What drys out skin more? Soap or Oxypads?

In the winter I usually wash my face with soap in the shower each morning, and then rinse my face with water and use an oxypad at night. This winter my face seems to be way dryer than normal. So I've been using this oil-free moisturizer that's medicated to prevent pimples whenever I have dry skin on my face. I think I may have messed up though because now my skin is breaking out in pimples in a few places (nothing major, but still), and I have dry skin just after I wash my face. I have grad photos in about a week so I want to look good for that. I realize they edit the photos though, so it's not that big of a deal. I would just prefer to look nice, you know? But anyways.. I want to keep using oxypads because they've always wokred to keep my face clear. But I obviously don't want to stop using soap on my face. So I figure I'll either use soap twice a day, or use oxypads and water twice. Which one is cauing dry skin and which will help make my pimples go away? Thanks
What drys out skin more? Soap or Oxypads?
Oxy pads have salicylic acid, which is definitely known to dry out skin. But if you use a moisturizer afterwards, it should cancel the dryness effect!





Regular soap can make acne worse, by the way. You should get a soap-free cleanser like Cetaphil or Spectro Gel.
What drys out skin more? Soap or Oxypads?
Soaps tend to dry out the skin a bit. There aren't many hydrating ingredients in them to keep the skin moisturized. Many acne products tend to dry out the skin and adding a moisturizer will help. Try finding a moisturizer without it being medicated it will soothe the skin more. Switch the soap to a cleanser that has hydrating quality and won't strip the skin natural oils. Neutrogena oil free acne wash or biore pore cleaning scrub are a good choice.