Use a little combo platter of products. One option: A singular product that contains both chemical and mechanical exfoliants so that you get the best of both worlds. Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub, $18, fits the bill. Or, combine some of the options above: "Use a glycolic acid pad on areas that get oily, like around your nose or on the T-zone, daily, and a physical scrub around the perimeter of your face a few times per week," says Gohara.
As to be expected, you'll want to proceed with caution. So cautiously, in fact, that it's a good move to avoid exfoliating products all together, according to Gohara. Instead, wash your face with a creamy, non-soap cleanser like Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser, $10, adding a cotton washcloth into the mix only once per week. Lightly rubbing that across your skin will be enough to exfoliate without perpetuating any further irritation, she says. Really want to use a product? Schultz points out that lactic acid is the gentlest chemical option; test it on a quarter-size spot in front of your ears for a few days and make sure your skin doesn't react to it before using on your full face.
