ACNE! Puberty is to blame you know!

At whatever age we “hit” puberty, changes happen in our skin. These changes can produce noticeable external changes and for some (the lucky ones) the changes may be imperceptible.

Treating teenage acne is best done by understanding why it is there……………..

Some scattered Anatomy & physiology notes:

The epidermis is protected by an external layer of dead, dry, tightly knit cells (outer stratum corneum) arranged like shingles on a roof. Any disruption interferes with this protective barrier, wrenching cells away from each other and results in dehydration, roughness, irritation and noticeable flaking. Skin is left defenceless and susceptible to further environmental damage.

The pores of our skin are made up of a combination of oil and sweat glands helping to keep our skin healthy and elastic. During puberty, the increased levels of sex hormones stimulate sebum and oil production, pores increase in number and dilate with the increase in hair growth. An excessive amount of sebum secretion is associated with oily skin and acne and a raise in the skin’s pH.

The importance of the skin’s pH and the acid mantle: The acid mantle is a slightly acidic layer of the skin. It is our body’s first defence mechanism against bacteria invading it. This layer develops at puberty and causes the pH to decrease to about 5.5 from the childhood 7 (normal)

A bacteria, Propionibacterium Acnes (p. acnes) normally lives on the skin, with or without the presence of acne. However, in individuals prone to acne, the number of P.acnes is greatly increased. It has been found that the growth of these bacteria is very dependant on the pH value of the skin and its growth is at its minimum at the normal skin pH of 5.5. A slight shift towards the alkaline will help it to thrive and when the skin is alkaline there is also an associated increase in sweat production & the skin will feel dry.

So it’s all about maintaining a normal skin surface pH!

Sound Simple?

It is..relatively! There are some rules to help you………

Don’t use soaps; they are alkaline, raising the skin’s pH and will also dry out your skin. They remove the acid mantle and kill off essential epidermal microflora which actually helps to keep the acid mantle healthy! It takes 14 hours for the body to restore the acid mantle; probably time for another wash!

This is also why scrubs are not good for your skin.

Don’t use makeups which clog your pores: DO use a mineral makeup.

Do: use naturally citric and lactic acid products. These will adjust and normalise your pH as well as restore health to the stratum corneum – mending those shingles!

Do: use moisturises with a low pH: slightly acidic will help restore skin hydration. However, if your skin is irritated and sore it needs soothing antioxidants before any moisturiser can work well.

A good diet, low in sugar and yeast; these two have been shown to change surface skin pH.

Drink plenty of water, and use a UV block every day. UV damage your skin like nothing else!

Those of you who love long hot showers; you are damaging your acid mantle, opening your pores and the result will be more p.acnes and …….more pimples!

Exercise junkies & those who sweat a lot; wash with a pH balancer as soon as you can…even the girls!

Want more info? Come and see me or email me! Adult acne? Is a little different so come and see me!