acne….you are not alone

So you've definitely got acne. Here's some facts

• so do up to  70 - 95% of teenagers at some stage (although not always severe) -  you are not alone!

• the onset of acne is occurring at a younger age than ever before (this follows the earlier onset of puberty)

• acne as a teen is related to the huge changes in your endocrine (hormonal) system that occur as you enter puberty. At this age diet and lifestyle are less contributory, but there are some factors that can help improve your skin

• Genetics plays a big part in acne at all ages

• Adult acne (occurring over the age of 25) in females is about 6 times more common than in males of the same age

Defining the morphology (appearance) of acne you have may seem academic, but it  does help guide treatment selection

Here is how a dermatologist might describe your acne, and some key ingredients that can help

Hyperseborrhea

• excessively high sebum/oil production

• Oil glands (sebocytes) occur in their highest density on your head, neck, trunk and back - this is why acne predominantly occurs in these areas

• Testosterone and its stronger version 5α-DHT stimulate oil glands to grow and produce oil

• IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) found in milk and whey protein can also increase oil production

Skin care ingredients that can help

• Zinc

• Retinoids/vitamin A

• Salicylic Acid

• Green tea

Open and Closed Comedones -

• Blackheads (Open) occur when the sebaceous gland (pore) gets blocked with a plug of keratin and oil accumulates in the gland

• Whiteheads (Closed) are firm white bumps that are just underneath the surface of the skin and occur via the same mechanism as blackheads, but the pore doesn't have a visible opening

How to decrease comedones

• physical extraction

• retinol

• BHA - salicylic acid

Pimples, pustules and cysts

• red, swollen, pustular lumps and deep sore nodules

• this is when the bacteria (P Acnes) is moving from the surface of the skin, down the oil glands - it 'feeds' off all of the lovely oil and sets of micro-infections - PIMPLES!    

Treating pimples

• Spot treatments

  • topical antibiotics

  • benzyl peroxide

  • salicylic acid and lactic acid

• avoid scrubs

• for severe cysts/nodules your doctor may inject a small amount of steroid to quickly reduce the inflammation

Redness and general inflammation

• this occurs in acne for a variety of reasons.

  • Acne itself can cause lots of inflammation - think of it a superficial infection of the skin

  • skin care ingredients can cause lots of irritation as they often dry out the skin

  • picking of acne causes the skin barrier to be damaged and inflamed

Settling inflammation and soothing redness

• avoid physical scrubs, loofahs, ultra-hot water

• strip your skin care routine back to bare bones - a gentle cleanser and moisturiser and then gradually introduce appropriate active ingredients

• no picking!!

• Stay well hydrated

• Moisturisers with barrier repair function - look for ceramides and soothing ingredients

  • vitamin B5 - panthenol

  • hyaluronic acid

  • Vitamin B3 - niacinamide

  • green tea

  • allantoin

• LED light therapy

Final Facts

• There are lots of treatment options for acne, and finding the right combination of products for your skin can take some time.

• When starting new skin regimes, give your skin 1 -2 months to adjust and see any results.

• Introduce any strong active ingredients (AHAs, BHAs, retinols, Vitamin C) one at a time or on alternate days so as not to overload your skin

• This list of ingredients is not exhaustive. Cosmeceuticals and research in to skin health is ever evolving, so there is always something new happening