SKIN ACADEMY

Skin Conditions Explained

ACNE, CONGESTION & OPEN PORES

We know, we know, we shouldn't pop our pimples. We’ve heard that advice for most of our lives, but there’s just something about those bumps that begs us to break the rules. If you do give in to temptation against your best interests, there are a few things you should know to avoid infection, scarring, or simply making the spot worse.
1. For starters, only extract a pimple when there’s a visible head on the surface of the skin, otherwise you risk leaving a permanent mark.
2. The next step: understand what’s going on inside your skin, so you can better learn how to treat it.
And that starts by answering the question...

START FROM THE BEGINNING

How acne develops...
Answering the question, “what type of acne do I have?” starts with learning what exactly acne is and how it develops. In the most basic sense, acne is the emergence of infected or inflamed sebaceous glands in the skin. But how do these inflamed sebaceous glands translate into blemishes and pimples that cloud your complexion?Here’s how it works: our pores are connected to a system of oil glands directly beneath the skin. Within these oil glands, sebum is produced. This substance is meant to keep our skin moisturised and healthy, but excessive production of this oil can lead to acne.When the oil is pushed through the follicle, it can clog the pore and create a plug in the skin if it attaches to dead skin cells or bacteria. Sebum will continue to build up behind the plug, resulting in a pimple.

WHAT CAUSES ACNE?

General Causes

There’s a lot of speculation as to possible causes of acne, but what it comes down to is:
- Genetic history with acne.
- An excess of the androgen hormone
- Too much oil production.
- The presence of bacteria
Some of these factors you can’t control. However, you can take measures to care for your body and skin to prevent and improve acne flare-ups. Even simple changes to your skincare routine can help—learning how to wash your face properly, for example, can help clear your face of debris and excess oil production.

Hormonal Changes

Acne vulgaris generally develops during the teen years, when the onset of puberty causes the hormonal level to fluctuate ~ this type of acne is also referred to as “hormonal acne.” As hormone levels rise, especially androgens, the skin glands begin producing larger amounts of sebum.Puberty isn’t the only time we experience hormonal changes. Women experience regular variations in hormone levels, specifically that of estrogen and androgen (typically in line with their menstrual cycle). Men also experience hormone level fluctuations, especially in their teens, but this usually mellows out by adulthood.

Hereditary Factors

Acne is also a result of hereditary factors. Children whose parents have dealt with acne are more likely to struggle with this skin condition. While it’s not a genetic disease, hereditary components have been linked to the presence of this skin condition.And that goes for many types of skin conditions! Ever asked yourself: “Why do I have dry skin?” Family history can have a lot to do with the way your skin looks and feels, and is usually a good indication of whether or not an individual will deal with acne breakouts. The good news is, using a sensitive, non-comedogenic moisturiser in combination with a non-invasive face wash can help you address dry skin and prevent acne flare-ups.

Stress

While stress doesn’t directly cause acne, it can trigger or exacerbate a breakout. We see this occur in students across the globe when they're handling stress during finals. In a study of 144 female medical students between 22 and 24 years old, researchers found that acne severity was strongly correlated to how much stress the students were facing (using the Perceived Stress Scale). But what’s the physiological response that connects stress to different types of acne?When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. When these hormones fluctuate, your skin secretes more oil, which can bring on a breakout or worsen pre-existing pimples.If you find that your skin is particularly sensitive, be sure to integrate healthy skincare tips customised to your skin type to counteract the inevitable stress in your life.

WHAT TYPE OF ACNE DO I HAVE

Non-inflammatory Acne

Acne lesions are typically categorised into two main types: non-inflammatory and inflammatory acne. Although there are two primary categories, there are many different types of acne which we'll discuss in even more detail later on.Non-inflammatory acne is characterised by comedones, which can be open or closed. These comedones are more commonly known as whiteheads and blackheads and are generally referred to as different types of pimples.

Remember: Self-extraction of comedones can cause more harm than good. The follicle walls in blackheads and whiteheads can be ruptured quite easily, and this rupture allows bacteria to enter the surrounding pores and leads to inflamed acne. If that’s not enough to convince you to stay away from pimple popping, check out these warnings from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Non-inflammatory Acne

Inflammatory breakouts are a result of P. Acnes bacteria infecting the follicles, causing a response from the body that can lead to acne breakouts. There are four types of inflammatory acne, sometimes commonly referred to as different pimple types: papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts.

Severity Grading

Mild: Mild acne is characterized by a small number of acne lesions (less than 20 comedones and 15 lesions).

Moderate: People with moderate acne typically have between 20 and 100 comedones, and 15 to 50 inflammatory lesions.

Severe: When an individual is diagnosed with severe acne, a dermatologist not only considers comedones and surface level lesions, but they’ll also look to see if there are any cystic lesions present. Severe acne is categorised using the following metrics: 5 pseudocysts or more100 comedones or more50 inflammatory lesions or more

OTHER TYPES OF SKIN CONDITIONS

Acne Conglobata

Acne conglobata is an uncommon and severe form of acne that’s characterised by painful abscesses, irregular scars, and it features a large number of deep and inflamed comedones, nodules, and draining cysts all connected underneath the surface of the skin.
This type of acne is generally very hard to treat and it may require consultation with a professional dermatologist along with an effective skincare routine.

Pyoderma Faciale

Gram-negative folliculitis is a bacterial infection that closely mimics acne, but in reality, it's a pustular rash. Doctors can diagnose this condition with a Gram stain, but this condition can be difficult to treat, as the types of bacteria present in this condition don’t respond to most antibiotics used to treat severe acne.This infection can arise from continued use of certain long-term antibiotics prescribed to treat acne; this is because the body builds up an immunity to these antibodies over time, resulting in worse acne flare-ups

Gram-Negative Folliculitis

Pyoderma faciale can mimic both acne and rosacea, but it is neither. Here are a few key differences to note when diagnosing acne and rosacea vs. pyoderma faciale:Unlike severe acne, this condition comes on abruptly and can develop rapidly.Pyoderma faciale is not a cause of oil buildup on the skin.Acne can spread throughout the body, whereas pyoderma faciale only appears on the face.
Acne can affect men and women equally, but pyoderma faciale disproportionately impacts women.Unlike rosacea, pyoderma faciale doesn’t affect the eyes.Pyoderma faciale is not associated with a flushed appearance on the skin.This painful skin condition predominantly afflicts women, usually between the ages of 15 and 46 years old, and its onset is quick and immediate. Individuals with this skin condition will exhibit cysts, pustules, and nodules seemingly overnight.
There are usually no comedones present with this condition on its own, but it is known to accompany cases of acne vulgaris. Usually, this skin condition lasts no longer than a year and is not associated with the production of oil in the skin. This is a rare condition and is usually best treated with medication prescribed by a dermatologist.

START YOUR JOURNEY TODAY

ACNE TREATMENT PLAN

Understanding your skin is the first step to a fully developed skincare routine. Thanks to our trained team of clinical experts, we have specifically designed skincare regime guides to cater to your concern. Whether you want to start slow with a 2-step routine, or are keen to get immediate results that last - Our tailored treatment plans will help you kick-start your journey to a healthy, acne-free complexion.

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PM ROUTINE

As a professionally dispensed skincare platform, we offer clinical-grade concentrations of Vitamin A which is ONLY available through trained skincare providers. New patients will be required to do a single sign-up to our prescription portal so that access can be granted to purchase AlumierMD Skincare.