May 27, 2014

Can an acne facial really help my skin? The short answer is YES an acne facial will help, but first it helps to understand how it occurs. Acne involves a complex interaction of skin, oil, and bacteria. This post will help you manage those break outs. The Hair Follicle (Where it all happens) Acne is technically a disease of the pilosebaceous unit. Sounds very dramatic and mysterious, right? The pilosebaceous unit is a fancy term for the location of three components. These components include a hair follicle, sebaceous gland, and an arrector pili muscle. The sebaceous gland is an oil gland that produces the sebum our bodies need to lubricate the hair and skin. Acne develops within the hair follicles themselves, especially those on the face, upper arms, chest, and upper back. The pimple, blackhead or cyst you see is actually blocking the hair follicle.  What many people don’t realize is it actually can take 2 – 6 weeks for a pimple to form.  This means you think back a few weeks to what may have caused your break out.  Often we think it’s a new product we tried the day before but it goes weeks further back. The Skin Cells (Too many of them!) In Acneic skin, skin cells produce at an abnormally rapid rate (4x to 5x) that of normal skin. Also, Acneic skin is sluggish in shedding skin cells and actually tends to hold on to them. These excess cells stick together and clog up in the follicle and on the surface, effectively plugging the follicle. The Sebum (Oil or sticky goo) Acneic skin produces sebum (oil) 3 times faster than normal skin. This sebum is much thicker and stickier than normal oil. The sebum clogs the hair follicle itself. Excess and dead skin cells stick in it. This creates a weird facial quicksand that further clogs the hair follicle. Bacteria (The invader!) Bacteria lives on sebum and thrives in an environment without oxygen. The follicle gets blocked with sebum and dead skin cells. Oxygen cannot penetrate, creating a perfect habitat for bacteria. Bacteria releases substances that cause irritation, redness, swelling, and pus. How did the bacteria get there? It’s everywhere, on our hands, desks and other surfaces and even on our loved ones! It only results in acne when it has found a nice clogged and sebum filled follicle to move in to. Help! What Can Be Done? The good news is that there are many products and treatments available to help control acne. Figuring out what works for you is best done with the help of a professional. To get through the muddle of products, treatments, and advice, we have a few tips. You now know that acne is basically caused by: So, you need to slow the production of oil and get rid of the extra dead skin cells. This is done with professional skin care products containing specific ingredients. A few small lifestyle changes will help you. Correct product usage is essential. Maintaining a consistent regime will set you on the road to clear, healthy skin. Remember also that exercise acts as medicine for a broken out skin and helps it to heal faster. Professional acne facial treatments are very helpful for acne. They are especially beneficial when using a professional skin care line like Face Reality, as we do at Balance Spa. You will need to discuss your acne with your esthetician before your service. Using the wrong product or technique can actually make your acne worse. At Balance Spa, we are trained and certified on how to safely treat acne type skin. If you are in the Boca Raton area, come see us for a Face Reality acne facial. We can explain how this facial will work for you and recommend a good home care regime. A combination of effective facial treatments and a consistent home care regime will improve your acne signficantly. So, next time you’re wondering what is the best facial for acne, wonder no further and book your appointment online.