It can be really difficult to get good advice on what you should do if you have acne. Galderma, the manufacturer of Benzac AC^® is pleased to provide you with advice on acne written by a leading Australian dermatologist,

Dr Anne O’Neill.

"It’s easy to think that a new crop of pimples is due to the chips and chocolate you had on the weekend or that you’ve been a bit slack with the beauty routine lately – it’s not!

 

Before you cover your zits with makeup and try and hide them, remember that there’s a medical reason for acne and that it’s treatable.

 

From puberty on, the skin’s oil glands really pump out the grease and oil. Bacteria really love this! Get rid of it morning and night with a gentle skin cleanser. Be careful though as harsh medicated washes may irritate your skin and make your pimples look worse.

 

Along with the extra oil, the cells that line the pores of your skin get sticky and these can clog up the pores themselves. This is a blackhead. If more oil and cells build up behind the blackhead, eventually the pore bursts and bacteria then helps make a pimple.

So the trick is to start early and unblock the pores before the pimples appear. Your pharmacist may suggest benzoyl peroxide gel to be put on the acne prone skin at bedtime.

 

If you’ve got lots of pimples your doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic or antibiotic lotion to be applied to the skin, often with a retinoid, vitamin A like cream that is easily put on at night. For severe acne, a dermatologist may need to give specialist advice.

 

Don’t expect overnight miracles – it takes about 10 weeks of daily treatment before your skin really starts to look better. So stop covering those zits and get treating them – you’ll love what you see."

 

Dr Anne O’Neill,
Dermatologist – Sydney