As it’s Acne Awareness Month, we want to shed light on a condition that affects up to 85% of Australians at some point in their lives. Although acne is often seen as a teenage issue, adult acne is also common and on the rise. Acne can vary from occasional breakouts to severe, persistent cases. If left untreated, it can lead to scarring, making early intervention important. Since acne often doesn’t go away on its own, we’ve asked our skin experts to share some advice when it comes to acne-prone skin.
However, it’s important to remember that perfect skin isn’t real, and real skin isn’t perfect. Embrace yourself for who you are, because everything about you is beautiful.
Let’s dive into it!
So, what is acne?
Acne can be defined as an inflammatory skin disorder and may involve both inflamed and non-inflamed lesions from grade 1-4 in severity. Acne involves the pilo-sebaceous unit which consists of our hair shaft and follicle, sebaceous (oil) glands, and arrector pili muscle.
The sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicle produce sebum and this sebum travels up the follicle to the surface of the skin to keep it healthy and protected. Your skin cells also play a part.
A good functioning healthy skin naturally sheds approximately every 28 days, whereby old cells are naturally sloughed off and new cells replace them. However, sometimes the cells that line the hair follicle may not be functioning as they should and don’t shed as effectively. Bacteria also plays a huge part. Bacteria lives on and in the skin and are dominant housemates inside the sebaceous follicle! This bacteria has pro-inflammatory potential to affect the balance in this environment and the by-products it produces irritates the follicle and creates inflammation, resulting in infected pustules (pimples with pus) or papules (pimples without pus).
What triggers acne?
Common in teenage skin, the main cause of acne is the increase of hormones, with contributing factors of increased sebum, retention keratosis and bacteria. However, acne may continue or be present in adult skin and other factors that may play a role include genetics, stress, medications, diet/gut health, endocrine disorders, and fluctuations/changes in hormones.
How can you support your skin throughout your acne journey.
In teenage acne, the main aim is to keep the skin clear and clean whilst maintaining a healthy and hydrated skin barrier.
In adult acne, pinpointing the trigger causes will help to improve the outcome whilst maintaining a daily healthy skin regime, seeking professional treatments and nutritional advice can be key.
Ingredients you should avoid if you are acne prone.
- Harsh/drying ingredients for example alcohol, witch-hazel, menthol
- Scrubs
- Artificial fragrance and colours
- Comedogenic ingredient eg. cocoa butter
- Makeup that contains talc or silicones
Professional treatments that can help acne.
We recommend seeking professional advice from a highly qualified dermal/skin therapist that can help diagnose and provide the right advice and treatment plan. You may also opt to see a naturopath for internal help or a dermatologist for more specialised treatment care if your acne is more severe.
- Facial treatments that target your concern with specific options like exfoliation and extractions with a focus on reducing inflammation and building the skin barrier.
- LED - Light Emitting Device.
- Skin needling.
Which Biologi products are good for acne?
Bc Refresh Cleanser: Cleanse without stripping and drying the barrier with the Bc Refresh Cleanser. This active plant-based cleanser will gently but effectively aid in removing impurities from the skin whilst helping hydrate the barrier. Use with Biologi microfibre cloths for best results and always perform a double cleanse if you are wearing make-up.
Bd Luminosity Serum: The Bd Luminosity Serum is a great serum to start with as it contains specific phyto-actives like tartaric acid, a gentle AHA to help keep skin clear and bioflavonoids that aim to reduce redness associated with problematic skin.
Bg Defence Serum
Our Bg Defence Serum is also an alternative serum to introduce in the daytime because it contains salicylic acid, niacinamide and vitamin C that help keep skin follicles clear, whilst aiming to strengthen and reduce any redness in a problematic skin.
Our suggested regime: Cleanse daily with the Bc Refresh Cleanser followed by the Bg Defence Serum in the AM, and the Bd Luminosity Serum in the PM.
If your skin is sensitised or impaired, which can quite often be the case with an acne condition, try the Bf Restore Serum to build the barrier first and then then slowly introduce Bd Luminosity Serum.
Bx Reveal Exfoliant
Used as a mask exfoliant, is rich in vitamin C, amino acids, carnitine and quercitrin. Exfoliate 1-2 a week to gently but effectively help keep the follicle clear, smooth skin, reducing congestion and allowing for the phyto-actives within the next step of applying a serum to penetrate.
Hydra Balance Bio Cellulose Sheet Mask
This is a great one to include because of the rich phyto-actives found within the Kawakawa plant. This mask is soothing and balancing. Introduce it 1-2 a week after exfoliation. Or apply after LED for added benefits.
Br Rosehip Oil
This oil can be introduced to help with healing and reducing scarring because it is an excellent source of good fatty acids, especially linoleic acid, and vitamins A and E. Use directly on the skin or over a Biologi serum as required.
What is acne scarring and why does it happen?
Scarring is simply the aftermath of the healing process that is switched on the minute there is an injury or wound that is formed and then minimise.
When there is injury, a cellular response is needed with white blood cells being called upon to fight off bacteria with blood flow (vasodilation) increasing to move white blood cells to the injury site through the capillary wall, killing bacteria and producing growth factors to repair.
Collagen is generated, the wound contracts, fills with granulation tissue and skin cells increase to migrate across the wound. The epidermis starts to grow over the tissue to leave the skin healed, smooth and consistent.
However, there may be scar residue and enzymes like collagenase help to eat away any excess scar tissue until the scar is invisible or almost invisible. However, unfortunately, sometimes specific scars may remain and some people may be more susceptible to scarring than others..
Professional treatments for acne scarring
When it comes to scarring, it’s important to seek professional advice, however, some professional treatments that may help include.
- Skin needling
- Laser
- Chemical peels
- Injectables
- LED
Which Biologi products can help with acne scarring ?
Scarring can be challenging to treat, and we recommend seeking expert advice. However, depending on the scar, a great regime that helps with barrier repair, softening scar tissue and keeping supple may be of assistance.
Br Rosehip Oil and By Blackberry Seed Oil are both rich in essential fatty acids that help with reinforcing the integrity of the skin and help to normalise TEWL (trans epidermal water loss) as well as helping to modulate inflammatory response. Br Rosehip Oil is rich in vitamin A & E to keep skin supple whilst By Blackberry Seed oil contains Vitamin K which is a known wound healing vitamin. Br Rosehip is a richer, thicker texture, whilst By oil is more lightweight for those that prefer a lightweight face oil.