How To Combat Acne
Tackling One of the Most Common and Sometimes Debilitating Skin Conditions
Acne is possibly one of the most frustrating skin conditions for people to have and for estheticians to treat. Not only are there several types of acne, but the cause is often multifactorial. Now, to be clear, acne is not having one big pimple every month before your period, or the occasional break out. True acne is consistent and more widespread.
Determining what type of acne you have and getting to the root of what’s causing it once and for all likely requires the assistance of an experienced professional, and it certainly requires diligence with your home routine. Literal books are written on the subject, and I can’t give personalized advice through a newsletter, so in an effort to keep things brief, I’m going to share a few products we have in the stu and talk about how they can help you in your quest for blemish-free skin.
BIOMECULT PREBIOTIC FIBER POWDER
Skin starts from within. Whether we like it or not, our skin’s condition is oftentimes a reflection of what is going on inside our bodies. If our hormones are out of whack, it may appear as adult acne. If our guts are leaky, we may have more inflammation and that may manifest as breakouts. (Notice I say “may” a lot. There is no one universal truth with how our internal health impacts our skin. Some people get zits when they eat cheese and other people don’t.) Women are advised to consume over 30g of fiber per day and many only consume half of that amount.
Increasing your fiber intake is one way to help regulate digestion, which in turn can reduce hormone circulation that can contribute to acne flares. Prebiotic fiber like inulin from chicory can help feed healthy gut bacteria and improve immune function. The combination of soluble and insoluble fiber from flaxseed supports healthy cell membrane structures which reduces inflammation and heals “leaky gut”. Biomecult also contains raw cacao and organic psyllium husks to round out the fiber sources, and tastes like deliciously bitter chocolate with a slightly salty zip at the end.
Inflammation is becoming more widely accepted to be a major cause of pretty much everything we try to fix. Aging, disease, chronic conditions, etc. Inflammation in the skin is an immune response partially modulated by the organisms making up your microbiome. The formula relies on spores of Bacillus bacteria to engage in quorum sensing, aka microbial communication. This bacteria helps your own unique microbiome adjust its balance and reach homeostasis, thereby reducing redness and lesion count, and strengthening barrier function for more resilient skin. I recommend this to anyone with an inflammatory skin condition – acne, rosacea, eczema, dermatitis, etc.
SOFIE PAVITT FACE MANDELIC CLEARING SERUM
Back in the olden days we apparently thought that the path to clear skin was paved with overzealous actives (hello Proactiv) so we burned our faces off and dried our skin out. Now, to be clear, exfoliation is an important part of treating acne, but the trick is to do it gently enough so it doesn’t destroy your skin. Mandelic Clearing Serum is the Goldilocks of exfoliation. The mandelic acid molecule is large enough that it takes time to penetrate, making it gentle enough for frequent use, but is also very effective. Start with 2-3x per week and adjust from there, using it opposite other actives like retinoids.
ENVIRON HYDROXY ACID SEBU-MASK
Intended to be used as an all-over exfoliating mask for people with moderate to severe acne, I put Sebu-Mask to work doing double duty – I use it as a spot treatment. When a cystic blemish starts to tingle below the surface, I run to my medicine cabinet and massage a small amount of this onto the spot. It works so well to minimize or even prevent the zit from ever appearing. What I love is that it doesn’t dry out the skin like other harsh spot treatments, so I can use it AM and PM until the zit gets resolved.
One of the worst things you can do for your skin is pick. We’ve all been there – a juicy white-topped pimple appears on your nose and you can’t resist the urge to squeeze. I very rarely recommend taking matters into your own hands but sometimes it has to be done. The problem is when you get going and step away from the mirror 10 minutes later to see a crime scene on your face. Pimple patches do us a great service by creating a physical barrier to picking. Additionally, they absorb fluid from the spot, reducing inflammation and the spot’s lifespan, and they keep the area moist which speeds healing.
In the event that you didn’t get to the pimple patches in time and you did wind up picking, Calecim Professional Serum is your savior. This hot pink vial is full of stem cell conditioned media derived from the umbilical cord lining of the New Zealand Red Deer. It’s packed with growth factors and proteins to rapidly heal skin. It was designed for use after ablative lasers and other intense treatments. In clinical trials, this serum reduced erythema and healing time by 50%. Dab it onto your next wound and watch the magic happen.