All about acne

All about acne 1

Acne is an uncomfortable condition that we hope to be rid of following our teenage years, but often need to deal with it in our adult years.

The best analogy is to think of the skin as the dashboard of the body. When a light flashes on the dashboard of a car, you know something needs to be addressed in order to keep it functioning optimally. In a similar way, when the skin reacts with acne or pimples, it is telling us that something in the body is not well.

Early management of any condition is very important, and it is no different with acne. Best results are achieved with early detection, combined with the correct treatments and a healthy lifestyle.

Acne is the formation of blackheads, pimples, nodules and cysts in more severe cases.

When pores get blocked, oil, dead skin and bacteria get trapped in the hair follicles, which form lesions on the skin.

In normal circumstances, the sebaceous glands (which releases an oily substance called sebum) are attached to the hair follicles and allow the sebum to travel up the hair follicle and onto the skin. If there is a blockage in the hair follicle, however, the sebum can’t get out, causing the formation of a blackhead.

Meanwhile, normal bacteria begin to break down the trapped sebum in the hair follicle. This causes further and aggravated inflammation, as white blood cells attack the bacteria. Pus forms within the lesion causing the lesion to enter the whitehead stage. In more severe stages with severe inflammation and infection, a pustule – a painful pus-filled pocket within the skin – may form.

Acne can be classified as mild, moderate or severe inflammatory acne.

Mild acne does not necessarily require a doctor’s consult, and can be treated with medical skincare products. The natural instinct, however, when dealing with acne is to clear the skin, resulting in over exfoliation, or treatments that are too harsh for the condition. This may dry the skin out causing further breakouts that may worsen the condition.

Medical skincare products that work well for mild acne include the Clarity range from Lamelle, Acnevelle or Neostrata, all available at Skin Renewal.

Severe acne should be managed with the help of a medical skincare treatment program recommended and overseen by a medical doctor.

In severe cases, patients are often put on medication that causes damage to the internal system. At Skin Renewal, a more holistic approach is followed. In these cases doctors may include lifestyle checks, gut health tests and blood tests in order to get to the root of the problem, in conjunction with topical treatments.

Treatment options include deep cleanse facials, extraction peels and lasers among others, with a combination of these treatments showing best results.

Deep Cleanse Facials remove pustules and blackheads to facilitate healing of the acne condition with as little damage to the skin as possible. 

Extraction Peel – A Beta Salicylic acid peel combined with a Deep Cleanse Facial and Laser Genesis. At Skin Renewal the following peels are used to treat acne: Beta Salicylic acid peel, Azelan and Modified Jessners Peels.

Laser Genesis is a 5 in one treatment, which reduces the size of the sebaceous gland, reduces inflammation in the papule and nodule, reduces pore size and improves acne scarring and pigmentation. For deep nodules, the Titan is a deep infra-red laser/light procedure that reduces inflammation.

To find out more about acne and how to best deal with this condition, visit http://www.skinrenewal.co.za/acne.

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One Response

  1. I try to just keep acne away with good eating habits and exercise, but i guess that doesn’t work for everyone

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