Banish the blemish

According to Clearskincare founder Philippa McCaffrey, 40 per cent of Australian women will experience adult acne at some point during their lives, even those who manage to slip through their teens with barely a blemish.

Although causes vary from hormonal to stress, lifestyle, genetics, infection and diet or a combination of all these factors, the impact on the sufferer, from the teenager to the middle-aged, can be socially and emotionally devastating.

Many sufferers opt to try naturally treating the condition while others turn to hormone- influencing medication and antibiotics.

Brooke Venables, a consulting naturopath at Mi:skn Holistic Skin Clinic in Highgate, specialises in treating acne naturally. She suffered years of acne and rosacea in her twenties.

She treats acne sufferers using a multi-pronged, holistic approach, which combines diet modifications with natural medicines, hormone balancing, corrective skincare and LED treatments.

“My general approach is that you can’t effectively treat the outside if you don’t treat the inside too, ” she says.

Ms Venables says she always requests that her clients have blood and hormone-level saliva tests prior to conducting treatment and once those results have been analysed she then decides on the best treatment plan.

She says the LED topical treatment uses a blue and red light to treat the skin. One light targets the acne and the other boosts collagen production and supports the skin’s healing process.

Karen Skewes, of Le Beau Day Spa in Kardinya, says she treats a lot of clients with skin problems and acne and that she always stresses to them that it takes time and commitment to see real, long-term results.

“I warn them that their skin will probably get worse before it gets better and that they will need to persevere if they want to see long-term results, ” she says.

Le Beau promotes a two-step program for acne and problematic skin — using Pelactive, a lactic acid treatment made by premium skincare brand Thalgo, and a post-salon algae treatment to be used at home.

She always recommends that her patients take spirulina for internal cleansing as it acts as an internal cleanser for the body.

Dr McCaffrey, whose Clearskincare clinics specialise in treating acne, scarring and pigmentation, uses a process known as SGA to treat pimples, acne and breakouts.

“SGA uses an ultra-fine probe to penetrate and deactivate overactive sebaceous glands that cause blackheads, pimples and cysts, ” she explains.

“Most of our clients are adults with chronic treatment-resistant acne who have tried every available treatment, with either temporary or no improvement in their acne and breakouts.

“SGA eliminates acne, breakouts and pimples permanently without using any drugs or products and the treatment has no side effects.”

Can toothpaste help?

On a tight budget or caught on the hop without your usual array of skin care products? Karen Skewes says a dab of toothpaste overnight will work wonders on clearing up that blemish without splashing out on expensive treatments.

Chocolate is bad!

Convinced that chocolate giving you pimples really is a myth? Not totally, according to Brooke Venables. A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates and lacking in vegetables and protein can lead to pimples and breakouts and should be eaten in moderation.

Grab a lemon

Try using lemon juice as an acne remedy. Cut a lemon in half and gently rub the open side on to the acne or pimple. Lemons contain citric acid which attacks the bacteria that can cause acne.

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