In our last blog post about acne (you can view here) we covered all the basics of ingredients to avoid, products to avoid, and some brands to steer away from. Now that we have all the nasty's out of the way let's focus on the positives, shedding some light on what might be helpful to you, achieving your skincare goals and clearing up your acne. Let's begin with why natural products might be helpful.
WHY NATURAL PRODUCTS MIGHT BE HELPFUL?
Natural products will be helpful because they are curated with mindful ingredients that will get to the source of the problem to treat, instead of providing temporary relief. When using conventional acne brands -- in most cases, you are depleting the skin of its nutrients and stripping the skin's natural moisture barrier.
What you want : A deep cleanse that removes dirt and controls oil without causing irritation and stripping the skin of its natural moisture barrier. You will hear me saying this a lot "stripping the skin of its natural moisture barrier" because well.. thats exactly what most acne products do.
INGREDIENTS TO TREAT ACNE:
Essential oils: Some beautiful combinations of essential oils create a powerful but gentle natural antiseptic, helping the skin to nourish itself while fighting acne and controlling sebum production. An example of this would be:
** Remember that you do not want essential oils in their pure botanical form as it is too potent and will/can potentially burn the skin. Essential Oils need to be used with a carrier oil or within a product.
Potato Enzymes: You heard me correctly, potatoes. Sounds weird doesn't it? Potato Enzymes are great for the skin because it's a natural way to combat inflammation and it helps to cool the skin during a breakout. Potato extracts are also full of vitamins and antioxidant compounds which helps improve the skin tone and has antibacterial properties.
Azelaic Acid: This is a powerhouse ingredient to help brighten the skin, unclog pores, refine the skins surface, reduce skin sensitivity and deliver antioxidant benefits.
White Willow Bark: Clarifies the complexion with natural salicylic acid. Salicylic Acid works by increasing the amount of moisture in the skin and dissolving the substance that causes the skin cells to stick together. This makes it easier to shed the skin cells.
Microsilver: The porous micronized silver particles are a high and sustained microbial cleansing action by continuously releasing silver ions. This reduces the impact of environmental microorganisms and supports the skin’s healthy appearance. Skincare products with microsilver form an invisible mesh of silver particles on the surface of the skin, even after other ingredients dissipate the microsilver particles remain on the surface of the skin and continue to provide cleansing activity.
Zinc: is a mineral that helps decrease inflammation and assists in minimizing blotchy red skin.
Perilla Seed Oil: wonderful for sensitive or problematic skin as it has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties meaning it can help reduce blemishes, redness, and uneven area of the skin. High in Omega 3 fatty acids.
Tamanu Seed Oil: Rich in fatty acids, which help keep skin highly moisturized. Also, contains antioxidants, which fight against damage from free radicals.
Retinol: Another amazing ingredient for acne prone skin is Plant based retinol. Plant based retinol CANNOT be taken with any oral or topical prescribed medications but you can greatly benefit from this power house ingredient. Some examples of plant based retinol are:
...you see I wasn't fibbing when I said there is a lot more positives than negatives. Now let's dive into some other skin loving ingredients that are great for acne prone skin. First up is fatty alcohols.
FATTY ALCOHOLS
Fatty alcohols are commonly misread for bad alcohols. In the realms of alcohol, fat is your friend. Fatty alcohols are derived from vegetables and look completely different to those “bad” alcohols. These good, fatty alcohols are usually solid, pearly white wax pieces and are used to help emulsify cosmetics (i.e. they help hold the product together so the oil and water don’t separate).They’re not drying or irritating to your skin at all. In fact, they have the opposite effect. They act as emollients which protect your skin and help it to keep moisture in. Examples of good alcohols are:
NOURISHING SKIN LOVING INGREDIENTS:
This ingredient list is for those of you who are looking to know what other ingredients are great for acne prone skin. These ingredients wouldn't treat acne par say but they are nutrient rich and non irritating to the skin, making them safe for acne prone skin.
Aloe Vera: Contains antioxidants, enzymes, Botanical A and C, and is highly anti-inflammatory. Also, can help treat acne and dry skin.
Witch Hazel: A natural astringent helps to constrict and tighten pores. And loosens breakouts for deep cleaning. It’s also a natural moisturizer and a great all natural disinfectant.
Hyaluronic Acid: A powerful humectant. It plumps and hydrates the skin holding 1000X its water weight. This is great for hypersensitive skin and can be used under any moisturizer and is a great boost of hydration.
Pro Vitamin B5 (Panthenol): Acts as a skin moisturizer helping to keep skin soft, smooth and healthy. It acts like an anti-inflammatory by stimulating your skin's natural healing process. Deeply hydrating it also helps keep skin moist by absorbing moisture for the environment.
Squalene: Sourced from olives this absorbs easily, is non-comedogenic and helps prevent moisture loss.
Oat Protein: Oats, in almost all forms, have been used since the beginning of time in the treatment of all manner of skin ailments where they offer skin softening, skin soothing, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Viva Organics
Graydon
The Cure
Zyderma
THE A's TO YOUR Q's BY JILLIAN COLE
1. What helps with acne in and around eyebrows? I don’t use any eyebrows or anything different and this isn’t something that I normally get.
It may be worth considering the microbiome and what it’s up to if you’re only breaking out in one spot. The skin microbiome is different in various areas of the skin which can mean that there may be bacteria in one area of your face that’s causing issues versus other areas of your face. Another consideration is appropriate cleansing of the area. When the factors that create breakouts are isolated to one area and aren't being cleansed properly, it opens up the opportunity of these factors contributing to more acne in the same area.
2. What helps with post birth control acne? (Chin Area)
Acne that flares up after birth control use can be related to poor hormone detoxification pathways. These hormone detox pathways are in the liver and gut, which is exactly why identifying and addressing the areas of dysfunction within something called the gut/brain/skin axis is vital, in order to remedy this problem.
3. What helps with Hormonal Acne?
Hormonal acne isn’t exactly related to hormones. In fact, if you were to get your hormones tested it’s likely nothing abnormal would show up (unless you have a specific condition that would lead to increased testosterone, for example). The issue lies within the gut/brain/skin axis that was mentioned above. Hormones and hormone metabolism is influenced by the health of our gut lining, detoxification pathways and gut microbiome. All of these aspects must be addressed in order to set the foundation for healthy hormone metabolism and elimination...which will inevitably help clear hormone-related acne.
4. Should we be using the pore sucker things? Do I need fancy facials every month i.e. microdermabrasion?
Pore vacuums will “suck” blackheads out of your pores but the potential of this going wrong is high. Applying suction to the skin will break small capillaries and compromise the skin barrier, potentially leading to a worse problem on your skin than the blackhead itself. I’d be sticking to regular cleansing, exfoliating and facials instead.
Facials - yes, I think having monthly facials from a skincare expert is a great idea. Make sure you ask questions - find out what kind of products they use and have them explain what the facial entails. Not all estheticians perform facials the same way so it’s important to find someone who’s experienced and knowledgeable.
Medispa facials like microdermabrasion aren’t a bad idea although I prefer treatments like microneedling, which is amazing for reducing the appearance of post-acne scarring and hyperpigmentation. Obviously this is for after the acne has cleared up. If you have active acne breakouts, I’d suggest going for a facial that incorporates light therapy, which can help accelerate the healing and reduce the breakouts.
5. What is your recommendation for acne and humidity?
Colloidal silver sprays or cleansers are a great idea to help minimize the risk for acne flare-ups related to sweating (I’m assuming a humid location would also be hot!). A second suggestion is to change how you’re using your serums/moisturizers. Because many serums and moisturizers contain ingredients called humectants and emollients that help draw water to the skin and keep the skin hydrated, you may have to use less when it’s more humid out.
That fInishes our A's to Q's with Jillian Cole, I hope that you loves have found this blog helpful and thank you Jillian for joining us again. I'm so excited for you loves to learn and grow with these new helpful tips, to help you achieve your skincare goals.
Please remember no matter what, no matter the skin condition, you are beautiful just the way that you are.
Much Peace and Love,
Jacqueline
