All About Oil/ Acne

Here we seek to empower you with the knowledge on how best to overcome oily skin and acne. Find out what makes the skin oily and how we can then tackle acne together!

Delving into the skin, we see the area highlighted - the sebaceous gland. These are numerous in the body and are more abundant over our facial skin and scalp. They are responsible for producing sebum - an oily / waxy substance that functions to moisturize and lubricate the skin. Sebum also has a mild anti microbial activity effect. Sebum is secreted onto the skin through the tract of the hair follicle.

However, in cases of sebaceous glands over-activity, where sebum is produced way in excess and this can cause a overtly shiny / oily face and may even predispose to acne.

How does Acne come about?

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Excessive sebum production can clog up the exit track which is through the hair follicle. Imagine a pipe getting blocked up and subsequently clogged, that is exactly what happens with acne where the sebum clog causes inflammation and bacterial growth!

The Acne Triangle

THE THREE MAIN AREAS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ACNE
1) Excessive Propionibacterium Acnes Bacteria- too much bacteria load increases inflammation and predispose to Acne
2) Poor outer most skin exfoliation - poor skin shedding results in excessive dead skin which clogs up the opening of the hair follicles, predisposing to inflammation.
3) Excessive sebum production -  too much sebum results in clogging of the hair follicles exit, causing inflammation. The mixture of sebum also serves as bacteria food for Propionibacterium Acnes to grow.

STAGES OF ACNE

Comedones: Blackheads are open comedones and turn black due to exposure to air and dirt. Whiteheads are closed comedones and since they are not exposed to dirt, they do not turn black. They can be extracted but they will come back. Only targeting the excessive oil production will these be lessened.
Papules are small little bumps on the skin where a small area of inflammation has occurred.
Pustules are when pus is present and usually they can be expressed and removed.
Nodules and cysts are when the inflammation has went deeper down into the skin and are usually not amenable for extraction. The last for long periods of times before eventually discharging through an area of the skin or they get resorbed by the body. At certain times, steroid injections by doctors may help to bring down the inflammation faster.

TACKLING THE ACNE TRIANGLE
The key to TACKLING ACNE lies in the DAILY FACIAL ROUTINE that we have. We hold the power to change. 
YOU WANT TO USE THE RIGHT PRODUCT THAT TARGETS ACNE.
​When you are trying out a new product to see whether it works, you would do the following!
1) Keep track of how many new pimples come out over the course of a week prior to starting the new product.
2) Start the new product, keep track of the number of pimples that come out during the subsequent 2 weeks. 
3) If the facial products that you are using do not decrease the number significantly, then likely it may not be suitable for your skin type!


Your Doctor may also recommend the following adjuvants to help you!
1) Excessive Propionibacterium Acnes Bacteria- Topical/ Oral Antibiotics, Lasers
2) Poor outer most skin exfoliation - Chemical Peels
3) Excessive sebum production -  Lasers and Salicylic Acid Chemical Peel