Any beauty junkie worth their retinol knows that as seasons change, skincare routines should too. Now, the monsoon brings with it a spike in humidity and general sticky feel, which when coupled with end-of-summer heat triggers excessive shine, oily skin and even acne for some. As the rains set in, ELLE caught up with Dr Kiran Sethi, Delhi-based dermatologist and founder of ISYA Aesthetics for her top tips to take care of acne-prone skin during the monsoons…
Sunscreen is a staple
Your sunscreen is a non-negotiable, no matter what season it is or skin type you have. The sun’s UVA rays are present all year round (even on cloudy days) and can accelerate skin damage, think spots and pigmentation. “If your usual sunscreen feels heavy and greasy, switch to a gel-based formula. If you have very oily skin, you can even skip moisturiser,” says Dr Sethi. Loading up on heavy creams can clog your pores and make your face feel oily.
Deep clean
“Wash your face with a salicylic acid face wash like iS Clinical’s Cleansing Complex, twice a day,” says Dr Sethi. Salicylic acid does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to fighting acne–it balances skin’s pH level, exfoliates, decongests pores by getting rid of dead cells and deep cleans skin. It’s perfect for the monsoon season’s humid weather.
Make retinol your friend
To prevent your skin from breaking out, Dr Sethi suggests adding a retinol-spiked lotion to your night skincare regimen. Retinol boosts collagen production and tightens pores, ultimately reducing the chances of any pore clogging, infection, inflammation and acne.
Mask away
Dr Sethi says, “Use an anti-acne mask like Dermaceutic’s Mask 15 or DCL Skincare’s Multi Action Penta Peel once a week to clarify and clean out pores.” If you can’t get your hands on these, she suggests a simple deep cleansing multani mitti mask mixed with yogurt.
Maintain scalp health
During monsoon, the natural moisture and oil content of your scalp can go haywire. This leads to dandruff and fungal infections that cause scalp itchiness. “First and foremost, resist the urge to scratch your head,” she says. The back and forth scratching motions weaken follicles and trigger inflammation, leading to hair loss. “Use a good anti-dandruff shampoo like Bioderma Node Ds+ two to three times a week. Don’t forget to leave it on for five minutes and then rinse it off.” Some ingredients to look out for in a good flake-eliminating shampoo are salicylic acid that clears away dead skin, piroctone olamine which zaps dandruff-causing bacteria and zinc pyrithione which has antifungal powers.
