JUNE IS ACNE AWARENESS MONTH
Most of us have had a breakout at some stage in our lives but for some this can develop into a long-lasting, painful skin condition called Acne. It is estimated that acne affects 90% of adolescents, with 12% of women and 3% of men having acne until their 40’s. Increasingly, in our clinic, we are seeing more women in their 20’s and 30’s having their first breakouts! Acne can cause great distress and undermine self confidence in the sufferer.
The most common type of acne is called Acne Vulgaris which presents as comedones (blackheads), tender red bumps and inflamed pus-filled spots known as pustules. Acne Conglobata is a more severe form of acne and is characterised by deep cysts and severe damage to the skin.
Acne is a dis-ease of the hair follicles of the face, chest and back. Each of these hair follicles has a sebaceous gland attached which secretes sebum (oil) into the pore to lubricate and protect the skin. During puberty, the male hormone, testosterone, increases in the body and triggers the production of excess sebum and keratinocytes (skin cells). The excess of these two substances cause the pore to become blocked (comedone). A blocked pore is the ideal enviroment for a bacteria called Proprionibacterium acnes (P.acnes) – no air and lots of sebum. The P.acnes have a field day and soon create infection in the pore causing inflammation and soreness.
“I have more zits now than I did as a teenager. Stress zits.”
Actress Tiffani Amber Thiessen may have been spot-on (no pun intended) with her above quote. Adult acne is becoming increasingly more common and has been linked to stress. We know that stress interferes with normal hormonal balance, so if you’re in your 20s/30s and have acne breakouts, you may need to look at your stress levels. Relaxing activities such as yoga, t’ai chi, meditation or gentle walking, are a must-do. In Wexford Skin Clinic, we treat a lot of our clients with Acupuncture for stress. Not only does acupuncture reduce stress, it’s other side-effects are better sleep and increased energy!!
The Good News……There’s lots Wexford Skin Clinic can do to help!
While it’s very important to use the correct skincare regime for your skin it’s also critical to treat with food and supplementation to tackle the problem from both sides. As a trained naturopath and skin specialist, we use many tools to treat the skin including homecare, clinical peels, acupuncture, food intolerance testing and dietary & relaxation advise.
Image Skincares’ Clear Cell line treats acne and oily skin. It uses ingredients such as:
Salicylic Acid – which eliminates the excess sebum and skin cells which cause the
blockage.
Hamamelis Virginiana – anti-septic & anti-inflammatory
Arnica Montana – anti-inflammatory
China Clay – high absorption of oil
Green Tea – anti-oxidant
Tea Tree – anti-microbial
Our Image Acne Lift peel is an aloe-vera based chemical peel that blends alpha & beta hydroxy acids with anti-inflammatory agents to effectively treat and heal acne lesions.
Skin Accumax is a scientifically advanced, nutritional supplement which works from within for clear, flawless skin naturally. Skin Accumax combines Vitamins A,C&E, phytonutrients and choline to reduce sebum, hyper keratinisation and inflammation.
We have had some very positive results from our Acne Treatment at Wexford Skin Clinic, see below some pics from one of our client’s progress to date.
For more information or to book a consultation, please call Belinda on 087-2508772