What is Acne?

Acne is a medical skin condition which occurs when the pores of your skin become clogged with dead skin, impurities, oil and bacteria. The increase in oil in the follicle, resulting in a blockage in pores is the main reason for acne breakouts. Hormonal changes, stress, lack of sleep, imbalanced diet and another environmental aggressor can also be contributing factors.

If you possess prone acne skin, you know that acne can be found almost anywhere on the body. However, it most commonly develops on the facial area, jaw, back, neck, chest and shoulders. Acne typically refers to a variety of pimples that can be either white, black or red. Blackheads and whiteheads are known as comedones.

While whiteheads and blackheads are the most common symptom seen in acne, subtypes of acne can cause inflammatory lesions. The following are more likely to cause scarring on your skin.

Different types of acne:

Papules: The following acne subtype are small, red, raised bumps caused by inflamed or infected hair follicles.

Pustules: When small red pimples form in the follicle and have pus at their tips.

Nodules: Aresolid, often painful lumps beneath the surface of your skin.

Cysts: The acne subtype are large lumps found beneath your skin that contain pus and are usually painful to the touch.

How to treat prone acne skin

Acne can affect oily skin, sensitive skin, and dry skin - essentially, every skin type! Depending on the type of acne that you face, the problem may come down to excess oil, clogged pores, hormonal acne, or something else. It's important to remember that acne affects almost every type of skin and is not something that you should be ashamed about!

In saying that, we understand how important it is to feel your best and sometimes, putting together a skincare routine that helps to prevent future breakouts is one of the best ways to practice self-care. Furthermore, if you have irritated skin with mild to moderate acne, or even severe acne, treating your acne and preventing acne from coming back can go a long way in improving overall health. Finally, treating acne without picking the skin can prevent acne scarring

There are a few acne treatments and self-care activities that you can try at home to keep flare-ups and future breakouts to a minimum. Such home remedies for acne skin types include:

• Cleaning your skin daily with a mild, non-fragrant cleanser to remove excess oil and dirt
• Keeping hair away from your face
• Opt for water-based makeup and ‘non comedogenic’ skin care products
• Not squeezing or picking your pimples.
• Not wearing hats
• Not touching your face

If you find that self-care just isn’t cutting it, you’ll be pleased to find that BONIIK is not short of non-pore clogging products to shop and have delivered directly to your door.

Acne treatments range from products that help to unclog pores, calm inflammatory acne, remove dead skin cells, and even out uneven skin tone. Whether it be a salicylic serum, deep cleansing pore strips, a gentle cleanser for sensitive skin, or acne spot treatments, there are a wide range of over the counter treatment options.

From gently cleansing washes that draw away dead skin cells and impurities deep within the follicle, to balancing toners to minimise the skin’s overproduction of sebum, to concentrated moisturisers that minimise hyperpigmentation, the BONIIK range of acne treatment products is here to get you closer to clearer, calmer skin.

Have oily skin? It's important to find acne treatment that will reduce oil production without stripping the skin entirely. Ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, azaelic acid and other AHA/BHA products are often recommended for those with over active oil glands that generate frequent active breakouts.

Inflammatory acne? It's best to decrease skin inflammation before you go ahead and slap on any active ingredients. Acne lesions can be inflammatory in general, but if you find that you have especially inflammatory acne (typically cystic acne), it's important to make sure that you don't make things worse by using any old products. To reduce inflammation and clear acne, try calming, gentle cleansers to remove all dirt and impurities, and then start with a more gentle active product or treatment prescribed by your doctor.

Facing skin irritation? Sensitive skin types and those with skin sensitivity can benefit from gentle, un-fragranced acne treatments that will minimize redness, removes dead skin cells and kill bacteria, without damaging the skin's moisture barrier.

Want to unclog pores? Don't we all! Why does our skin clog pores, and how do we fight blackheads? Blocked pores are normal, but there are ways to detoxify your skin and minimise pores and blackheads. Blackheads and blocked pores do not mean that you have acne prone skin or need acne treatment, and can be minimised with a chemical exfoliation, face mask, kalon clay, or salicylic acid.

Finally, if you suffer from severe, aggravated, stubborn acne, cystic acne or otherwise, it's important to seek the help of a medical professional. If you find most skin care products aggravating or ineffective, we recommend speaking to a dermatologist, who can prescribe strong acne treatments with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, differin gel, oral medication, or topical retinoids.

What about acne scarring?

Acne scarring is a type of hyperpigmentation in the skin- this is a process where your skin has gone through some sort of trauma (like acne) and is now having an inflammatory response to heal itself.

Acne scars can be smooth or have a textural component, so it’s essential that your anti-pimple products and anti-acne creams simultaneously tackle the colour component and textural component of the acne scarring, and get right to the root of your skin concerns.

Before you can get to work treating acne scars, it's important that you work out the source of your current acne and can work to prevent acne-causing bacteria.

How to remove acne scars? Acne scar removal can be tough. Depending on the type of acne, and how severe the acne was when active, it can be a long process to treat acne scarring. There are a number of ways that you can help to fade scars, including sun protection, facial oils that encourage the recovery of superficial acne scars, or chemical exfoliators, which can increase skin cell regeneration. There are thousands of different products that can help to smooth out, fade, and eventually treat acne scarring – it’s all about working out what helps your skin, and being consistent. And remember – you can prevent scarring by not picking your pimples!

Shopping for acne skincare

Controlling acne can be difficult, depending on the severity of your skin condition.

Just like shopping for skin care products for dry skin or aged skin, it’s always wise to read the front and back labels of a new product and do a patch test to assess the consistency. Keep an eye out for words like “non-comedogenic anti acne creams”, “gentle foaming”, & “balancing cleansers” and washes, as these products are specially formulated to remove dead skin cells, and minimise acne symptoms.

Avoid exfoliants featuring gritty particles. As tempting as it is to repeatedly scrub the face of impurities and oils, you may be doing more harm than good. By stripping away the skin’s natural oils, you could be leaving your skin more vulnerable to infection, and environmental aggressors and therefore exacerbate your acne- something you do not want to do!

Also look out for the following ingredients- acne-free treatments for prone acne skin that dermatologists swear by through cosmetic and clinical research.

• Salicylic acid - Exfoliates the skin without aggravating the pores.
• Tea Tree Oil - Features natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties to calm redness, swelling and reduce hyperpigmentation.
• Benzoyl Peroxide - Kills bacteria deep within the pores and prevents future breakouts.
• Glycolic acid

Read more to find out how you can treat your bouts of acne here >>