TREATING ACNE - PART 2
By Teleetha, Skin Therapist at Ultimate Skin and Body Clinic
As I mentioned in PART 1 of my blog, the importance of a treatment plan when treating acne or breakout-prone skin is critical to supporting not only skin health but mental health also.A plan is defined as a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. In the case of skin health, there is no one quick fix or cure-all which is why a plan is essential to achieving your skin goals.You could think of it as a personalised journey that has the ability to be changed or adapted under the guidance of an expert Dermal Therapist, to achieve your best skin possible.
How do I make plan you ask?
The first step is to seek the advice of a professional such as a qualified Dermal Therapist who can conduct a thorough analysis of your skin and some lifestyle factors. This enables your therapist to devise a plan that is specifically tailored to your needs. As we age, our skins needs and concerns change. This can be due to internal factors such as hormones, stress, diet, illness, medications and genetics. Or external factors like sun exposure (UV light), pollution, climate, environment and incorrect product use.That’s a lot of factors to consider, right? This is why it’s so important to have a professional analysis. They will advise you of the type and amount of treatments necessary and the results you can expect.
How does the Therapist know what treatments are best for my concerns?
In the case of acne-prone skin, factors such as hormones, stress, diet, environment, medication and genetics can all play a role. Acne is caused by an overproduction of oil combined with built-up dirt, dead skin cells and bacteria that block the pores which then cause inflammation, infection, and scarring. Thankfully there are numerous treatments available to help alleviate the congestion.These treatments use mild resurfacing techniques that are either mechanical or chemical to gently remove the build-up and over time, help reduce the occurrence and severity of breakouts, inflammation and bacteria on the skin’s surface.
Which treatment is best for me?
One of my favourite treatments is Microdermabrasion. This is what we call a mechanical exfoliant. It involves the use of a mildly abrasive diamond tip combined with suction to remove built-up oil and dead skin cells. I love it because it’s a quick (45mins), painless way to get my skin feeling clean and refreshed. The best thing is that it also prepares my skin to better absorb any products applied afterwards which is why it’s best combined with one of our chemical peels immediately after.Think about it… what better way to clean deeper down into our pores than right after all that dead surface build-up has been removed? This is where we introduce the chemical mode of exfoliation in the form of a Peel. Now don’t be scared, it’s not as daunting as it sounds! We have a range of very mild to strong peels to suit all skin types so you won’t necessarily have visible peeling!
A mild chemical peel works on dissolving the glue bonds between the skin cells that hold all that congestion and debris together and gently removes that dead top layer of skin to reveal a smoother newer layer underneath. There is no downtime associated with a mild peel but you can expect some redness immediately after the treatment and some very mild flakiness of the skin within the following few days.A medium depth chemical peel penetrates deeper into the skin and is great for treating acne scarring. There can be up to a week’s downtime with this peel due to the visible (painless) peeling of the skin that occurs on approximately days 3-7 post-treatment. Your therapist will discuss which peel is appropriate for your skin type and condition prior to your treatment.
While we’re on the subject of enhancing our treatments to improve their efficacy.
Now is the time to really attack these breakouts by killing the acne-causing bacteria that live in the pores, feeding off the oil and causing all that inflammation and infection.
LED LIGHT THERAPY is a fantastic way to target these little nasties and obliterate them. The bacteria on your skin are sensitive to certain types of light and exposure to this light causes a reaction that kills the bacteria. It literally just involves you relaxing under a blue light for 15-30 minutes after your skin treatment. Sounds too easy right? It actually is!
I don’t know if I have the budget for this?
If there’s one thing I know, it’s budgeting. Raising two kids, studying and being on my own has taught me what really is important in my life.
Happiness & well-being. That’s it. My children’s physical and mental well-being is my top priority and that’s what drove us to formulate our ACNE STARTER PACKAGE PLAN for anyone who, like me, needs every dollar to count.
It includes a specific combination of the treatments mentioned above, delivered weekly over a 6 week period to maximise and maintain results. It’s a great affordable step on a journey to healthy skin and mind.Ready to get started?
To book a complimentary consultation with me or one of our Acne specialists, please call 07 5509 0081 or BOOK ONLINE
TREATING ACNE - PART 2