Written By: Tania Tarafdar | Updated : August 4, 2017 1:39 PM IST
Charcoal for acne treatment is the latest beauty buzz. Charcoal is said to absorb oil and dirt, and so beauty bloggers are stocking their beauty shelves with charcoal masks, cleansers and pore strips. They have all claimed that the skin feels lighter and brighter after the application of charcoal and the visible pores shrink. But is that buzz around charcoal worth it? Does charcoal help clear off acne? Let us hear it from well-known dermatologist Dr Sejal Shah.
The reason why many beauty connoisseurs use charcoal is that charcoal binds to dirt, oil and toxins and pulls them out of the skin pores. However, there is no scientific research backing the effects of charcoal on skin care products. Also, the skin care products containing charcoal also include other ingredients like salicylic acid that helps deal with oily and acne prone skin. In fact, many charcoal masks also include kaolin that does the trick of binding to the sebum on the skin, preventing acne. Even if you are into home remedies, you need to use activated charcoal powder in combination with coconut oil or aloe vera gel on your face. So, charcoal cannot be given full marks on its acne-reducing properties as other ingredients in the charcoal products may be doing the trick.
However, charcoal is inert and will not cause any allergic reactions or irritate sensitive skin. So even if your coal product is not doing much to reduce your acne, it will not make it worse either. Here are our best and worst oils for acne.
Bottomline Although, there is hardly any research which backs that charcoal aids in treating acne if you want to try charcoal, you can go ahead and give it a shot. And if you have already tried using charcoal and like using charcoal masks and cleansers, you are free to do that as well. Here are signs you need a prescription acne treatment.
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