Treating adult skin breakouts
Written by Angela, 28th May 2015
Skin breakouts are typically associated with teen and young adults but an increasing number of clients are coming to Sensoria with breakouts and acne-like skin conditions in the thirties, forties and fifties!
Skin blemishes and blocked pores often combined with inflammation can be as best annoying and at worse distressing, but we have found through experience that there a variety of things you can do to avoid acne spoiling your life.
It is important to start with a consultation to find out the possible causes and problems associated with your skin condition before embarking on a combination of therapies and products.
As part of your combination therapy IPL may be recommended. Intense pulsed light directly targets overactive sebaceous glands to reduce the total number and severity of active lesions. It also lessens the inflammation and occurrence of break outs too. As the light stimulates the production of new collagen it improves skin texture and can also reduce the appearance of discoloured areas that are often associated with acne breakouts. Typically six treatments are required at fortnightly intervals. However, we have found that interspersing IPL with exfoliation treatment such as a skin peel or microdermabrasion gives the best results.
Skin peeling contains a combination of different fruit acids and/or enzymes to reduce sebum production and dead skin cell build up as well as calming inflammation. Microdermabrasion exfoliates the skin clearing away debris, clogged pores to leave a brighter, fresher complexion.
We like to think greater than what we see on the surface of the skin and a treatment plan may involve body massage to help relieve stress especially if hormone imbalance is part of the problem. Stress can affect sebum (oil) production so taking time to chill out and deeply relax can be a very beneficial part of the treatment programme.
You cant rely totally on salon treatments, a typical treatment plan with usually include homecare recommendations too. A simple skin care regime to support salon treatments and careful selection of makeup products to avoid ingredients which aggravate the condition will be discussed. Using skin care products with ingredients to help control the bacterium
Propionibacterium acnes it important. This bacteria thrives in blocked follicles creating a chemical reaction causing inflammation in the surrounding skin. This is why blemishes can be red, swollen and painful and why they should not be squeezed, to prevent the bacteria from spreading and increasing the range of inflammation.
Your therapist will advise on the most suitable plan for you and your skin.
Q. What are the new Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse wipes like?
A. The new wipes offer a deep-cleansing solution for all skin types. Use initially to wipe away layers of makeup, including waterproof eyemakeup, sunscreen and other debris from your skin. You can then add water to form a milky emulsion to rinse any debris from you skin to give better cleansing results than with a conventional wipe. Follow on with a cleanser of your choice to suit your specific skin needs, should you choose, to give your skin a double cleanse with professional cleansing results. The wipes are biodegradable too so they are environmentally friendly!
Q. How does IPL (intense pulsed light) help to treat acne?
A. The light directly targets overactive sebaceous glands to reduce the total number and severity of active lesions. It also lessens the inflammation and occurrence of break outs too. As the light stimulates the production of new collagen it improves skin texture and can also reduce the appearance of discoloured areas that are often associated with acne breakouts. Typically six treatments are required at fortnightly intervals interspersed with a deep exfoliation treatment such as a skin peel or microdermabrasion to give the best results. However, it is important to have a consultation prior to embarking on a course of IPL to ensure that it is the correct treatment for your skin condition.
Originally published May 28, 2015 16:46pm, updated May 29, 2015