Break Up with Breakouts: Everything You Need to Know About Acne | Let's GLOW Podcast

Today, I'll be sharing some details from our recent PCA Acne Solutions post that I posted on Glow Laser Aesthetics Instagram. Could be causing your breakouts. We'll also talk about treatment options, including some advanced modalities like chemical peels, laser treatments, and RF microneedling that can help to achieve clear, healthier skin. So let's jump in. First, let's start with the basics. What is acne? Like, what exactly is it?

So acne is a skin condition that results when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. Basically, it can show up in various forms, and it's important to understand what type of acne you're dealing with. To be able to treat it effectively. So let's dig in. So the types of acne, first of all, and this is more like the stages of acne as well. Let's start with comodomes, also known as blackheads. These actually form when pores are clogged but remain open.

This allows the oil and dead skin cells to oxidize, and this is what turns them dark. It's not technically, like, dirt or anything in your skin. It's the oxidation of this buildup. Next are closed comodomes. These are also known as milia or whiteheads. These occur when pores are clogged but remain open, resulting in tiny white bumps. Papules, next, are inflamed red pimples that form as elevated bumps without a white head.

And pustules are the inflamed pimples that develop a white or yellow head filled with pus. So all you pimple poppers out there, this is what you're going after, the pustules. Next up is cysts. These are the deep beneath the skin bumps that can be incredibly painful. They appear large, red, boil like, and are no fun. Nodules, lastly, are similar to cysts. they form deep under the skin, are firmer, and more skin toned.

So, while acne is the most commonly seen ailment in adolescence, 89 percent of teens experience some form of it. It can occur really at any point of life though, including adulthood, and it doesn't stop at the face. It can show up on the neck, back, shoulders, even the chest. So let's talk a little deeper about what causes this. So we know, you know, it's when hair follicles become clogged with excess oil, or what's called sebum, dead skin cells, and specific type of bacteria called C acne.

When these blockages occur, inflammation follows. Your body sends white blood cells to heal the surrounding skin cells, which leads to the swelling and redness we associate with acne. but why do these blockages happen in the first place? So there are several triggers that can actually trigger acne. First, hormonal fluctuations. This can happen in puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and even certain types of medications can spike hormones.

This leads to an overproduction of sebum or that Oil that our skin produces. Hormonal acne is often seen along the jawline and chin area. We also saw, you know, with the influx of wearing masks during the pandemic and everything, maskne, so this is also because your skin just could not breathe and we're just building up bacteria. next, some of the causes can be gut health.

So I've talked about this before, but a lot of what we are wearing on our outside happens in our gut, and overgrowth of candida in the gut can actually impact your skin. so what's happening inside your digestive System. We're directly showing it on our skin. Heavy cosmetics, are also a really big culprit. Using makeup that clogs your pores can lead to breakouts, especially if you're not very good with washing your face every day.

I would love for you, if you're not a nightly facial washer, to start washing your face. This will help clear up if it's the cosmetic issue. Harsh skincare products can also strip your skin's natural oils and may lead to an overproduction of the sebum or the oil in your skin. As your skin tries to compensate, this creates a cycle of oiliness and breakouts. So I see this a lot when people are feeling like they're doing right by their skin. They're scrubbing twice a day.

They're cleansing several times a day. Doing all of this and their skin just seems to get worse, but it's very counterproductive. So really, you know, the more we're stripping our skin, the more oil your body is being signaled to make. We'll discuss this a little more later on in the podcast today. Also, food sensitivities. Dairy is a huge culprit that I see. There's also gluten sensitivities. corn sensitivities, a lot of different things.

So, a lot of processed foods can trigger inflammation in some individuals as well, which makes our acne, a lot more severe stress, which hello, we all have stress increases, cortisol production. This can also trigger that increase in oil production in our skin, environmental factors like pollution, humidity, greasy foods. You know, anything else that we're coming in contact with can really disrupt that skin's oil balance. and lastly, genetic predisposition.

some people, unfortunately, are just more prone to acne due to their genetics. Okay, the good news though, there are ways to manage and treat acne, whether you're dealing with occasional breakouts or persistent acne. So let's dig into how to treat this. So treating acne requires a personalized touch. What works for one person might not work for another, which is why we focus on customized treatment plans at my MedSpa Glow Laser Aesthetics.

and you know, we offer a complimentary skin analysis even to really discuss what you've tried, what seems to be flaring up your acne, and then, You know, really look at your skin closely under a scope. That way we can analyze, what would be a really good game plan. So some professional treatment options that we offer and many med spas do is, first of all, one of my favorites is laser Genesis, or this could also be known as a laser facial.

This is one of the most effective treatments for acne prone skin. it works by the laser actually heats the skin's dermis and this kills that bacteria. That P acne and C acne, bacteria, it will actually neutralize it or kill it. This reduces redness and stimulates collagen production. So hello, a little anti aging action along with killing that bacteria. It's also non invasive. It's gentle. it's not painful at all. it targets that acne causing bacteria and promotes healing.

Also reduces the appearance of acne scars, which is amazing. Chemical peels are also incredibly effective. chemical peels actually work by exfoliating the outer layers of the skin to reveal fresher, smoother skin underneath, depending on your skin's needs. we can customize the peel strength. for acne prone skin, we typically use Peels with salicylic or glycolic acid to unclog pores and reduce oil production.

Regular chemical peels not only treat active acne, but also help to prevent future breakouts by keeping your skin surface clear and healthy, which is amazing. Microdermabrasion and hydrodermabrasion, these treatments deeply exfoliate the skin and remove dead skin cells, excess oil, and impurities. It can help with mild acne, but it's not recommended for more severe cases like cystic acne, where there are open pustules. you can opt for laser treatment, or even a chemical peel.

Monthly acne facials are also a really great idea. We specialize in acne facials that glow that include extractions, high frequency, galvanic, all of these different modalities to kill bacteria and customize masks. We love several of the PCA, products, you know, that help us to tailor, These not only facials, but chemical peels. This calms inflammation, reduces acne, regular facials in general can prevent acne flare ups and maintain clear skin.

and like I said, we do offer that free skin analysis and consultation. So you can kind of dig in and see what's specifically good for your skin. RF microneedling, I think is an absolute game changer. If you're experiencing any scarring from acne, And like post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. it's super, super beneficial.

So if you, are near a place that has RF microneedling, definitely go in for a free consultation or give us a call at glow and we can even show you some amazing before and afters we've had, next up. You know, including led light therapy is super effective with acne treatments. this uses different wavelengths of light to kill acne bacteria. this reduces inflammation, promotes healing blue light in particular.

Targets bacteria responsible for acne while red light, actually reduces inflammation and supports the skin's healing process. So we like to use them both together to be really well rounded. And I mentioned, that we use high frequency and different facials, but, even as a standalone high frequency is awesome. it helps to kill. bacteria oxygenates the skin and reduces inflammation. And like I said, if you are dealing with those acne scars, RF microneedling is super effective.

Laser genesis can also help to soften, the appearance of acne scars and chemical peels, too. you know, we may use a different depth of peel when you're dealing with scarring. but it's super effective. scarring can be a very frustrating side effect of acne, but these treatments, for like real long term results that help to smooth the skin and reduce these appearances of scars. okay, let's talk about acne treatment ingredients.

So when you're looking for, at home skincare routine, Ingredients are really crucial, so let's break down some of the more common ones. Glycolic acid, also known as AHA glycolic acid is a type of alpha hydroxy acid. It's derived from sugar cane. It's one of the most effective exfoliants for acne prone skin. It's smaller molecule size allows it to penetrate deep into the skin, breaking down dead skin cells and unclogging pores by removing the outer layer of dead skin.

Glycolic acid helps to prevent acne formation, smooths the skin texture and encourages the regeneration of fresh, healthy skin cells. It's also great for fading post acne marks and scars over time, giving you a brighter, more even complexion. Regular use of glycolic acid can result in clearer skin and reduced pore congestion, making it a go to ingredient for those with acne or even just uneven skin tone.

Glycolic acid is a wonder ingredient in my opinion, but we still want to be mindful that we're not overusing it. Again, we do not want to strip our skin's natural oils. Because while we are thinking, I'm oily, I have acne, I need to get this oil off me, by over stripping, you are actually going to signal your body to produce more oil, which, like I said, doesn't seem like it makes sense, but that's the way our body works.

It's all because our bodies are so amazing at survival and creating a homeostasis. moving on to another really common acne ingredient is salicylic acid, also known as BHA or beta hydroxy acid. This penetrates into the pores and exfoliates from the inside out. So it's a great option. A few times a week for people with oily acne prone skin. Next up vitamin A or retinol. I love me some retinol, but retinol is actually a powerhouse ingredient that speeds up cell turnover.

This helps to unclog pores and prevent future breakouts. It also has added benefit of improving scars over time, and it just helps with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well. So it's kind of a triple edged sword. But again, we want to be using vitamin A in a responsible manner, not overusing it. So I always recommend start with two nights a week. I use it at night, use it two nights a week to start with non consecutive days to assess how your body is going to do with it.

You may end up a little too dry or sensitized. Okay, next up, a very common ingredient is peroxide. This ingredient is fantastic for killing acne causing bacteria on the surface of the skin. Again, this also can be incredibly drying, so we really recommend only using it as a spot treatment. Niacinamide is also a great ingredient. It's known for its anti inflammatory properties, and niacinamide helps to calm irritated skin and reduce redness. Enzymes are also very effective.

We love, love, love our PCA enzymes and we do a little enzyme sweep or a little mini peel. These gentle peels use natural enzymes to exfoliate the skin without irritation, making them perfect for more sensitive skin types. Picture enzymes as like, you know, They just kind of eat the stuff on the surface. They break up all of the gunk that are those old skin cells that just need to go and they stay at the surface and clean that up versus a deeper peel actually goes down into the dermis.

So enzymes are, Typically, completely epidermis, that's why it gives you more of a polish than a peel. And, you know, lastly, I'm going to mention my favorite ingredient, hyaluronic acid. This is a must have, even if you're an oily person, because hydration and oil are two different things when we're talking about the skin. Hyaluronic acid hydrates the skin without clogging pores, and this promotes healing in a big way.

So, for oily skin, a combination of beta hydroxy acids, vitamin C, and gentle hydrators, can balance the skin's oil production without stripping it. So, you know, thinking about some of those ingredients, and when you're looking at your skin care routine, or Working with a professional, which I always recommend consulting a professional, to really get this targeted for you. Now there are a lot of lifestyle and kind of like self care aspects to this too.

So acne isn't just about what you put on your skin. It's about what you put into your body. So proper nutrition. Hydration and lifestyle habits play a huge role in your skin's health. So let's talk about just a few of them. So first of all, hydration, huge, huge, huge, not only for your skin, but for just every function in your body. You know, it helps to clear brain fog. It helps you to feel fuller longer. Your skin looks great. Your joints feel good.

when we're hydrated, oftentimes that fixes like 99 problems that we're having, for hydration. So there is a, there's a little formula on, you know, how much water should you be drinking a day? You know, someone who is six feet tall, and you know, is 250 pounds has different. Hydration needs in someone who's 150 pounds and five feet tall. And, so let's talk about that just really quick. So there's a really fast formula you can do to know how much water is good for you specifically.

So all you do is you take your body weight, you cut it in half. And that's how many ounces you should have a day. So say you weigh 160 pounds, we're gonna take 160, cut it in half, that's 80. That's 80 ounces a day as your target. Now if you're exercising in warm weather, you're working outside, you're just super active, you're in the sauna, anything like that, you're gonna bump it up just a little bit to account for any additional water loss. So if you're listening right now, Take a drink.

This is your reminder. Your body is probably thirsty, so we want to make sure we're staying really hydrated. And, you know, if you're not a very, you know, into water type person right now, maybe buy yourself a cute water bottle to kind of motivate you. there's also little tricks that I like to do.

I'm a huge fan of throwing lemon in my water, but also if you take, Frozen sliced strawberries, not the strawberry shortcake ones and sugar, but the frozen sliced strawberries and throw a little handful into your water bottle. It is the best tasting water that you'll ever have. It diffuses and it's delicious. Drink up. Okay, next up, leafy greens and omega 3s, so incorporating dark leafy greens and foods high in omega 3 fatty acids. These are like your fish oils, evening primrose oil, flax oil.

these can all help to reduce inflammation and balance hormones. These are also really great for gut health. And speaking of gut health, probiotics and prebiotics, a healthy gut equals healthy skin. So taking a probiotic can support your gut health, which directly impacts your skin. I'm thinking maybe I will do an episode all about gut health and your skin, because it is so hugely correlated there. and not even gut health with skin, but gut health with.

most aspects of our, our health and wellbeing. Vitamins A and vitamin C. So these both play important roles in our skin's repair and regeneration too. So, and I'm talking like ingestible, you know, vitamin A, vitamin C, but always consult your physician when you're thinking about adding different supplements into your diet. Now, let's talk about how to care for acne prone skin at home with, just some habits.

So developing a consistent, gentle skincare routine is essential for managing, and preventing breakouts. But this also includes, you know, what we're doing every day. So some of my top tips, first of all, do not skip the moisturizer. Like I said, moisture and like hydration is different than oil production or sebum production in your skin. So even if you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize. The last thing we want to do is be lacking in moisture, but your skin is oily.

So you stop moisturizing and then your skin gets triggered to say, Oh my gosh, we're drying up here. Create more oil. So that's literally what happens. So we do not want that to happen for you. So when you even have oily skin, opt for lightweight, non comedogenic moisturizers, or that's also a way, you know, manufacturers can say like non acne causing moisturizers. These will hydrate without clogging pores. Using antioxidants daily also is really effective.

Ingredients like vitamin C, green tea extract, these are great ingredients to protect your skin from free radicals. this can lead to inflammation. You know, free radicals lead to inflammation and breakouts. So Antioxidants not only protect your skin from environmental damage, but they also help to calm irritation, which that's what we want to do and should be our objective with treating acne at home. maintaining consistency. Acne treatment is not an overnight fix.

It's important to stick to your skincare routine consistently, even if you're not seeing immediate results. Realistically, even when you're going through those great med spa treatments, using a great at home regimen, medical grade or clinical grade, it can take several weeks for treatments to take their full effect. So do not get discouraged. This is just the normal way our skin responds.

So work with your skin, not against it by, you know, hopping different, different products or treatments, just like, Oh, this didn't work. Two days later, I might have another breakout. You know. Don't get discouraged. This is just the way our skin works. So another thing you can do is use serums and masks at home. high impact, high impact concentrated products like serums are key for targeting acne. these are our performance serums. So look for serums with ingredients.

Like salicylic acid, retinol, niacinamide, these all treat acne at that deeper level. I recommend, incorporating a calming mask once or twice a week. This can also help to soothe irritated skin and reduce inflammation. And, of course, using our SPF every day. Sun protection is absolutely crucial, especially when you're using active ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants. these make our skin more sensitive to the sun. Vitamin C works best with sunscreen.

making sure you use Broad spectrum mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, is really preferred to protect your skin without clogging your pores. And like I mentioned several times already, avoid over cleansing or over exfoliating. Well, it might be tempting to scrub away that oil and bacteria over cleansing or using harsh exfoliants can actually make things worse. So stripping the skin of its natural oils can lead to an overproduction of sebum. this may trigger more breakouts.

Instead, opt for gentle cleansers and exfoliate no more than two times, maybe three times a week using a mild exfoliant. And speaking of exfoliants and scrubs, say no to physical scrubs. Physical scrubs can cause micro tears in your skin. These have Usually grains of shells like nut shells or larger, substances in them that may be like beads, not all of them are super smooth. they can cause micro tears in the skin. This can cause The spread of bacteria could cause more breakouts.

So instead of using these physical scrubs, use a chemical exfoliant like salicylic or glycolic acid to gently slough away these dead skin cells. Your skin will thank you. soothing ingredients. are super important to think about as well. since acne treatments can sometimes be harsh, think like those peroxides, those BHAs, AHAs. it's important to pair them with soothing ingredients like aloe, chamomile, hyaluronic acid, just to name a few.

These will help to calm your skin and maintain hydration without contributing to more acne. Speak with your doctor if you have additional questions, or if you're thinking your acne is hormonal, or it's just seeming to be, really hard to control, it's worth having a conversation with your doctor or dermatologist about potential, treatments they may have in mind, something a little more heavy duty might be for you. Needed.

But definitely try these other things first before, going the harsh like medication route. unless your doctor thinks that it would be a better idea for you to do that. okay, so next up a huge one, is to change your pillowcase weekly. Clean your makeup brushes weekly and to sanitize your phone screens on a regular basis. So many of us are doing all the things right.

You know, everything that we're, you know, getting done professionally, all of our great skincare, we're on our regimen, we're drinking water, we're doing super good, but then we may not have cleaner makeup brushes for a really long time. Or if you do not remember when you clean your makeup brushes, this is your sign to, to clean those babies. even just using some gentle dish soap or something like that. Make sure you dry them really well before you start using them again.

We don't want any bacteria to be kind of festering and growing in them. Also that pillowcase. Need to be changing it at least weekly. I don't know if you hold your phone screen up to your face to do calls. definitely clean your phones because we're touching it all the time. And chances are, even if you're not holding your phone to your face, you're still touching your phone and touching your face. Tons of bacteria can grow on your phone.

It's important to remember that skincare is a marathon, not a sprint. So give your products time to work. Be patient with your skin. Healing acne can take time, but with the right approach, It's entirely possible. Well, my gorgeous glow getters, that wraps up our deep dive into acne care. I hope you found this episode informative and empowering. Acne doesn't have to be a lifelong battle and with the right knowledge, treatments and at home care, you can absolutely get the skin.

To a place where it's clear, healthy, and glowing, and you deserve it. So if you're struggling with acne, want a more personalized approach, consider booking a complimentary skin analysis and consultation with us at Glow Laser Aesthetics. in Marquette, Michigan. Otherwise, your local med spa probably does offer something like that, where you can go in and chat with them and see what treatments would work for you. Don't forget to follow us on social media.

We're always sharing the latest in skincare solutions to help you glow from the inside out. Remember, acne doesn't define you and with the right plan, you can take control of your skin. Thanks for tuning in until next Time. This is Jamie. Let's glow.