Acne is a very frequent skin condition that is seen in the treatment room and affects all ages with it being very commonly seen in teens, and adults particularly around pregnancy or menopausal time. Acne is a blockage or an infection in the pilosebaceous unit (hair follicle and sebaceous gland) and is characterised by many different lesions on the skin such as blackhead, whitehead, pimples, papules (spots), nodules and cysts. It is classed as 4 different grades from a grade 1 non-inflammatory lesion, with one or two inflamed spots to grade 4 with a lot of inflammation, nodules, cysts and can be uncomfortable for the person.

There are a lot of different triggers to cause acne from hormones to overall health and to understand what is going wrong within the skin that is creating this issue. There are three main issues that occur in the skin that causes acne.

• The quality of the sebum (oil) that has been produced is thick and gluggy and creates blockages in the pilosebaceous unit and along comes our P acne bacteria to create havoc in our skin.

• A buildup of dead skin cells stacking up on top of each other that will crowd over the follicle and block the oil from coming out therefore causing an infection in the skin.

• The pH of our skin as the normal pH of a skin is anywhere from 4.5-6.5 for healthy skin whereas acne skin is a 7 and above therefore allows the P acne bacteria to thrive

Therefore we need to correct the quality of the sebum in the skin, unblocking the surface and balancing the pH of the skin. There are 4 different ways we can do this;

1. Good quality of EFAs in the diet will produce a free flowing sebum repairing the quality of the oil to allow it to flow out through the skin and protect the surface of the skin without causing any blockages. Examples of EFAs in the diet fatty fish, walnuts, and eggs just to name a few.

2. Exfoliation to keep the follicles open and clean. This can be performed by treatment such as the asap Microplus+ as the Microdermabrasion will exfoliate the skin, clear out any blockages and increase the blood supply in the skin. It can also be helped with ingredients such as Salicylic acid as this ingredient goes into the follicles, breaking through levels of dead skin cells quickly, pulling everything up to give clean, clear results. Salicylic is also anti- inflammatory therefore bringing down the redness in those inflamed breakouts. This ingredient can be found in asap Clear Complexion Gel and also in the asap Radiance Serum.

3. To correct the pH of the skin we need the ingredient B3 or also known as Niacinamide to restore the acid balance to the skin by bringing it from an alkaline to an acid. This is our key ingredient in asap Super B Complex and is also found in asap Hydrating Defense spf50.

4. Vitamin A is an amazing ingredient that is the key ingredient in asap Super Vitamin A serum as it restores the normal function to all of the cells within the skin and has the ability to regulate sebum (oil production) and increases cell turnover by stimulating our stem cells to produce new healthy cells and pushing off dead unwanted skin cells. NB: Do not use Vitamin A while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Introducing the above will help correct acne skin but care must also be taken with acne skins.

1. Clean skin gently, talk to your skin therapist to ensure you are using the suitable cleanser for your skin.

2. Avoid squeezing and picking your skin. This can lead to blemishes and the development of scars. If the spot is annoying you, grab an ice cube out of the freezer, leave it for 60 seconds and then rub gently over the spot to bring down the redness.

3. Change your pillow-slip regularly.

4. Follow your homecare recommendations.

5. Be patient with your skin.

Introducing the above will help correct acne skin but care must also be taken with acne skins.

1. Clean skin gently, talk to your skin therapist to ensure you are using the suitable cleanser for your skin.

2. Avoid squeezing and picking your skin. This can lead to blemishes and the development of scars. If the spot is annoying you, grab an ice cube out of the freezer, leave it for 60 seconds and then rub gently over the spot to bring down the redness.

3. Change your pillow-slip regularly.

4. Follow your homecare recommendations.

5. Be patient with your skin.