A woman examining her skin in the mirror as part of her clear skin routine

How to get clear skin?

Clear and glowing skin can be achieved by respecting your skin’s needs, following an adapted routine on a daily basis. With a bit of patience you can minimise blemishes and marks, and return your skin to lasting health.

Skin health and radiance are closely linked to how well you take care of your skin. Leaving your make-up on when going to bed every night will not give you an even and glowing complexion – just the opposite. At the same time, you don’t want to over-scrub your face with harsh products each morning and evening. Your irritated skin will become even more so.

A good skincare routine is somewhere in the middle. It meets your skin’s individual needs, respects its physiology and gently cleanses. Your skin tolerates the ups and downs of everyday life and stays essentially in good health. Your skincare routine can include up to six steps.

Smiling woman demonstrating how to apply cream to her cheek as part of her clear skin routine.

Illustration of a woman cleaning her face as part of her clear skin routine

1 - Cleansing

As the first action in caring for skin, your cleanser should be adapted to any skin problems you may have: sensitive, acne-prone, dry skin, etc. Cleanse twice a day with a gentle product and in the evening to remove all dirt and pollution that can cause irritation.

Illustration of a woman applying tonic lotion to her face for clear skin.

2 - Toning

A toner can help your skin keep its moisture, stimulate pores and restore balance. Your skin is left feeling refreshed and soft.

Pictogram showing drops of a skin serum being poured into a hand, part of a clear skin routine.

3 - Applying a serum

Serums have a light and fluid texture that absorb quickly and deeply into your skin. Choose your serum according to what your skin needs in protection, exfoliation, hydration, or other care.

Illustration of a hand pouring moisturizing cream, an essential step in a clear skin routine.

4 - Moisturising

Here again, choose a moisturiser that meets your skin’s needs. Oily skin may need a light moisturiser, whereas sensitive or dry skin can benefit from something more nourishing for your whole face.

Pictogram of a face with blackheads and imperfections being removed using an exfoliant.

5 - Exfoliating

Regular exfoliation helps to renew your skin. This lightens and removes marks, hyperpigmentation and blemishes. Your skin is regenerated and your complexion evens out.

Illustration of a hand applying sun protection to a face, an important part of maintaining clear skin.

6 - Applying sunscreen

Protecting skin is essential for both short and long-term health. Choosing a sunscreen specially formulated for acne-prone skin respects your skin’s needs, doesn’t overload it with non-essential ingredients, and contains active ingredients that continue to work during the day.

The active ingredients in the products you choose will influence the results of your skincare routine. For an adult with acne-prone skin, Bioderma selects specific active ingredients and develops technologies that address the causes of blemishes on your skin, from irritation, sun exposure and pollution, to oxidised sebum and the Cutibacterium acnes bacteria that colonises it.

It's important to not expect a miracle. Clear skin won’t happen overnight. It takes time for the active ingredients to reverse the causes that are provoking breakouts. You may not see any changes for the first six to eight weeks. It’s only after three or four months that you really begin to see a difference.

Of the many active ingredients available on the market, two are rarely mixed within the same product: salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid. And yet, their actions are highly complementary.

Salicylic acid helps to remove the dead skin cells that accumulate on the skin’s surface, particularly with acne. This beta-hydroxy acid dissolves the cement that keeps cells stuck together. They fall away, unblocking pores and helping sebum to circulate normally. Sebum is less prone to oxidise, reducing the chances of being colonised by C. acnes bacteria. Without the bacteria, there is no inflammation and your pores shrink. As skin cells are removed from the skin’s surface, new cells are produced to replace them, giving skin a smoother and more even complexion.

Naturally present in skin, hyaluronic acid keeps skin moisturised and hydrated. It also helps to produce collagen. It plays a significant role in maintaining all of skin’s vital structures and keeping the barrier function intact. We gradually lose the hyaluronic acid in our skin over time. Reapplying it daily helps renew and revive skin to complete health.

Serums are a pleasant and effective way of nourishing your skin with the active ingredients it most needs.

Lightweight, serums may be preferable to applying a cream in some cases. Their thinner texture can be more comfortable for some skin types, such as those that are prone to acne.

Fast-absorbing, serums leave no sticky film or heavy coating on the skin’s surface. After a few minutes, skin is ready for the next step in your skincare routine.

Penetrating deeply into skin, serums carry their active ingredients to different levels of the epidermis. The benefits as received quickly and directly to the skins structures.

Salicylic and hyaluronic acids combined in a single serum have several compatible benefits for acne-prone skin:

Skin is exfoliated and dead skin cells are all removed from the skin’s surface.
Pores are unclogged and become smaller, and blemishes don’t develop.
Inflammation is reduced, as healthier sebum begins to flow.
New breakouts are spaced out and prevented, as the skin’s health gradually returns to a baseline normal.
Skin is deeply hydrated and plumped, smoothing fine lines.
Skin tone becomes brighter and more even as residual marks and wrinkles grow lighter.

Bioderma creates formulas with the minimum number of ingredients, and tests all of its products for tolerance and effectiveness. If you are concerned that your skin may be irritated by a product, it is always wise to test it first on a small patch of skin before applying it everywhere.

A woman examining her acne-prone skin in the mirror, pleased with the improvement by following clear skin steps.

Sleep is essential to our overall health and wellness, and increasingly we don’t get as much as we should. Work, family, screens all get in the way. But a restorative night’s sleep, and a well-respected sleeping pattern, do more for your health than anything else.

This is especially true for our skin. When we sleep, our skin enters ‘repair mode’. Damaged cells are repaired or evacuated. Our brains process the events of the day, slotting them into logical processes, memory and recall. This helps to reduce our stress, making us feel refreshed in the morning. Our hormones rebalance, helping to keep all physiological aspects running smoothly. All of this helps to keep skin clear of acne breakouts and inflammation. Turn out the light and pull up the covers an hour earlier tonight – every night – and see how you feel in the morning.