Dr. Simran Sethi:
Let’s go over acne-prone skin routine strategies. And when I talk about this today, I’m also going to make specific mention on how to treat darker versus lighter skin tones when it comes to acne for reduction of scarring and hyperpigmentation. If you are an aesthetician, or someone who has acne, or a medical aesthetic provider, this is a really important video, and if you enjoy our content, please like, subscribe, or leave us any questions in the comments.
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Acne is a common condition amongst teenagers or young people and sometimes young women who have hormonal acne. There are many, many products on the market for acne, and most of them are targeted towards reduction of oil production in the skin. And it is true that most people with acne have excess oil or sebum production, but there are some people who actually have dry skin and have acne. The other thing that we see a lot of products targeting is exfoliation.
And exfoliation is important acne because in acne, you not only have excess oil production, but you have more of a process called keratinization, a lot of production of new cells, which means that the skin cells that were older come to the surface of the skin and they start clogging up follicles, especially because there’s so much oil on the skin. That is exactly why a lot of acne systems or routines include a heavy-duty exfoliant.
That exfoliant can be chemical or a mechanical exfoliant, even a brush sometimes, and some sort of serum or product that will reduce production of oil. While this is correct, there has to be a balance to this as well. You cannot reduce the oil production so much so that it actually starts destroying or breaking the skin barrier because when you break skin barrier, you are going to increase inflammation that is already all hyped in acne.
Remember we talked about acne being a condition where you have overproduction of oil, overproduction of skin cells and keratinization, but actually, the predominant problem or force in acne is inflammation. If you took someone with acne and put them under a specialized camera like a VISIA Skin Analysis, the first thing you see is a lot of red hotspots. That is all inflammation. So when you think about inflammation reduction, drying the skin out, breaking the skin barrier is definitely going to only increase inflammation.
When it comes to acne routines or acne skincare, the first and foremost thing is to remember that you cannot overdry the skin, and you cannot over-moisturize it. I like to use an approach of using an exfoliant that has not only high exfoliant properties but also some sort of inflammation reduction or hydration built in into it. After that, when it comes to reduction of sebum production, you should consider not only a serum that reduces production of oil in the skin but also something to apply above that to seal moisture. We are warm-bodied, and we are constantly losing water to the air.
If you reduce oil production and you don’t… don’t apply some sort of sealant, like a hyaluronic acid serum on top of your skin, you are just going to get even more dry or your body will produce more oil to counteract that dryness. A lot of acne systems don’t have anything that addresses inflammation or any antioxidants. Acne is primarily an inflammatory process, so not having any kind of anti-inflammatory is not going to serve you well. When it comes to anti-inflammatory products, usually antioxidants do a great job, and calming substances. Calming can include introduction of things like azelaic acid, niacinamide, any kind of hydrating product.
And finally, when it comes to choosing the consistency of the product, stay away from oil-based serums because likely they’re just going to add to the sebum production. If you have dry skin and have acne, that’s when you can actually incorporate a lipid-based formulation, and that’s okay because if you don’t and overdry yourself from the exfoliation step, you are going to increase inflammation and be more likely to have a broken skin barrier and hyperpigmentation. The final thing I want to talk about in an acne routine is incorporation of an LED mask.
Blue light has been shown to actually reduce the bacterial burden on the face in acne, and this is something that is equally important. All your cleansers are… in an acne routine, should also have reduction of bacteria, even sometimes serums. But incorporating the use of a blue light LED mask at least five times a week would be another excellent way to reduce inflammation and bacterial count. So to summarize, when you’re thinking about how to address acne with your skincare routine, think of an exfoliant cleanser that also includes a hydrating substance.
In my line’s case, we… our cleanser, which is a 2% salicylic acid, also has extra virgin coconut oil in it so that it can give a little bit of hydration and not break the skin barrier, especially in darker skin tones. Then, think of a anti-inflammatory antioxidant serum that can reduce inflammation, which is really the biggest problem in acne. Reduce sebum production only if you have oily skin.
But remember not to forget to apply a hyaluronic acid or some sort of moisture sealant because otherwise you will break the skin barrier and overdry the skin, or you will produce more oil just after washing your face a few hours later. And then incorporate a LED mask with blue light at least five times a week so that that can reduce the bacterial burden on the face. If you are an aesthetician or a medical aesthetic provider or enjoy learning about skincare, medical aesthetic treatments, beauty trends, please follow us, like, subscribe, and ask us any questions in the comments.
