Rubbing Alcohol for Acne: Good or Bad

Rubbing alcohol has nothing to do with rubbing real alcohol on your face. In fact it is used to soothe acne problems on your skin.

There is no concrete proof to suggest that rubbing alcohol is good or bad for your skin. There are some people who find rubbing alcohol to ease their acne breakout while some who feel that when applied on skin rubbing alcohol causes irritation and rashes and more pimples.

What Exactly Is Rubbing Alcohol?

Rubbing alcohol is chemically known as Isopropyl Alcohol. It is widely used in beauty products and cosmetics.

It is in fact made from coal gas and water. Many a time sulphuric acid is also used in its manufacturing.
It is called by such a name because it is used to rub off any harsh substance from a surface like glue, grease or paint.
In fact, it can also dissolve DNA from tissue and is used in lab for various genetic analysis.

What Are The Benefits Of Rubbing Alcohol On Acne?

Rubbing alcohol has anti-bacterial and anti-septic qualities which can heal your skin from acne. Following are the benefits of using rubbing alcohol on skin.

When you use rubbing alcohol on your acne affected skin, it works as a drier. As the acne affected area gets dried, it cleans off faster.
Secondly when the first signs of pimple start showing you can use rubbing alcohol to keep that area clean and hygienic, thereby reducing its intensity.
Rubbing alcohol when combined with essential oils like tea tree oil or clove oil can become more effective for acne prone skin.
It also shrinks the pores which secrete oil. Most often it is seen that excessive oil and pimples go hand in hand and thus less oil means less pimples.

What Are The Side Effects Of Rubbing Alcohol On Acne?

Rubbing Alcohol can sometimes have adverse effect on acne making your skin more blemished.

As rubbing alcohol makes your skin dry and pimple free, sometimes it is blamed to make your skin excessively dry and thus making it more irritable and scratchy causing outbreak more severe.
While using rubbing alcohol if you do not remain cautious and if it touches your eye, it can cause some irreparable damage.
Those who have a sensitive skin can have more problems than benefits for using rubbing alcohol. There are more chances of developing severe rashes and pimples with its use.

Thus, one may not be able to fully agree or disagree with its uses. But a lot depends on understanding whether it suits your skin. Also, it pays off when you know what the disadvantages of using rubbing alcohol on acne are.

So, we hope you take an informed decision before using rubbing alcohol as a cure for acne.