acne treatments

What causes acne?

Acne is a genetic skin condition and can be inherited, leaving skin prone to acne and susceptible to triggers that can aggravate it.

Hormones

Teen breakouts are primarily caused by the wave of hormones in the body during puberty triggering excess sebum production and commonly leading to acne on the chin, nose, cheeks, forehead, chest and back.

Hormonal fluctuations can also be associated with your monthly cycle and changes or discontinuation of a contraceptive pill and can all affect your skin.

Stress

Stress increases hormone levels, in turn leading to an increase in oil production.

The psychological effects can contribute to continued flare-ups and breakouts – the frustration about the appearance of acne can cause additional emotional stress, sparking the over activity of the sebaceous glands perpetuating the cycle of breakouts.

External Factors

The need to pick or squeeze breakouts places even more acne-causing bacteria on the skin making the inflammation worse and can lead to scarring or pitting. Other external triggers to consider: cosmetic products (colourants, perfumes, ingredients), heat, friction, humidity, environmental pollutants and even laundry detergents can all aggravate acne.

What can be done to treat acne?

For significant acne we recommend you consult a health professional (by significant we're referring to the level of inflamed lesions or deep cystic pimples), largely because we can't see you - we don't want those severe inflammations to scar.

If you don't have cystic acne we recommend you first start by getting clean, then take on issues before protecting your skin.