Acne

Unsightly acne breakouts can ruin your day.

When pimples appear they tend to do so on the patient's face, back, chest, shoulders and neck. Acne develops when follicles get blocked and infected.

Dermatologists say that approximately three-quarters of 11 to 30 year-olds will get acne at some time. Acne can affect people of all races and all ages. It most commonly affects adolescents and young adults. There are people in their fifties who still get acne.

• Wash your face about twice each day. Concentrated Cleanser (see our online store) and warm water. Do not scrub the skin.
• Moisturise your face twice daily with our Concentrated Moisturiser (see our online store).
• Don't try to burst the pimples. You may push the infection further down, causing more blocking, worse swelling and redness. Popping pimples makes scarring more likely.
• Always wash your hands before touching your face. This includes before applying lotions, creams or makeup.
• Don't go to sleep with makeup on. Only use makeup that does not have oil and does not clog up the pores.
• Keep your hair clean and away from your face.
• Too much sun can cause your skin to produce more sebum.

Acne

Acne is a complex skin condition involving many factors including genetic, hormonal and environmental. The main considerations are excess production of sebum, clogging of pores (which is what causes blackheads and whiteheads - also known as comedones) and growth of bacteria that cause inflamed acne lesions.

Acne treatment revolves around decreasing excess sebum production, unclogging pores/ comedones to promote even exfoliation, while controlling both inflammation and the bacteria in the sebaceous glands that cause inflamed acne lesions. My approach to treating acne addresses each of these problems.

Treatments include:

Topical retinoid creams and lotions

Retinoids are medically prescribed preparations, derivatives of naturally occurring Vitamin A that target abnormal keratinization of the skin, decrease skin turnover and unclog pores at the molecular level. We generally recommend combining antibiotics with a topical retinoid for increased efficacy.

Chemical peels

Chemical peels are designed to exfoliate the skin surface, reduce keratin formation, decrease bacteria counts and reduce inflammation.  They are an excellent way of treating comedomal acne (blackheads and whiteheads).

Vascular laser

Vascular laser can also help reduce the redness associated with acne rosacea or reduce the redness associated with scars.

Skin care

Daily skin care is very important in the treatment of acne.

HydraFacial

Detoxify * Rejuventate * Protect

See also HydraFacial page

Daily steps you can take to successfully control acne:

Unclog Pores

Used morning and night, my Concentrated Cleanser normalises the skins exfoliation process, especially inside the sebaceous follicle. This reduces clogging and breakouts. It also dissolves the substance that produces the blackheads known as keratin, hence removing the blackheads and
whiteheads. To enhance the effect, the Concentrated MicroPeel should be used once a week instead of a mask.

Control Follicular Bacteria

Darlinghurst Dermatology Skin & Laser Clinic or your local GP may prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic to help control acne bacteria and breakouts.

Reduce Inflammation

These same antibiotics can also help reduce inflammation, accelerating the healing process. Other preparations are also helpful as anti-inflammatories, such as certain forms of Vitamin A mentioned below.

Hormones & Vitamin A

Depending on the severity and type of acne you have you may need other treatments such as medications to regulate the hormones on the skin (i.e. Certain contraceptive pills) or forms of Vitamin A in both topical and oral forms.