3 Underrated Skin Care Ingredients This Derm Recommends For Adult Acne

As I type this, there's a smattering of zits on my chin. I spent my weekend traveling, indulging in food and drink, using a less-than-ideal bar of hotel soap as a face wash, and without my normal arsenal of face creams. Thus, my skin is reacting accordingly. 

Hopefully, by the time you're reading this, the pimples are gone. And if they are, it will be in large part due to board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D.'s help. Zeichner is a longtime trusted derm for beauty editors (myself included) and acts as the associate professor of dermatology and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He's also the dermatologist behind the new brand Jori Skincare, a clean collection that uses FDA-approved ingredients to target blemishes, alongside smart botanicals as supporting players. 

Recently he joined me to chat about adult acne on an episode of Clean Beauty School. In it, we discuss the laundry list of things you can do to help manage your breakouts, which include working out, addressing stress, and getting enough sleep ("Healthy diet, healthy mind, healthy body means healthy skin," he reminds us). But we also spend a decent chunk of time diving into ingredients. 

We know there's a connection between your nutrition and skin. With acne, we know that eating high-glycemic-index foods can contribute to sebum production1, especially if you are genetically predisposed to it. This is because high blood sugar levels can trigger a cascade of hormones, which then results in breakouts. I don't know about you, but avoiding all potential trigger foods is near impossible for me–so having topicals on hand to help is top priority.

There's a reason "adult acne" and "hormonal acne" are used interchangeably—hormones play a huge role ("although ​​all acne is really caused by hormones," he reminds us). The primary hormonal culprit is dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which stimulates the oil glands, encouraging sebum production and driving inflammation. "And that's really the biggest driving factor for the development of pimples," he says.