24^th Aug 2022

What is Acne and how to treat it

Acne is an inflammatory response in the skin which causes congested skin with blackheads, white heads, bumps and red spots. When left untreated acne and breakouts can cause large Open Pores, Acne Scarring, Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) and Post Inflammatory Erythema (PIE) in the skin. These have a massive impact on confidence and can become worse and more noticeable as we age especially when makeup is worn.

What causes Acne?

Acne and breakouts are very complex conditions and you have to treat all 5 causes of the breakouts at exactly the same time to get rid of spots. The five causes of acne are explained below:

Hormones

A lot of acne is down to a hormonal imbalance in the skin. For example: Pregnancy, period, menopause and some medications such as the contraceptive pill and steroids. In women if the two female hormones are out of balance then testosterone becomes the more dominant hormone. Testosterone increases sebum production which then gets trapped in the pores. For more info on acne click here.

Excess Oil

Acne occurs in the sebaceous follicle, one of the reasons we can get acne breakouts is because of the amount sebum (oil) being produced on the skin, this then clogs the pores causing a blockage in the sebaceous follicle which then leads to breakouts.

Bacteria

Acne bacteria lives on the skin and will multiple where there is excess oil and dead skin cells. If the oil and dead skin is not gently dissolved and removed then the bacteria can spread, infecting more areas and causing more spots and long-term scarring.

Hyper-keratinization

Hyper-keratinization is another word a build up of dead skin cells. With an acne skin it takes a lot longer for the skin cells to renew, this is because there is 5 times the amount of skin trapped in the pores than in normal skin types.

Gut Health

The research out there today is cutting edge on how the gut microbiome is responsible for not just over all health but especially skin health. Did you know that it your gut microbiome is not balance it can even cause depression and or weight gain! A health gut really does mean healthy skin, the skin is the largest organ of elimination! At the very least every one should be drinking at least 2-2.5 litres of water daily to flush toxins out and allow a daily bowel motion. If you have digestive concerns as well as unhealthy skin book a skin consultation in with Kay (Clinic Lead), she has over 18 years experience as a Colon Hydrotherapist. She can give you more in depth advice and can also take your blood to test for Food Allergy & Food Intolerances as that make be causing you to break out.

We always recommend skin specific probiotics to treat acne. All probiotics are different as they have specific strains of bacteria to treat different concerns. For example we have a specific probiotic for a bloating stomach which is different to a probiotic that we would recommend for Acne. ;We even have a probiotic to treat ageing skin concerns!

How to treat acne:

To treat acne, we need to treat all five causes both internally and externally for the fastest and most effective clearance. We can combine clinical treatments along with good skincare products and skin supplements to tackle the concern from inside out. For healthy skin we recommend the following as a good basic routine to make skin healthier.

Firstly, to prevent further damage to the skin a daily skin specific SPF is essential to protect the skin. We often find that clients are using the wrong type of SPF for their problematic skin which may be contributing to the breakouts.

Secondly, we recommend a form of vitamin A that is suitable to the client’s needs which may be a Retinol or prescription strength vitamin A such as Tretinoin. This is required to exfoliate the skin and to make the skin healthier. In more severe cases or those that want the fastest results we can even recommend prescription skincare.

Thirdly to enhance results and to increase product absorption we always recommend a skin specific exfoliator such as Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid. The salicylic products may also be prescription strength to really cut through the oil and dead skin cells.

Fourthly and most importantly we recommend skin supplements to balance the hormones which are the major contributing factor of the breakouts. This is the most important step yet it’s often missed. During the skin consultations we also ensure that clients are not using any products which may be triggering their acne too. As mentioned earlier this may be particular SPF’s or Vitamin C serums even if its L-Ascorbic Acid. Vitamin C serum should not be applied to acne skin, it can be used under professional supervision only once the breakouts are under control.

Skin Consultations

An in-depth skin consultation is always required either remotely and or in clinic. There are many factors that are considered when building a bespoke treatment plan such as skin type, time scales, skin tone, down time etc. This means that it’s often a combination of 2 or 3 different treatments as there is not one treatment that will fix all client concerns. We have treatment and skincare options which are suitable for skin of colour also.

We are fortunate as we have skincare, medical skincare, skin supplements and medical equipment that treats all skin of colour as well as having options that have little or no down time. We tailor make bespoke packages to meet each client’s individual needs. Start your 14-week skin transformation today!!

Acne Treatments:

Hydrafacial

Laser Resurfacing

IPL Photo Treatments (only for Fitzpatrick 1-3)

RF Micro Needling

Micro Needling

Peels

Acne SCAR Treatments:

Laser Resurfacing

IPL Photo Treatments (only for Fitzpatrick 1-3)

RF Micro Needling

Micro Needling

Our Skincare: suitable for all skin of colour

Environ – Mild- moderate acne

Obagi Medical – Moderate- severe acne