• Hormonal Changes
  Menstruation, pregnancy and stopping or starting birth control pills can contribute.
• Heredity
  Many woman and men are genetically predisposed to acne
• Cosmetics
  Oil based makeup can clog pores
• Stress
  It can cause flare-ups in some people
• Prescription Drugs
  Certain medication may trigger acne. Ask your physician or pharmacist if a drug you’re taking could have this side effect.
• Environment
  Irritant, such as pollution and high humidity, can worsen acne

What treatments are there to use?

• Benzoyl peroxide
  This is an acne-fighting agent found in OTC cream, gels and soaps. It improves mild cases of acne by limiting the formation of new blackheads and white heads, and should be applied daily.
• Salicylic acid
  This is an OTC ingredient found in acne cleaners, gels and creams. It helps unclog pores and prevents new blemishes. This treatment is best for mild to moderate acne and must be used continuously or pores may re-clog
• Antibiotics
  These are used to treat moderate to severe cases. They slow the growth of acne and reduce inflammation. Antibiotics may be prescribed as topical creams, gels, lotions, or oral medications.
• Retinoids (Retin-A, Avita or Tazorac)
  These are prescribed for moderate to severe acne. These vitamin A creams unclog pores and help skin cells shed. Tazorac is the most potent topical product for severe acne.
• Isotretinion (Accutane)
  This is an oral medicine that treats severe nodular or cystic acne. It works by reducing the level of oil on the skin. Accutane is often effective when other treatments fail, but it may cause serious side effects, including birth defects should you become pregnant while on the medication or immediately after therapy stops.

How can I prevent acne?

• Seek a doctor’s care early if over-the-counter (OTC) treatments aren’t effective
• Don’t scrub skin too vigorously, since it may make acne worse
• Shampoo often if you have oily hair
• Avoid alcohol-based astringents, which may irritate inflamed skin
• Use oil-free or noncomedogenic (non-pore-clogging) cosmetics
• Keep your hands away from your face

• Oily skin
• Combination skin (normal to dry/normal to oily)
• Dry skin

No matter what your skin type is. There are 5 basic steps to beautiful skin. They are, in no particular order:

• Cleansing
• Exfoliation and Masks
• Toning
• Special Treatments (Anti-aging)
• Moisturising

I will briefly explain each step.

1. Cleansing
Cleansing is usually a 2 step process. Firstly you need to clean the eye area. This can only be done with ophthalmologist tested eye make up remover. The reason for this is that you can not use your basic facial cleanser on your eye area. The skin around the eye is very thin and delicate and thus needs to be cleansed with a product specially made for the eye. After cleaning the eye area you can use your facial cleanser to clean the rest of your face, making sure that you avoid the eye area. This process needs to be done twice every day. Once in the morning and once at night!

2. Exfoliation and Masks
The exfoliator and mask can be alternated each twice per week. Exfoliating helps remove dead skin cells and improves the skins texture. Masks functions differ from skin type to skin type. Masks absorb access surface oils leaving the skin feeling smoother, tighter and fresh. We also have a mask for dry skin that adds moisture to the skin. The exfoliator or mask can be used after cleanings.

3. Toning
Toning finishes the cleaning process by removing the last of the dirt. While we clean our face the pores open up to let all the impurities out. The toner then closes the pores to its natural state and prepares the skin for the treatments and moisturiser to come. This will be done every morning and evening after cleansing.

4. Special Treatments
Special treatments usually include your age prevention or age control creams. These creams are usually categorized either by age or certain skin problems. These products can be used daily or with intervals as recommended.

5. Moisturiser/Nourishes
Every Morning you need to moisturise with a day cream. These creams usually contains SPF protection and protects the skin against UVA and UVB rays and add moisture to the skin which protect the skin against the threat of premature ageing. You need to nourish at night with a night cream.