According to [1], acne affects 93.3% of people aged 16–18 years, making it one of the most common skin conditions in Australia. Because let’s face it… being a teenager is hard enough, and having a skin condition such as acne can majorly impact your confidence. Those pesky pimples feel like they’ll never go away! But with the right skin care interventions and a good Dermal Clinician, your acne lesions will majorly reduce and your skin will be as clear as Hailey Bieber’s in no time.
Firstly we need to understand what causes acne. There are 4 key triggers for acne to form;
- An upregulation of acne causing bacteria called C.acnes
- An upregulation of sebum production
- Inflammation in the sebaceous duct
- Upregulation of testosterone hormone
It is these 4 components that help us understand acne formation and furthermore, we can begin the healing process. The first steps would be to target the inflammation and sebum components.
Reducing sebum and inflammation can be done in a few ways. Firstly, finding a basic skincare routine that works for your specific skin type and secondly, chemical exfoliation and LED Light Therapy – specifically blue and red light can be incredible for this!
Your Skincare Routine For Acne Prone Skin:
Let’s take it back to basics! Keeping in mind that all products will depend on your individual skin type, it’s super important to undergo a skin analysis by one of Flawless Rejuvenation’s highly experienced and qualified Dermal Clinicians. Start with a cleanser, moisturiser, targeted serum, light exfoliation and sunscreen! A good set of basics. Some great active ingredients we love to recommend for an acne skin type experiencing inflammation and impaired barriers are;
- Niacinamide – Niacin, also known as niacinamide, is a potent agent for raising high density cholesterol levels which is essential for epidermal health! Recent data suggests beneficial effects of niacinamide on inflammation within the skin and endothelial function [2]!
- Panthenol B5 – It has also been found that B5 is essential for maintaining keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation [3]. The regulation of keratinocyte proliferation is essential for an acne skin type. Panthenol B5 is a fantastic hydrator and great for barrier health!
- Colloidal Oatmeal – In recent studies, colloidal oatmeal has been proven to provide barrier protection, moisturization, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties [4]. It can be a fantastic hydrating agent as well. Let’s not forget, acne skins need hydration too!
- Ceramides – A fantastic agent for maintaining barrier health! Restoring your ceramide function is imperative as part of your epidermal health!
Chemical Exfoliation & Light Therapy:
LED Light Therapy can be a great modality we utilise a lot in-clinic for our acne patients.
Blue Light Therapy – While this light therapy is slightly more superficial, Blue Light Therapy specifically targets acne causing bacteria called C.acnes within the skin. This bacteria outcompetes other bacteria on the skin and colonises the acidic, anaerobic environment of the sebaceous gland [5].
Red Light Therapy – Red Light Therapy is a deeper wavelength than your blue light, where it may directly target sebaceous glands and exert anti-inflammatory properties by influencing cytokine release from macrophages [6]. The combination of blue and red light makes for a perfect treatment for reducing inflammation and killing acne causing bacteria within the skin.
Near IR Light Therapy – Near IR Light Therapy reaches deeper than your blue and red lights. A fantastic light energy for overall wound healing. A mix of red and near IR light therapies are great post breakout to heal acne lesions.
Chemical exfoliation (but not too much) can be essential for an acne skin type to regulate oil flow! We would recommend avoiding granule exfoliants and sticking to chemical or enzyme exfoliants to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria. Chemical exfoliation can be great for breaking down sebum build up within the epidermis. We recommend exfoliating up to 3x per week depending on skin type and barrier health!
Retinol can be a fantastic active to utilise to regulate keratinocyte proliferation! This can be slowly introduced into your routine once your barrier function is healing!
The rest that follows is up to your Dermal Clinician at Flawless Rejuvenation.
Ready to reduce your acne? Book your tailored skin consultation with one of our knowledgeable Dermal Clinicians via our website! We can’t wait to see you at Flawless Rejuvenation!