Within Beauty Therapy there are multiple methods of dealing with Acne. Most are dependent on the severity of the condition.

Simple Acne

Comedomes, Blackheads and Whiteheads are very easily treated with simple extraction or removal of the sebum plug that is clogging the pore or hair follicle or sebaceous pore.

Papules -

When the clogged pore becomes mildly irritated and begins to become pink and inflamed – simple extractions of the clogged pore will quickly resolve the inflammation and the skin quickly heals and becomes smooth and the pore shrinks back to normal size.

Pustules –

When the pore becomes infected with bacteria and pus develops. Opening these “PIMPLES” becomes problematic as the infection or bacteria can spread to other skin tissue and other pimples develop. Unless skin care during the following hours and days after “opening” the pustule contains strong antiseptic or antibiotic ingredients, more severe acne can develop.

Severe Acne

Nodules and Cysts –

These type pimples are very swollen and infected pustules with infection “eating” at the skin tissue and possibly creating scar tissue. Depending on the individual size of each nodule or cyst determines if opening and draining the pus is a favourable treatment. Medical treatment is often the better option – visiting a pharmacy or doctor to get more powerful acne products. These contain ingredients to dry out the pimple, kill the bacteria and enable the skin tissue to begin to heal and form new skin tissue – hopefully with little or no scarring.

 

Facial Acne Treatments

 

Other Alternative Treatments

 

Light Therapy

Dermal Needling – Scar Therapy – comedome Treatment

See IPL and Dermal Needling pages for more information and bottom of this page

 

Treatments - Acne Facials

 

We recommend frequent Mini Facials or Acne Extraction Facial starting with every week, then gradually, stretched out to 2, 4 and 6 weeks, and as your skin improves we suggest longer appointment gaps.

This Treatment is also available for Back or Chest areas – (we nicknamed it a Bacial).
Removing pore congestion allows the naturally occurring sebaceous secretions to exit the sebaceous gland and coat the outer skin surface providing the natural moisture levels to be maintained and correct natural skin functions to work properly thus allowing the skin to maintain a perfect moist and healthy surface environment.

Extraction Facials consist of Cleansing Steps /Skin Refining Treatments

• Gentle cleansing with either a sensitive/dry milky cleanser.
• Often the addition of vegetable oil to the above cleanser to more gently soften and cleanse off the dead skin cells trapped on the surface and to dissolve sebum (skin oil) in the pore openings.
• Eventually using a deep refining AHA cleanser.
• A gentle exfoliant or scrub (not used if there is major inflammation or active infection).
• Microdermabrasion is another alternative treatment on our skin care menu. This treatment is a great alternative exfoliation which can help to unblock pores and help reduce the thickened layer of surface skin (dead dry skin cells). We don’t recommend Microdermabrasion when active infection is present.
• An AHA Light Peel to help dissolve the clogged sebum and skin.
• BHA Salicylic Acid Peel and TCA Tri-Chloro-Acetic Acid Peel are very special chemical peels that are an excellent alternative to AHA peels – they are Medium Chemical Peels that penetrate into the skin – causing it to swell, dry out over the next few days and then flake off. During this process the upper skin layers become replaced with healthier skin layers from underneath producing a smoother clearer appearance. Scar Tissue and Pigmentation are gradually improved with repeated treatments.

 

Extractions

• Extractions of Blackheads and Whiteheads – removing the sebum plug from inside a pore (tunnel).
• Insertion of sterile lancet to widen pore opening and allow sebum plug to easily exit pore.
• Gentle squeezing of pore to enable removal of sebum plug

 

Mask

• Calming face mask to soothe the inflamed skin and begin healing.
• Combining Clay, soothing ingredients, antiseptic.

 

Aftercare

• Finish with a good emollient nourishing moisturizer.
• And of course a SPF to protect.

 

Ingredients used in Acne Treatments

 

Anti-Biotics - prescription medication to eradicate infection in and on the skin surface and within Acne nodules and Acne Cysts
Benzyl Peroxide – 1%, 2%, 2.5%, 5%, and 10% - dries out and kills bacteria – but use 1-2.5% strength only
Salicylic Acid - unclogs pores 1 -3% solution
Glycolic Acid - renews skin 4-15% solution
Lactic Acid - renews skin and moisturizes skin
Sulphur - dries skin and pimple - controls bacterial growth
Adapalene = Differin gel or cream = Vitamin A retinoid product – prescription
Azelaic Acid = a form of AHA from grains – exfoliates and refines skin
Aloe Vera – calms and soothes inflammation and encourages skin healing
Manuka Tea Tree Oil – kills bacteria and fungal infection but use diluted not full strength – can burn skin
Apple Cider Vinegar – used diluted as pH corrector and toner
Baking Soda – used as a gentle skin scrub and as a face mask for antiseptic and anti-inflammatory
Turmeric Powder – used as a paste or added ingredient in a face mask – inhibits Acne P Bacteria and anti-inflammatory
Yoghurt – non fat yoghurt contains lactic acid – easy home use AHA acid treatment – used daily or weekly
Manuka Honey – very powerful anti-septic and anti-inflammatory – very healing
Hydrogen peroxide – gentle solution – 5 vol (1.5% solution) – anti-septic
Clay or Calamine mask treatment – dry out and calm skin

Alternative Acne Treatments

Light Therapy

It has been found that blue light has the ability to kill bacteria – Acne P Bacteria – but also kills Staph and MRSA bacteria.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) uses white light 400-1200 nano meters which includes BLUE light (400-495nm). With our IPL machine we offer an acne treatment where we can apply pulses of IPL light to areas of acne to kill the Acne P Bacteria present on and in the skin. This treatment also treats Rosacea. The light will NOT heal the acne pimple or speed the healing process of healing skin tissue but by killing the bacteria that is causing infection we can break the cycle of Bacteria attacking and living within hair follicles and sebaceous pore.

High Frequency Treatment

High Frequency (also known as the Tesla high frequency current) uses a glass high frequency electrode which comes in different shapes applied to the surface of the skin, a mild electrical current passes through the neon or argon gas filled glass electrode causing it to submit a subtle purple or blue glow and buzzing noise. During the high frequency treatment enriched oxygen molecules are produced between the glass bulb and the skin, which has an anti-bacterial action as well as a “natural” thermal tissue warming. That reaction increases blood circulation and cell renewal, enriches the skin tissue with nutrients and moisture increasing collagen and elastin. It also emits the powerful BLUE LIGHT which also kills bacteria.

It has many benefits – treating acne, enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles, puffy eyes and dark under eye circles, and thinning hair. It helps to quickly heal and restore the skins health.

Dermal Needling

Dermal needling creates micro injuries in the treated skin, initiating a healing process to begin. It is this healing process that causes the treated skin to improve, stimulating growth factors that improve collagen and elastin creating new skin growth. Not only does needling stimulate skin growth but that growth is improving scar repair and cellular matrix alignment. As scar tissue repairs, more “normal” skin tissue to develop within the scar and acne scars diminish in size and depth. Moisture levels are also elevated and this helps with reducing Comedomes, whiteheads and blackheads. As the skin repairs and improves we have found typically Acneic, comedomic skin becomes clearer and smoother with diminishing scar tissue. Skin becomes healthier and normalises with gradual refinement and reducing hyper-pigmentation and reducing pore size. This overall improvement enables repair to OLD ACNE SCARS TOO.

We avoid Dermal Needling during Active Acne breakouts as we DO NOT want to spread unwanted Acne bacteria into healthy skin from Infected Acneic Tissue.

Golden Rule = Acne Treatment is a combination of various treatments to achieve an overall improvement.