If you have acne that's prominently placed on your face, you probably have two goals: treat the pimples, but conceal them while you're getting rid of them. Tinted acne treatments such as creams and acne-fighting foundations allow you to do just that, by providing medication in a base that matches your skin tone.
Causes of Pimples
Acne develops when you have too much oil present in your skin and within your pores, according to MayoClinic.com. Instead of making its way to your skin's surface, the oil solidifies inside your pores, causing blockages that become blackheads and whiteheads. If bacteria set up housekeeping inside these blockages, you'll get big pimples as a result.
Treatment Options
For cases involving mild to moderate acne, patients tend to use over-the-counter medications with the active ingredients benzoyl peroxide or sulfur most frequently. You can purchase products with either of these active ingredients in a base that's tinted to match your skin tone. Benzoyl peroxide works by killing bacteria and by clearing away dead skin cells that contribute to pore clogging, according to the AAD. Sulfur, meanwhile, removes excess oil from the skin, dries it out and often causes your skin to peel, which can remove blockages from your pores.
Products
You can choose between many tinted over-the-counter acne-fighting products. Popular options include Clearasil's StayClear Tinted Acne Treatment Cream, which contains 10 percent benzoyl peroxide. Clearasil also makes StayClear Adult Tinted Acne Cream, which contains 8 percent sulfur and 2 percent resorcinol, which helps to clear pores. Glytone Flesh-Tinted Acne Treatment Lotion also features 8 percent sulfur with 2 percent resorcinol, and OXY Spot Treatment includes 10 percent benzoyl peroxide in a light tinted base.
Prescription
Prescription medications including the active ingredients sodium sulfacetamide and sulfur also come in tinted bases to conceal blemishes as they heal. Topical sodium sulfacetamide-sulfur works to kill bacteria on the skin, as well as providing some drying action to clear oil from the skin's surface, according to Drugs.com. Pharmacists dispense the products with tinted bases which they mix so that the medications match your skin. Sulfacet-R represents one example of a tinted prescription acne medication with sodium sulfacetamide and sulfur.
Considerations
Manufacturers of cosmetic products increasingly offer acne-fighting foundations and moisturizers, many of which are aimed at adult women with acne, according to the AAD. These products often contain salicylic acid, which helps to clear out blackheads and whiteheads. Although most teens with acne have oily skin, adults can have dry skin coupled with pimples, so tinted acne treatment products formulated specifically for adult skin often provide less irritation.
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