Acne as a skin concern for anyone who has and is experiencing it, can be a heart-breaking, stressful and draining time in their lives.
It is near to impossible to generalise this skin concern in a few simple steps as it is a skin condition that is completely personal and individual. When we are met with a client suffering with various degrees and severities of acne, we want to not only treat the skin, we want to treat the individual as a whole and tackle various reasons and triggers as to what is causing the inflammatory disease on the skin.
In Millies we treat the skin both topically and internally. The skin is a double-sided organ and it is super important that we focus on diminishing inflammation both on the skin and in the gut. Our gut health can reflect on our skin, presenting itself in many forms from cystic acne, acne rosacea and pigmentation just to name a few.
What is Acne?
We have millions of hair follicles all over our skin. When these follicles become blocked and fill with a natural occurring substance called sebum and mix with bacteria, a pustule is formed. It becomes inflamed. The cause of the follicle becoming blocked in the first place is primarily hormonal. Our hormones are the cause of many functions within our bodies and the secretion and excess secretion of sebum is only one of the main causes. Not all oily skins have acne, yet this sebum sitting on the skin is not ideal. Excess sebum on the skin is inflammatory.
Stress is also a huge factor when it comes to inflammatory skin conditions like acne.
Let's get started!
It's important to get the right advice when starting off treating acne prone and congested skin. We advise coming into clinic and getting the recommendation of a trained skin therapist. Your skin therapist will be able to steer you in the right direction, work within your budget and consult with you throughout your journey. Having someone that knows your skin and what your going through can be both physically and emotionally beneficial.
Topically speaking we want to get the following ingredients on the skin.
Salicylic Acid-an oil absorbing acid, this oil dissolving, oil absorbing acid is THE ingredient that will do the most work initially for an acne skin. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties too. You will mostly find this ingredient in your treatment cleanser, e.g. Environ Sebu-Wash Cleanser, Murad Blemish Clarifying Cleanser & Image Clear Cell Cleanser.
Salicylic acid can also be found in leave on spot treatments, masks and moisturisers e.g. HydroPeptide Spot Correction: Acne Eliminating Treatment, Environ Sebu-Clear Maque, Corsx Master Patch Intensive- Blemish Cover, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream.
Niacinamide-Niacinamide has many benefits for acne skin, it strengthens the skins barrier- Sensitivity can be a side effect of having cystic inflamed acne. Niacinamide also eases and reduces inflammation on the skin making it ideal for use on acne skin because of redness, heat and irritation.
Niacinamide also hydrates the skin, helps regulate oil/sebum production. It helps improve the look of discoloration and uneven skin tone with its lightening and brightening properties. I love our acne clients using products with niacinamide as it has multi-purpose for skin health. Some products that contain niacinamide include ASAP Super B Serum, Q&A Niacinamide Daily Toner, Image skincare Biome+ Dew Bright Serum, Alumier Ultimate Boost Serum.
Vitamin A-Skin concerns such as acne are often a sign of a deficiency of Vitamin A. It is very important that when having acne that you are recommended the correct form of this wonderful ingredient. Vitamin A strengthens the dermis, normalises the skin, regulates oil control, evens outs pigmentation and speeds up cell regeneration! However, it is so important to be on the ideal formulation for you and your present skin concern. Some of my favourite Vitamin A based products to recommend include: Environ Sebu-oil & Sebu-lac lotion(used combined), ZO Skin Health Wrinkle & Texture Repair 0.5, Obagi Retinol 0.5 ASAP Super A Serum. For safest and best results ALWAYS consult your skin professional before bringing Vitamin A into your routine when treating acne and/or acne scarring.
Here in Millies, we believe and strongly advocate the connection between a healthy gut and balanced skin. Adding supplements to your topical regime will accelerate your results and help improve your overall health. It has become increasingly evident that combining a gut, and a skin targeted supplement can speed up healing and improve the absorption of the many nutrients that are contained.
Advanced Nutrition Programme & Clear Biome- Accumax combines the amazing anti-inflammatory ingredient DIM with a specific blend of nutrients and Vitamin A to calm and clear the skin. Clear Biome harnesses microbiome technology, four strains of bacteria along with zinc for its healing benefits to calm inflammation in the gut and speeding up the healing process.
FabU Gut Culture- Is another fantastic probiotic to take when inflammation is occurring as the more diverse, we keep out gut cultures the more equipped we are to deal with and overcome physical stresses.
Keeping your routine simple and consistent will always prevail
Things to always tell your skin therapist:
- How long you have experienced your skin concern
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- If you are on any medication
- If you have noticed what flares up your symptoms
- What budget you are working with
- Any allergies
- Your Expectations
