Our 5 Acne top tips
Blackheads, white heads, papules, pustules, inflammation... Acne, it’s not a nice condition to experience, yet most of us will at some point in our lifetime, most commonly between the ages of 11-30, it is mainly split into 3 grades of severity and can affect the face, neck, back and chest.
But what is it that’s happening within our skin to develop Acne?
Usually we find underlying issues that are disrupting our skins functions, slower cell turnover rates leading to a build up of dead skin cells blocking follicles, very weak or absent hair on the face which causes sebum to accumulate within the glands, imbalance of hormones can cause thicker or an increase in sebum and the size of the sebaceous gland, a take over of the bad bacteria on the skin and not enough good, all tend to come along with a damaged skin barrier. But most cases can be controlled through good skin care habits. Causes can include, hot climates, pollution, stress, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, PCOS, to name a few.
Our top tips...
1. Do not over wash or exfoliate the skin, this causes unnecessary friction that can lead to acne getting worse. Wash your face twice a day, exfoliate twice a week. NO SCRUBS, ever... scrubs scratch the skin and cause damage, use an enzyme based exfoliator instead.
2. Try not to touch your face throughout the day, and keep pillow cases clean, this helps to keep the transfer of bacteria down.
3. Avoid dermaplaning, you might think it’s an advantage that this treatment removes all of the hair on your face, however our hairs help the skin to remove oil from the follicles, without them, we end up with a build up which causes a spot. Not to mention the damage to the skins barrier, that red, tight often sensitive skin afterwards is not a good sign... put it this way, it’s not a treatment you will ever see on our treatment list nor would we ever recommend.
4. Stop using harsh washes that strip the skin, your skin needs oil to function, it will simply cause the skin to over produce oil to replace what has been taken away. Instead, use a simple routine that can repair the skins barrier, contains anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties, dermabiotics to help good bacteria grow, and gentle exfoliators that can keep on top of the dead cells. (We highly recommend Nimue’s new problematic range, clinically proven results, available from ourselves)
5. Check your make up for comedogenics, these are ingredients that block the pores and cause breakouts. Always remove your make up as soon as possible! Also keep make up brushes clean.
Need more help with acne? Drop us a message, or book in for our skin discovery clinic where we can talk about your skin and how we can help.
