Dealing with acne and spots

When people talk of acne and spots most naturally assume that this is something that only impacts teens as they go through their formative growth years however as many of us will know that this simply isn’t the case.

Acne can often make a re-appearance in later years due to hormonal changes, stress and general life style choices and sufferers can often be left to live with the facial scarring that is a daily reminder long after the spots themselves have up and left!

So what can we be doing to keep them from appearing in the first place and then secondly how can we help lessen or even eliminate the appearance of scarring.

Here are some top tips that I have found to hopefully minimise the chances of spots and acne appearing, how to manage them if they do and then what to do when you are through the other side.

Before

1. 1. Take a probiotic or something similar. Often, what is going on in our gut is reflected in our skin so look after it and keep it clean and happy. Reviewing your diet can also achieve similar results – limit refined sugar!
   2. Meditate – Stress can reak havoc with our skin. If meditation or mindfulness isn’t for you then consider taking a stroll outdoors. Getting back to basics can really help to re-centre your world (and its free!)
   3. Wash wash – I have listed it twice as cleaning your face twice a day is essential for removing extra oil, impurities and excess skin cells. Keep it simple though, no harsh chemicals or hard exfoliators. Washcloths and face towels should be washed daily again, to minimise the transfer of bacteria
   4. Drink water…a lot of it! Enough said
   5. Limit touching your face to reduce the transference of bacteria

During

1. DO NOT TOUCH OR PICK YOUR SPOTS!
2. Continue with all the above points in the first section – it will help
3. Explore the internet for a world of alternative remedies that may help reduce inflammation, soreness and redness – but do your research first as not everyone is expert.
4. Seek advice – remember you aren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to be going through challenges with your skin so there is a wealth of experience out there ranging from the what to do to the important what NOT to do. We see lots of customers with varying stages of Acne and are always happy to advise on solutions.

After

1. Explore over the counter products. The industry is literally a wash (no pun intended!) with products that claim to help reduce the appearance of skin acne scarring, but again do your homework! There are several beauty specialists that review their effectiveness in the blogs/You Tube channels so arm yourself with the facts. A few that I personally favour for their frank, educated and experienced opinions are Nadine Bagott, Trinny Woodall and Caroline Hirons
2. Seek professional advice. At my clinic, I see a lot of clients that are troubled with acne scarring and have seen fantastic improvement from a course of Derma Pen treatments but again, with any specialist you should always book in a consultation appointment before engaging in any form of treatment. Reputable clinics will offer this service for non-obligation and free!
3. SPF 50 day and night. This is SO important whatever your age or gender and should be used ALL YEAR ROUND. Invest in a high-quality cream that will protect your face from any further damage but not further clog your pores.

Finally, always remember that you are a “whole” person and your skin does not define you. It is a stage in your journey that you will move through. Talk to the right people and don’t be afraid to ask for support as there are solutions are out there.

Emma X