All about facial acne

November 12, 2024

Time to read 2 min

If you wake up in the morning and feel bumps on your skin which are (sometimes) painful, chances are it is acne.

Acne is a common condition that can present in different forms. Apart from the angry lesions that we are familiar with, whiteheads and blackheads are also part of the acne family. We explain treatment and management tips you can use on acne!

What is Acne

Acne or known medically as Acne Vulgaris is a skin condition that happens when oils or dead skin gets plugged on your pores.

Face acne peaks during our teenage to young adult years but is also a common condition post adolescent. It's pretty common, affecting around 40% of adults (in particular, women) experiences it. Mild to moderate acne only requires over the counter treatment so there is nothing to panic about.

Types of Acne

There are six common types of face acne, and this is often seen on body acne as well:

Blackheads- appears as black dots on the skin, a type of clogged pore

Whiteheads- flesh or white colored small bumps, feels similar to a blackhead

Papules- spots that appear from underneath the skin with no obvious center

Pustules- more commonly known as pimples, it is a red spot with a center that is filled with pus

Nodules- hard lumps from underneath the skin, a more intense form of papules

Cysts- large lumps from underneath the skin and is usually filled with pus and tender to touch

What causes Acne?

In simple terms, acne is a blocked pore and it happens when:

excessive oil production in your follicles
accumulation of dead skin cells
bacteria build up

A mix of genetics, environmental and behavior factors can contribute to causing acne. Not cleansing your makeup well for example can cause pores to get clogged which results in acne. A diet in high in processed foods and sugars is also linked to acne.

Consider scheduling a trip to your dermatologist to understand more about factors that might contribute to your acne issue. A balanced and healthy diet will also help better manage your skin concerns.

Managing Acne- recommendations

To manage acne effectively, we want to (1) prevent it before it happens and (2) manage it when it comes.

Below are some gentle skin recommendations for fighting facial acne with a two-pronged approach- prevention & management.

One important but often neglected step on acne skin is exfoliation. The removal of dead skin cells can prevent future acne outbreaks by clearing your pores, keeping it fresh and clean.

Brightening Peel is a gentle AHA exfoliator that does the abovementioned and also removes blackheads, whiteheads and unplugs oil and bacteria that may result in acne.

It also contains Azelaic Acid which is clinically proven to help eradicate the bacteria associated with acne formation.

Widely used as an acne treatment, Salicylic acid is an oil-soluble beta hydroxy acid, that penetrates deep into the skin to unclog pores, remove excess oil, gently drying out pimples.

Saya Cleansing Gel has a small concentration of Salicylic Acid that works as a mild daily treatment for acne-prone skin by removing keratin plugs, dissolves excessive oils.

It is also anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial with Geranium Oil to help prevent breakouts from forming.

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