Clear Up Your Skin...for Good!

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Stash toner in your desk drawer.
Give problem areas (or oily spots) a midday deep cleansing with a swipe of alcohol-free toner (alcohol can be too drying for grown-up skin). We like L'Oreal Paris AcneResponse Skin Clarifying Toner ($25 for a three-product kit) and Neutrogena handy pre-moistened Rapid Clear Pads ($7; both at drugstores, shown at left). Or opt for a shine-control serum that controls oiliness while also treating skin with salicylic acid. Our favorite: Chanel Precision Purete Ideale T-Mat Shine Control Serum ($35; chanel.com).

Get Peeled.
Monthly glycolic peels, done either in your dermatologist's office or at home with an over-the-counter kit, can help prevent breakouts by speeding the turnover of dead skin cells (which combine with the skin's natural oil, or sebum, to clog pores), says Patricia Wexler, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. At your doctor's office, peels with a concentration of up to 20% glycolic acid can cost $150 or more a visit. You can get similar results by using lesser percentages of exfoliating acids (hydroxy acids) more frequently at home, like Wexler's own Exfoliating Glyco Peel System ($65; bathandbodyworks.com) with 10 percent glycolic acid peel pads or MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel ($72; mdskincare.com), a tried-and-true formula with a mix of dead-skin-sloughing acids.