Acne News

We’re seeing a lot of enquiries and skin issues directly related to makeup so I thought of sharing some do’s and don’ts that will help prevent your favourite-holy-grail-can’t-leave-the-house-without makeup from giving you problems.

Past its prime, the makeup that you love can actually cause acne and skin irritation. We’ve found that the dye used in certain makeup is also a major culprit in pigmentation on the cheekbones.

How and where you keep it is half the battle won.

A cool area that is exposed to minimal sunlight would mean your makeup does not break down so quickly into its chemcial derivatives (which are always a non no for skin). Keep your bottles and jars closed after use, exposure to air often causes oxidation (darking of the makeup) and possible contamination.

Next, consider the next couple of tips:

• If you use makeup with retinol, the retinol will “expire” and stop being effective in about 4 weeks. The good news is that you can still use it and there will not be side effects, the bad news is that you won’t be able to derive the benefits of the retinol ingredient.

• Interestingly, mascara is the item on your counter (or in the handbag)  with the shortest lifespan and the highest susceptibility to bacterial contamination. A good rule of thumb would be to replace it every three months. Never share, no good ever comes out of that.

• As a rule of thumb, you should replace creamy products sooner than powders. Your cream blush, foundation and concealer should last about a year.  Oil-based foundation, however, lasts longer than water-based - up to 18 months.

• Facial powder, eye shadow, and powder blush, and powders in general – are among the longest-lasting items in your medicine cabinet, and should last for two to three years. Another reason why mineral makeup is all the rage.

• Eyeliners and lipliners are good for up to three years, sharpen before using.

• Last but not least, the world’s greatest invention. Lipstick! This should stay with you for a good three years, until another shade becomes the in thing!

Also, if you notice a change in colour, odour or texture of the makeup, it usually means its time to replace. Not doing so may cause a lot of unnecessary skin issues as time goes by, we’ve seen clients with acne, pigmentation and uneven skin tone issues that could be traced back to unknowingly using expired makeup.

Lastly, the tools that you use. Wash your makeup brushes and sponges and replace sponges regularly. Lay brushes flat to dry as standing them upright may cause rust on the metal portions and decay in the wooden handles. Brushes are a hotbead for microbacterial activity and that itself, is an acne causing possibility.

Special: Pure Minerals, Pure Results.

First ten readers of this entry get a free colour match with our Skin Iredale Mineral Makeup. We’re having special promo sets up to 20% off the usual price, call now and give mineral makeup a go. We have a full testing counter and free makeup gifts for all who make a mineral makeup purchase in the months of Jan and Feb.

birth control and acne

Yes you must have heard or read about this one; contraceptive pills can help acne.

It’s true but before you start buying some, you need to know which ones to look for.

Most birth control pills contain both estrogen and progestin (synthetic progesterone).

Progestins can act either as androgens (that is, they can act like male hormones) or as anti-androgens (which means that they block male hormones); androgens trigger oil glands to produce sebum, thus worsening acne. That’s why birth control pills work for acne management, due to their anti-androgenic makeup.

SO if you’re looking for pills that could help with acne as well, you can look at the labels for brands that contain progestins with less androgenic activity such as norgestimate, norethindrone, desogestrel, ethynodiol, or levonorgestrel.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep, and Yaz are all approved pills you can consider. Another option, Yasmin, is similar to Yaz (they both contain drospirenone, another anti-androgen) but not specifically approved for the treatment of acne.

Not everyone may necessarily like the idea of using birth control pills to control oil production and improve acne, while I think it’s perfectly fine, I also like to think that there are other more elegant methods to treat such as retinol, alpha hydroxy acids, and salicylic acid, for example, are also important treatment tools.

Besides,  where birth control pills are concerned, they typically take three to six months to really start working and not many people with more serious acne would like to wait for such an extended period – another reason that you’ll want to use other approaches simultaneously.

Special: 50% off acne treatments for the first 10 readers of this post.

It is a link that I discovered during our consultations; the products that we use to wash and treat our hair is a factor in causing breakouts.

This is why. Many hair products contain acne-causing ingredients such as isopropyl myristate (a chief culprit), coconut oil and other natural oils, silicone derivatives and petrolatum, all of which clog pores.

If you experience breakouts and acne, avoid these when you go shopping by looking at the labels. You can also look for products labeled “oil-free” or “noncomedogenic.”

Whatever conditioner you choose, try what I do; I always wash my face after rinsing my hair. This ensures any potentially irritating ingredients are not left on the skin.

If you use hair-styling products,  keep hair off the face with clips. If you are troubled by acne, try washing your hair product out before bed. Changing pillowcases frequently is another good way to avoid transferring hair products - an

d the dirt that can settle in your hair over the course of the day - to your skin.

Finally, try to avoid using hair-styling products when you know you’ll be exercising or perspiring. As you perspire, there’s a higher likelihood that those products will reside onto your skin and trigger breakouts.

Reader Special: 10% off all PHYTO haircare products that we carry in-store. PHYTO is a french botanical based range for hair and is to tresses what CLARINS is to skin, pure plant extracts and brilliant for sensitive scalps and diminishing follicles.