Mandelic Acid Acne Skincare for People of Color

Having beautiful, dark skin is a blessing. Melanin-rich skin is more resistant to sun damage and wrinkles than lighter skin tones. While many people with lighter skin tones begin developing wrinkles in their 30s and 40s, people of color are often gorgeously wrinkle-free skin well into middle age. However, for people with more skin pigmentation, acne treatment can be tricky. Some of the common acne products found in drugstores can do serious damage to melanin-rich skin. So what’s a better option?

Mandelic acid (derived from bitter almonds) is an excellent acne-treatment choice for people of color. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. You need to get your acne under control NOW!! And mandelic acid can help you to do this. People of color are prone to hyperpigmentation (dark or red scars that appear where a blemish once was). These dark spots often remain long after the breakout has cleared. Therefore, it’s important to get acne under control as soon as possible so that long-lasting scars don’t continue to form.
2. Popping pimples isn’t an option. Popping pimples is not recommended for anyone, but it’s a huge no-no for people of color. As previously mentioned, brown skin is more prone to hyperpigmentation, and popping pimples damages the pore, leaving behind dark marks that take many months to fade. Mandelic acid’s exfoliating properties help to open the pores and free congested material, making picking at your skin unnecessary.
3. Mandelic acid treats both acne and dark spots! Mandelic acid has been shown to improve hyperpigmentation (dark spots) by up to 50% in one month. With prolonged use, it can completely remove acne scars while brightening the overall skin tone. Since African American and Indian populations are prone to acne scarring, mandelic acid packs the ideal one-two punch against blemishes and dark marks.
4. Ashy skin: Melanin-rich skin can be prone to extreme dryness. Harsh acne products like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can make the skin extremely dry, flaky, and ashy. Mandelic acid is less harsh and won’t lead to dull, dry skin.
5. Too much drying can actually create more oil: Salicylic acid, a common ingredient in acne products, can sometimes dry skin out too much, causing it to create more oil, leading to further breakouts. Mandelic acid is gentler and not as drying, so it won’t trigger your skin to produce more oil.
6. Benzoyl peroxide can cause dark patches on your skin!  According to the The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), benzoyl peroxide can “decolorize skin,” causing hyperpigmentation in the areas where it was applied. You can firmly trust mandelic acid to never discolor your skin.
7. Non-irritating: Mandelic acid’s large molecule size makes is slower to penetrate the skin than other acne products. This slower penetration rate means less irritation like reddening skin, flakiness, and discomfort.
8. Amazingly multi-purpose:  Black people can be prone to folliculitis and ingrown hairs, both on the face as well as the body. Luckily, not only is mandelic acid effective for acne, but this superstar is also an amazing treatment for both folliculitis and ingrown hairs! Simply apply it to the problem areas twice daily and watch your ingrowns and infected pores clear up quickly!
9. Naturally antibacterial and antifungal: Mandelic acid has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. This allows it to fight against the bacteria that inflame acne, as well as to battle fungal folliculitis.
10. Naturally derived with no harsh, synthetic ingredients. Drugstore acne treatment products contain all kinds of chemicals. Mandelic acid is naturally derived from bitter almonds, so it’s safe, natural, and effective.

Almond Clear makes two highly effective mandelic acid serums. The Level 1 product is gentle enough to be used on the face and body, while the Level 2 product is for body acne only.

Almond Clear Customer Reviews:

Hello all! I am an African American woman and I was a bit skeptical about this product, but I am GLAD I did! I used this product to reduce the appearance of razor bumps scars and ingrown hairs. It actually WORKS, my skin is lighter and the scars are fading! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Just to give some backstory I am a dark skin black woman with dark marks on my cheeks and forehead from acne. Because of my acne when I've managed to fade a dark spot a little bit I will get acne over it which almost always leaves a new dark mark. ...I used the product [Almond Clear]  4 or 5 days a week for 4 weeks in conjunction with a 5% mandelic acid toner and noticed wonderful results. The left side of my cheek had more severe dark spots that were rather new, and had faded by at least 45% since using the serum, the right side of my face had only a couple of half-faded marks and a few newer dark marks [were] almost clear by the 4th week. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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