THE 5 QUICKEST WAYS TO CLEAR ACNE

Those of us who have active acne and experience regular breakouts know only too well how difficult it is to find something that works for our skin. Having recently completed both her professional and in clinic training, Junior therapist Olivia is happy to share with you the five quickest ways to clear acne (that actually work!)

Topical treatments:

Purchasing Products formulated to treat symptoms of acne can be a good place to start as they provide a good result on mild to moderate acne with very little downtime. When purchasing Skincare you should look for ingredients such as Salicylic and Mandelic acids: both of these acids are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The acids also help to exfoliate the dead skin by dissolving the keratin bonds between the skin cells- this can help to reduce congestion of the skin. In addition Salicylic acid can work to reduce oil production by drying the sebaceous glands.

A highly recommended range we use at the clinic for treating Mild to moderate acne is the refine range by Neostrata. Hero products include the Clarifying cleanser as it contains both the key acids described above. In addition the ‘Oil control gel’ can be used as a no oily daily gel moisturiser to reduce oil production and prevent further breakouts.

For Severe/Cystic acne we carry a range by Obagi called the ‘Clenziderm system’ -You can find out more about this in my ‘Everything You Need To Know About Cystic Acne’ blog post.

Topical retinoids:

retinol products work to remove the build up of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin- this helps prevent a build up within the pores. We carry a variety of Vitamin A ( retinol) products that can be tailored to your needs. A Popular retinoid product would be the Obagi 1% retinol cream- we recommended using once or twice a week and building up to three times a week.

Skin treatments:

Medical skin treatments can drastically change a clients skin when carried out regularly and as recommended. Treatments we recommend at the clinic for Acne are: Medical skin peels ( containing a combination of  salicylic, Mandelic and glycolic acids), Medical Microdermabrasion ( Too provide a deep exfoliation to decongest pores), and Dermalux Light therapy( Blue light has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can visibly reduce the appearance of breakouts from the first session). As with all treatments we recommend a course of treatments for best results.

Antibiotics (Oral and Topical):

Topical antibiotics can help to kill the bacteria on the skin that is infecting the clogged follicles. They are applied once or twice a day and a course of 6-8 weeks is usually recommended. Side affects can occur when using antibiotics such as skin irritation. Oral antibiotics are usually used in conjunction with topical antibiotics to treat more severe cases.

Oral Contraceptive pills

The contraceptive pill can be used as a more long-term method of controlling acne, they are used to help balance the hormones causing the acne breakouts. However if the concern is acne we would recommending trying topical treatments before going down this avenue.