Acne 101
Millions of teenagers AND adults struggle to control and/or prevent persistent acne. Yet, ONLY 10% of all acne sufferers ever seek any professional help! Some of the reasons for not seeking professional support is the perception that acne is embarrassing, it’s not taken seriously as a condition that requires professional treatment, and/or because previous attempts of treating acne may have failed.
Acne Vulgaris is a common human skin disease, characterized by areas of skin with blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, cysts/nodules and possibly scarring.
Acne “mostly” affects skin with the densest population of sebaceous follicles. These areas include the face, the upper part of the chest, and the back. It is an inherited disorder of the pores, that want to sludge up with dead skin cells.
There are two main types of acne: non-inflamed acne and inflamed acne. Some people may have a combination of the two.
“Blackheads and Whiteheads” in this graphic are examples of non-inflamed acne; “Papules, Pustules, and Nodules (Cysts) are examples of inflamed acne.
Normal pores shed about one layer of dead skin cells per day inside the pore. The acne-prone pore sheds up to five layers of dead skin cells per day and the skin just can’t keep up. This dysfunction in our hair follicles is called Retention Hyperkeratosis. We “retain hyper-exfoliating” skin cells in our hair follicles, which forms microcomedones (aka - a plug of sticky skin) which then becomes the beginning of both inflamed (papules, pustules and cysts) AND non-inflamed acne (blackheads and “texture” without redness).
Acne Is Treatable!
Key things to know……
Acne CAN NOT be “cured” - it can be successfully treated! Which means, those of us with acne have to maintain good skincare AFTER our skin is clear in order to keep it clear.
Skin is adaptable - which means we need the right products that and a strategic plan to prevent adaptation to those products that get lasting results.
Commitment is essential - you must be consistent in your regimen with the “right” products and guidance. Deviating from the recommend plan can affect results.
Patience is a virtue! - it takes at minimum 4-6 months to get skin to clear (for most people).
The Acne Lab’s purpose is to guide clients through the process of getting skin clear WITHOUT the use of antibiotics or harsh topicals. We are kinda awesome at it! Just see what our clients are saying about us. The Acne Lab Reviews
