How to Treat & Prevent Severe Acne
This post is part of a comprehensive series on Acne. To start at the beginning, click here.
SEVERE ACNE is when your sebaceous glands are working overtime and the results are clogged, inflamed pores. These clogged pores are very difficult to open and inflammation starts to work its way down into the deeper layers of the skin. This is where several pores will join together under the surface of the skin and become infected causing pustules, nodules & cysts.
This level of acne will require you to go beyond just a topical treatment, however it is important to maintain an acne treatment with home products.
Treating Severe Acne:
Unlike moderate acne you are going to need to add to your skincare regime either prescribed medication to slow down the sebaceous glands &/or clinical treatments. It is very important to maintain a daily skincare regime to keep the skin healthy.
Step 1: Cleanse the skin from grease and oil.
Use our gentle Enzyme Cleanser twice a day to keep your skin clean and oil free. You do not want to use a harsh cleanser as other treatments that you are doing will be hard on the skin and you do not want to add to the irritation.
Step 2: Kill the bacteria & help keep pores open.
Use Wasabi Gel with niacinamide (vitamin B3), micro-encapsulated salicylic acid, wasabi, and hyaluronic acid. This is our “work horse” when it comes to moderate & severe acne. These ingredients will not only help to open the pores and keep them open, but it will also kill the acne “p” bacteria and slow down the production of sebum, all while helping keep the skin hydrated with hyaluronic acid. This part of acne care is usually missed in other brands of treatments. The strong ingredients necessary to keep the pores open are also drying and hard on the skin. Hyaluronic acid helps to counteract those issues.
Step 3: Reduce inflammation & swelling.
Use Wasabi Toner with niacinamide several times a day, along with Pink Silk at night, which contains super anti-inflammatory antioxidant Astaxanthin. These will reduce redness, hydrate and protect the skin from free radicals without clogging pores.
Step 4: Use sunscreen to keep redness and inflammation at bay.
Using acne ingredients can make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s harmful rays, so it’s especially important to wear a facial sunscreen that won’t clog pores, like our Ultra Shield 30 Moisturizer.
Recommended Products for Severe Acne:
Along with topical products for Severe Acne there are many clinical treatments you may want to research and discuss with a dermatologist or clinical esthetician to see which might be the best fit for you:
- Birth Control Pills
- Hormonal Treatments
- Oral Antibiotics
- Light & Laser Treatments
- Chemical Peels, Microdermabrasion, Facials
