5 keys to clearer skin

Key 1 – Get a proper diagnosis

There’s not one cause of breakouts. Spots, pimples, blackheads and/or whiteheads can be related to several skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, perioral dermatitis (POD), bacterial folliculitis, yeast (fungal) folliculitis or a form of chronic sun damage called Favre-Racouchot syndrome to name a few.

Of these, acne and rosacea are the most common culprits of facial breakouts in adult women, so let’s talk about these in a bit more detail, but firstly it is very important to acknowledge that both adult acne and rosacea are chronic skin conditions, not just self-limiting disorders that one has to endure for a short period of time. Recognising the chronicity of adult acne and rosacea also means that maintenance treatment is integral for the management of these conditions.

Key 2 – Medical Treatment

Treatment options include many prescription creams as well as oral treatment with tablets, where needed. Now, don’t worry, most breakouts can be controlled well with just topical treatment, so you’ll be prescribed creams and/or gels for home use; no need to take tablets.

Here’s the trick though: often GPs and other doctors are prescribing a single cream with disappointing results. We know from our extensive experience treating breakouts that most cases respond much better to a clever combination of different prescription creams. For example, a tailored plan of one cream in the morning and another in the evening, or alternating different products on different days of the week tends to yield far better results than a single solution.

Key 3 – Optimise Skincare

Years of experience has shown the importance of taking a close look at your homecare and building a personalised regime for your skincare around the prescription creams. A surgeon would never finish their operation and send a patient home without discussing the necessary aftercare such as how to keep your wound clean and covered with dressings, to avoid the risk of infection and improve healing. Yet I am still shocked to learn that most GPs, not to mention the vast majority of dermatologists, don’t talk about home skincare with their breakout patients!

The wrong skincare can aggravate or even cause acne, rosacea and POD, that’s why it’s so important to get it right. Developing a skincare regime for somebody suffering with breakouts requires an intricate knowledge of both skincare ingredients, base formulations and possible interactions with prescription treatments. This is not easy, that’s why it’s so important to refer to a dermatologist or dermatologist-trained therapist who has years of experience in optimising skincare for breakout patients.

Key 4 – Lifestyle factors

Once you have your diagnosis, treatment and skincare sorted, it’s time to take a look at the other lifestyle factors that play a role in your skin health. Your diet, environment and emotional wellbeing all play out on our skin. You need to discuss how to adapt these factors to give your skin the best chance of being clear.

Key 5 – In-clinic treatments

Dermatology grade facials are not the only in-clinic treatment which can benefit breakout-prone skin and conditions such as acne and rosacea. There’s a whole raft of possibilities depending on your needs, including: LED light treatment, chemical peels, plasma energy peels and certain types of lasers.

These should be discussed with your dermatologist or dermatologist-trained therapist. But remember, the first line of treatment for breakouts should always be prescription creams together with skincare optimisation in my professional opinion.

Alicia Joy