What you need to know about acne treatment

When it comes to acne, you might want to try all of the different skincare treatments out there as soon as you can. With spots that just won’t go, it might be tempting just to go for what promises results. You’ll need to exercise a bit of healthy caution though, as some products could actually end up making your skin much worse. Before diving into the task of clearing your acne, it’s worth making sure you’ve ‘brushed up’ on acne treatments so that you can be sure to give your skin the TLC it needs. Here’s everything you need to know.

Your first step is to analyse your acne

Before you even think about treating your acne, you need to know how severe it is. If you have a few spots in localised areas of your face, you probably have a more mild case that the right skincare products can help with. If you have painful cysts that are angry and don’t disappear on the other hand, you may have a more severe case of acne. Treatment for this should always start in a doctor’s office, where a medical professional can advise on the best course of action to clear your skin.

Treatment should target oil production and bacteria

Acne is the result of two things; over-production of oil (or sebum) and the spot-causing bacteria Propionibacterium acnes, which thrives in sebum. Basically, when your skin produces too much sebum, bacteria multiply in your pores, and dead skin covers the pore, blocking it. This then leads to spots and acne.

That means any worthwhile skincare treatments will target the production of oil in your pores. They shouldn’t be trying to strip your skin of natural sebum – which will only lead to an increase in production – but regulating it to maintain normal levels, as our acne treatments do.

Over-washing your face won’t help

The answer to acne isn’t washing more frequently (unless you don’t wash your face enough, to begin with!). You should only clean your face twice a day using a gentle cleanser. Any more than that and you’ll start stripping your natural oils and causing more imbalance to your skin, potentially causing an increase in sebum and acne.

Scrubbing your skin is a bad idea

You might be tempted to scrub your skin with a super grainy exfoliating scrub, but don’t! It might feel as though that’s the best way to get a deep clean, but it isn’t. A scrub will only remove the outer layer of dead skin and not get into the pores where the spot-causing bacteria is a problem. It’s also likely to irritate your skin and leave you with acne scars, so put the scrub down! It’s much better to use a chemical exfoliant with salicylic acid to treat acne, which will penetrate deeper into the pores whilst not irritating the skin.

Don’t stop moisturising your skin

If you have oily skin, you may be tempted to stop moisturising. This is an absolute no-no and will only lead to more oil being produced to try and keep your skin hydrated. Instead, try a moisturiser for normal skin that contains great active ingredients to help build your natural skin barrier and repair damage, like Daily Power Defence from Zo Skin Health.

Acne can seem like an impossible problem to deal with, but it really isn’t! With the right products and a specialised treatment scheduled regularly, you can fight your spots and clear your complexion. For help, book in for a skin consultancy with one of our team, where we can take a look at your acne and provide the right treatment to fight it. Give us a call on 01254 297 000, or pop by our Blackburn skincare clinic. We’re always happy to see you!