How To Transform Your Skin with Azelaic Acid : 5 Steps The Secret to Clear and Glowing Skin!

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Did you know that grains, often seen as villains in the food world, are actually the source of a fascinating skincare ingredient called Azelaic acid? That’s right, Azelaic acid actually comes from ingredients like barley and rye.

Now, diving into a new skincare ingredient, especially one labeled as an acid, might feel intimidating. But fear not! In today’s article, I’ll share five essential tips to help you start using azelaic acid for radiant, glowing skin. These tips come straight from my dermatologist, who guided me through my own journey with azelaic acid. So continue reading till the end to grab all these helpful insights!

If you don’t have time to read this post right now, why not save it for later?

What does Azelaic Acid do ?

Wondering why you should care about Azelaic acid for your skin? Well, it has to be up there with the most versatile of all the ingredients because it’s helpful in so many different situations and it’s so well tolerated; it’s even safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. So If you deal with breakouts, clogged pores, and acne pigmentation of any kind, including melasma, or have red, irritated skin or perioral dermatitis, you’re going to want to have Azelaic acid in your routine.

How to choose the right Azelaic Acid product ?

Now that you’ve got the lowdown on Azelaic Acid and who can benefit from it, let’s talk about finding the right product without breaking the bank. If you’re on a budget, you might want to consider brands like The Inkey List with their Redness Solution Serum or The Ordinary, perhaps the most well-known with its 10% Azelaic Acid Suspension. Both are affordable and focus solely on Azelaic Acid, so they’re great for targeting specific skin concerns.

If you’re not 100% sure you’re ready to commit yet and not on a budget, Give the new Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial Mask a try. It’s definitely a decent product to dip your toe in the water.

What strenght should I use ?

Another important factor to consider is the strength of the skincare product you need. If you’re dealing with serious skin issues like rosacea or acne, it’s wise to see a doctor who can prescribe stronger treatments. For instance, they might recommend a prescription-strength product containing Azelaic acid, typically with a concentration of 15 to 20 percent.

However, if you have mild issues, perhaps just a few blocked pores or some blemishes around your period, or some mild pigmentation, starting with an over-the-counter product with a concentration between five and ten percent should suffice. It’s a good starting point for addressing these mild issues.

What toolkits I might need ?

When you’re starting out with azelaic acid, you will of course need the right toolkit of skincare basics to support your azelaic acid journey. Now, much like your retinoid, I think this should comprise of three essentials. So, firstly, you want a gentle, barrier-supporting cleanser in the mix. You don’t want to be using anything exfoliating that’s going to increase your skin’s potential for irritation. When you’re building in a new ingredient, you want to give it this spotlight so that if any irritation does arise in the early days, you know where it’s coming from. So, keep your cleanser gentle, non-foaming, and make sure you use tepid, not hot water, and be gentle when you’re patting skin dry.

Next, you’ll also want a barrier-supporting moisturizer, something that will comfort and nourish your skin on days where your skin might feel a little dry. It’s also suitable for you to use as a buffering layer before your azelaic acid in the event that your skin needs a little reduction in intensity as you begin your journey.

And then, finally, you will need a broad-spectrum daily sunscreen that you’re happy using generously because, of course, 80% of aging, at least, is caused by UV rays, and we want to avoid those at all costs.

How often should I use Azelaic Acid ?

When I first started using azelaic acid, I asked my dermatologist how often to use it for the best results. His advice was straightforward: take it slow, like the tortoise in the race, not the hare. So, start every other day or even third day if you’ve had experience with your skin behaving sensitively in the past. Remember There’s no rush; all of these active ingredients take weeks to months to do their magic, so there’s no need to speed things up.

After two weeks, assess how your skin is doing. If everything seems fine, you can try using it daily. It doesn’t matter if you apply it in the morning or at night, unlike retinoids, which are usually used at bedtime.

Give it another two weeks, and if you’re liking what you see, you always have the option of increasing to twice daily use.I personally recommend using azelaic acid twice daily.

Now, you might be wondering, how much azelaic acid should you be using? And I think the guidance here is what I usually say for any new active ingredient: Always start with less; you can always add more later on once your skin has declared itself in terms of its potential for irritation or not. It doesn’t always happen, so always start with either a pea-sized amount or have a fingertip amount. So, a fingertip amount is a line from the crease to the end of your fingertip, so half that quantity at the beginning.

To ensure it spreads evenly over your entire face, try the 13-dot technique. Apply small dots all over your face and then spread it out. Remember, you can increase the amount later if needed, but take your time.

Now, an important point to make is, while I’d recommend using Azelaic acid all over your face using the 13-dot technique, it is not helpful around the eyes; it does not help build collagen, so do skip the eye area. By all means, use your moisturizer goggles to protect the eye area to avoid azelaic acid irritating the eyelids.

the bottom line

In short, these are five essential tips to get started with Azelaic Acid. This active ingredient is fantastic and I personally cannot live without it; it’s one of my favorites and it makes such a difference, no matter what your skin concerns are.

I hope you found this article helpful. Feel free to leave any questions or feedback in the comments. I truly value my readers’ input.