Acne & Acne Scarring

Active Acne

Acne is the most common skin condition which affects approximately 90 per cent of the adult population. An acne skin type can be that of clogged, blocked pores, blackheads, whiteheads, excess oil, pimples and pustules or a combination of these things. Acne causes can be hormones, hereditary, stress-related, and medications can have an impact too. Environmental conditions and lifestyle or dietary choices can contribute to the condition and management of acne as well. Acne can appear in the teenage years but very often in the mid-twenties or even late thirties. Acne has a huge emotional impact on the affected individual.

The Treatment

“The treatment of active acne depends largely on how severe the condition is. Acne is highly treatable but the client’s patience and consistency with appropriate treatments and specific skincare are very important. The most common mistake acne sufferers make is that they use products that are too harsh which actually increase the inflammation and also stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, which is the primary cause of acne.

Having vast experience with acne, being an acne sufferer myself I understand the emotional impact of the condition on the person suffering. In my clinic, I treat mild to moderate acne very successfully and have helped over the years hundreds of people to improve their skin and educate them on how to control the condition. After a full skin analysis and assessment, I would suggest a treatment plan and advise the patient of specific home medical-grade skincare products. This is in addition to supplements and appropriate make-up which he/she has to use religiously in order to start to reduce the inflammation and acne bacteria as well as lifestyle and dietary changes.

Once the skin is prepared a course of treatments – a combination of skin peels and intense blue light IPL – will be recommended. In very severe cases I would refer the patient to a dermatologist for prescribed medication to assist with the treatment.”

acne-eliza-facialist

FAQs

Acne Scarring

After a thorough consultation and skin analysis Eliza will be able to recommend a course of treatments to improve and reduce the acne scarring specifically tailored to your specific needs. The suggested treatments will depend on several factors – the depth of acne scarring, location, and skin colour. Treatments used for pitted acne scarring are Pixel Laser Skin Resurfacing, Radiofrequency ITED Laser, Dermaroller (Microneedling), and Microdermabrasion skincare that will boost collage production will be advised to assist the treatment for acne scarring.

Before and after photos

Microneedling for acne before and after picture

What Causes Acne?

All types of acne — blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and cysts — develop when pores in our skin become clogged. The culprit is sebum; oil in our skin. Our bodies make more sebum when our hormones surge. What happens inside the clogged pore determines the type of acne we see. A blackhead appears when sebum and dead skin cells clog the pore. While the pore is clogged, its surface remains open. This lets us look into the pore and see a black colour. A whitehead forms when the excess oil and dead skin cells clog the pore and block the opening of the pore.

Acne develops where we have the most sebaceous glands. These glands make sebum and are found in the greatest number on our face, neck, chest, back, shoulders, and upper arms. The excess oil does more than clog pores. Bacteria that normally live on our skin, P. acnes, thrive in this excess oil. Immersed in excess oil, the bacteria can rapidly increase in number. As the bacteria multiply in a clogged pore, the pore becomes inflamed.

Inflammation is what causes a pimple to look red, hot, and swollen. When inflammation reaches deep into the skin, an acne cyst forms. This is the most severe type of acne. Cysts can be very painful. People often see permanent scarring after this type of acne heals.

Lifestyle and Dietary Tips for an Acne Sufferer

Avoid over-cleansing, over-treating or excessively exfoliating the skin other than what is directed by your aesthetician as this can cause irritation and stripping of the skin’s natural oils. It can then cause a surge of oil in response to this action and poor healing of breakouts. Some acne treatments on the market can be too astringent and in fact, cause dehydration.

Avoid picking and touching breakouts or the facial skin as this can cause lesions to heal slower and spread or activate bacterial infections.

Protect compromised acne skin from UV rays, avoid tanning beds and actively tanning the skin in direct sunlight as this can aggravate the condition and increase the risk of scarring and future breakouts. Twenty minutes of sunlight a day is healthy for the skin before eleven and three without wearing sunblock to ensure healthy levels of vitamin D. We do promote the use of a physical sunblock daily during all seasons particularly between the above mentioned hours of the day.

Always remove makeup and cleanse in the evenings before sleeping. If dirt, oil grime and pollution from the environment is left on the skin it can lead to clogging of the pores and future breakouts. Sleeping in a well-ventilated room is essential, so keep a window open in bedrooms at night and regularly change pillowcases.

Particularly if stress and hormones or participating heavily in active sports is a base cause to your skin condition it is important to reduce inflammation internally to help with healing and to assist the body’s detoxification processes. You can help with this by drinking two litres of water daily throughout the day. You should also be conscious to limit consumption of refined carbohydrates, processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

Adding plenty of white meats, leafy greens and brightly coloured vegetables, berries, fruits and essential fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish and good oils will help the natural functions and processes of the skin and defences of the skin.

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07786 233053