same claims as the ones they currently sell or sell in other lines they own.

Jenna K.
I would like to see information regarding Oil Cleansing Method. website: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ On a similar note, I find baby oil removes all traces of my Colorstay foundation, but I am not sure if it is damaging to my acne-prone skin.

There is nothing wrong with using mineral oil to remove makeup. Mineral oil is one of the most benign, gentle ingredients in the world of skin care. There is no research showing cosmetic or pharmaceutical grade mineral oil is a problem for skin.

The website you mention is a bit weird. Again there is nothing wrong with removing makeup with oil, plant oil, or mineral oil, but the reasoning in this article is just odd. For example, one of the points is that oil removes oil and therefore you need to use oil to clean out your pores which contain oil. Think about it, if you have oil on your counter top would you ever try to clean it up with more oil? It would just get worse. It also mentions the need for steam. That is really bad information. Steam can cause fragile surface capillaries to surge with blood and then burst causing redness and spider veins on the face. Plus heat stimulates oil production in the pore.