The Perennial Pimple

Are some pores just doomed? Some of us suffer with an unsweet spot where the same blemish pops up in the same place time after time. What’s going on here and what can be done about it?

Acne has bad manners and the permanent pimple notoriously so.  It’s an unwanted guest that was never welcome in the first place, absolutely determined to stay for-stinkin’-ever despite your best efforts. People occasionally do have individual oil glands that could house a seemingly permanent pimple but most of the time the causes are touching and picking in area that hasn’t sufficiently healed or a cyst that hasn’t completely resolved.

Pimple pathophysiology

The whole blemish blooming business usually takes 10 to 14 days before you actually see anything. When the perfect storm of oil, bacteria and keratinization (i.e. sticky dead skin cell debris) get together, it takes that long to rear its inflamed and ugly head. The timing on hormonal blemishes is about the same.  So when you’re doing detective work on a specific blemish, chances are it’s because of events from a week and a half ago.

Location, location, location

Certain areas of the face are more prone to breakouts than others. Hormonal acne (i.e. pre-period, peri-menopausal, menopausal, stress or polycystic ovary syndrome) is most common in the lower face around the mouth and chin. Though not necessarily discernable to the naked eye, the hairs growing in the chin area are thicker which directly convert cortisol into the androgens (i.e. male hormones) that contribute to acne formation.

Really though, the most common reason for recurrence is repeated pressure, rubbing or touching on a spot (aka acne mechanica). So if you find yourself always breaking out in the same place you rest your chin on your palm or where you hold your phone to your face, there’s your answer.

Picking your battles

Picking is a huge culprit because though it might appear that you’re squeezing out infected material, what you’re actually doing is rupturing the pore underneath and spreading the noxious gunk under the surface to other pores where it will, la voila!, grow into yet another breakout. Plus, when you pick, you’re introducing even more bacteria to the area.

What to do

Out with the bad habits and in with the good. Look at what touches your face and where. Get your hands off!  Make cleaning your phone every night with an anti-bacterial wipe and changing your pillow case twice a week part of your routine.

That said, even good habits, a solid skin care routine and slathering on the spot treatments might not necessarily dislodge a perpetual pimple for long term. Once one moves in, even with conscientious attention, you might need professional help to extract it, encourage healing and help fortify the skin in the surrounding area. After all, all your pores are in this together.

NO MORE PORE YOU – If you like the idea of fighting acne on all fronts, SKINxFIVE offers a special package we call our Acne Trio that includes The Refresher, The Infuser and The Spotless in a single appointment, all of which work synergistically on different acne factors.  Acne is a stubborn foe, however, so for best results you may want to schedule a money-saving Acne Trio five series; that’s one Trio every other week for ten weeks.  BOOK NOW

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Skin in the Gym

What good is working out if it means you’re going to be breaking out?

Here’s what to know and here’s what to do if your complexion spins out of control.

Are you plagued by Post-Pilates pimples? Après -Zumba zits?  Festering hot yoga face?  If so, you’re not alone.  For those who are prone to it, an all too common downside of intense, heat-generating workouts is stubborn and persistent acne.  Here’s why:

• Oil glands in overdrive – Heat and exertion can amp up oil production.
• Bacteria in the house – Nasty p. acnes responsible for red, inflammatory acne just loves the humid hothouse atmosphere at the gym. All that dripping sweat translates into more bacteria floating in the air and on the floor just waiting to lodge itself in your poor defenseless pores, feed on the oil it finds there and proliferate.
• Rubbing irritation – Equipment or straps that repeatedly rub or chafe can cause an actinic rash called acne mechanica.

Now, if you don’t experience workout breakouts – and some people don’t – no reason to keep reading. But if you’re unlucky or sensitive-skinned enough that you do, extra diligence is in order: AVA, CHRISTINE and KARRI-ANN, CHECK HERE AND MAKE SURE I’VE GOT EVERYTHING HERE. FILL IN THE BLANKS.

• Always bring your own clean towels and yoga mats to the gym or studio that you have laundered yourself.
• Before you work out, wash your face (and neck, chest and back if necessary) with WHAT KIND of cleanser. And don’t even think about wearing makeup during exertion.
• Before you work out, quickly wipe down surfaces (as in handlebars or your spin bike, your mat or whatever) with WHAT KIND of wipe.
• During your workout, try not to touch your face.
• During your workout at the halfway mark, towel off your face etc. with a WHAT KIND of wipe to get rid of sweat.
• Immediately after your workout (that is, while you’re still in there and before you pack up to leave) get the sweat off your face with another WHAT KIND of wipe.
• After your workout in the shower, wash your face with WHAT KIND of cleanser.
• After your workout if you’re dressing, grooming yourself and applying makeup in the gym, spread out a WHAT KIND of towelette on the counter surface and put your products on that. Do not place them directly onto any surface.
• Always remember it is easier to keep skin clear than to get skin clear.

TRIPLE CLEAR – Want to have your Sun Salutation and heat it too? SKINxFIVE offers a special package we call our Acne Trio that includes The Refresher, The Infuser and The Spotless in a single appointment, all of which work synergistically on different acne factors.  Acne is a stubborn foe, however, so for best results you may want to schedule a money-saving Acne Trio five series; that’s one Trio every two weeks for ten weeks.  BOOK NOW   

 

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When Your Face Goes to Pot

With more and more states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, more and more of our SKINxFIVE clients ask what this might mean for the state of their skin.

There’s no question that drug abuse (and that goes for alcohol too) wreaks havoc in skin in all sorts of nasty ways.  But what about the occasional recreational use of drugs, particularly marijuana? Any danger there?

As it happens, tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is a potent anti-inflammatory that has been shown to help reduce inflammation – the culprit behind everything from redness to multiple signs of aging – in skin tissue. In fact, there are presently new skin care lines on the market like NAME ONE and NAME ANOTHER containing a hallucinogen-free version THC that are quite good.

THC-infused topical lotions and balms like NAME ONE can also provide temporary comfort from pain and soreness when rubbed into the skin and with no psychoactive effect.

Burning question

This all comes with an important caveat, however, and that regards the delivery system. Anything burning near the face that produces smoke – from hand-rolled joints to bong hits – also produces harmful nano particles that can absorb into the skin and trigger a free radical cascade of tissue degenerating oxidation.  In plain English, this means it’ll speed up the signs of aging. Also, anything producing smoke or vapor going to cause the eyes to squint (hello crow’s feet) and the mouth to pucker (hiya prune lines around the lips). So if you are going to partake, I would suggest sticking to edibles or oils.

This brings us to the last issue and that is cravings brought on by the dreaded munchies. As strains become increasingly more potent, so too do the munchies punches they deliver. Those après-indulgence fast food, sweet treats and sugary snacks can be truly terrible for your skin for causing acne and inflammation if you are so inclined. While I suppose it is possible, I’ve never heard anyone say, “Oh I was so high last night I just couldn’t stay away from the celery sticks!” I’m afraid I don’t know a way around this but consider yourself warned before looking in the mirror in the weeks and months to come as you just say, “Oh no!”

KICK BACK AND RELAX – Want to piggyback SKINxFIVE’s The Refresher and The Infuser for the ultimate antioxidant treat? Done and done. BOOK NOW 

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4 Things You Didn’t Know About Botox

Will wonders never cease?  Ever since they arrived on the rejuvenation scene in the 1990s, Botox and it’s neuromodulator brethren have been redefining faces. But their powers don’t just stop at releasing the lines of movement for a few months; researchers keep finding out more benefits. Here are some biggies you’ll be happy to learn.

FLASH QUIZ

Question:  Aside from ending in the letter ‘X’, what do Kleenex, Xerox and Botox have in common?

Answer:  All are proprietary eponyms, that is, specific brand names that have become synonymous with their categories in common usage regardless of brand.  For example, no one ever says, “I’m about to sneeze, please pass me the facial tissue” but “Hand over the Kleenex, pronto!”

Honey, BoNT

For example, the term Botox® (a registered trademark of Allergan) has come to mean all prescription injectable neuromodulator wrinkle releasers in the minds of the general public. (Some people mistakenly confuse it for fillers too which it most definitely is not.) But for the record, at SKINxFIVE, we also use the equally excellent neuromodulator Dysport® (a registered trademark of Ipsen Biopharm Limited). So for the sake of this posting, we’re going to refer to both by their scientific abbreviation BoNT (a benign derivative of the botulinum toxin) for their active ingredient.

For the last few decades, researchers have been busy looking into BoNT.  The fact that it works to dry out hyperhidrosis (sweaty armpits, feet and hands) and treat cluster migraines, in addition to its original ophthalmological applications of treating tics and crossed eyes, got a lot of press. But BoNT has a few more effects on skin physiology that are intriguing too:

• It can work over time

According to the clinical study done in 2011, a series of BoNT injections over time offers a significant diminishment of existing wrinkles and helps prevent new ones in addition to delivering temporary smoothness; in other words, those getting regular touch-ups will require less and less material to achieve their desired result.

• It can help ease the mood

Oftentimes, the glabellar fold (aka the dreaded ‘elevenses’) between the brows can impart an angry look to the face even on those who are not angry. An intriguing study done in 2010, showed that after BoNT injections, a significant number of clinically depressed subjects felt somewhat less blue.  This is likely due to a positive feedback loop rather than properties of the material itself. That is, a face that is pleasant and looks relaxed encourages a pleasant reaction in others as versus a sourpuss expression that triggers a negative response. The more positive reactions the depressed subjects experienced from others, the less depressed they felt.

• It may increase collagen production

A study done in 2012 showed that BoNT might have a stimulating effect on collagen formation, the connective tissue that gives spring its youthful spring and bounce. But the researchers posit that this tightening may be because of the needle pricks that cause micro-bruises that initiate growth factors leading to collagen synthesis. We’re not sure yet, but either way, those who have experienced this ‘mini-lift’ are mighty pleased.

• It can help clear acne

According to the study, conducted by Chicago dermatologist Anil Shah, M.D., BoNT injections can reduce pore size and lower sebum (oil) production just as it can dry up sweat gland production. Anecdotally, we’ve noticed this too at SKINxFIVE. A client will come in to get her crow’s feet treated but then notice that blemishes on her forehead have cleared up. It doesn’t happen for everyone but often enough that we’ve noticed it.

SMOOTH WORK – Want to reap the benefits of BoNT delivered with a skilled touch to look perfectly natural (and naturally perfect)? SKINxFIVE’s The Lineless will see you now. BOOK NOW

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Hangover Help for Your Skin

Last night’s partying was a blast. This morning’s brutal headache, Mojave-dry mouth and ashen face in the mirror, not so much. Here’s what to do to make the best of the worst.

A hangover is proof positive that nothing, but nothing, in life is free . . . and that’s especially true for fun. In addition to feeling awful you’ve suddenly aged a century overnight with dry, haggard skin that looks sallow and dull. And sorry to be the bearer of bad news here but these symptoms can last up to three miserable days if you don’t take care.

Sorrows from grain and the grape
No matter if spirits or wine, excessive alcohol can really do a number on your complexion including:

• Raise cortisol levels:  Cortisol is a stress hormone that will make anything going on with your skin even worse, including acne, excessive oil, rosacea and eczema.
• Dehydrate something fierce: Alcohol sucks all of the water out of the cells so they shrivel up. On the skin, this means the surface will be very dry, itchy, flaky and ashy.

The hydration situation
Your job is to re hydrate not just your skin but your whole body. Here’s how:

•   Drink coconut water: At least how much per day for how many days drink coconut water or an electrolyte solution like LyteShow. Stay away of electrolyte sports drinks though because they can pack in as much sugar as sweet soft drinks that rather negates the whole effort to get healthier.
• Lightly exfoliate: Each day for three days in a row, do some mild exfoliation (with a fine scrub or electronic brush) and follow with a moisturizing mask.
• Befriend the H₂O: While you’re wearing your moisturizing mask, drink 12 oz. of water.
• Work the body lotion: On all areas of your body where you’re prone to itching, slather on a body lotion or cream that has a lot of ingredient in it.  Name specific product/brand is always a good choice.

 

I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE’S HAVING – Feeling like a dog’s dinner and looking worse?  The Infuser will sweep away the old dry cells clouding up your face while thoroughly rehydrating your skin to renew.  BOOK NOW

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Glow vs. Grease

If both a hydrated glow to the complexion is the opposite of dry skin and oily skin is the opposite of dry skin, does this mean glow and grease are the same thing? WRONG-O! They’re as different as oil and water.

While difficult to define exactly, we all know glow when we see it. Science has no such problem though because it knows precisely how to describe the phenomenon.

Defined by the light

Says our own Ava Shamban, M.D., dermatologist, skin researcher and founder of SKINxFIVE, “Glow is simply physics, that is, an even reflection of light. On a smooth surface (imagine a piece of glass), light bounces back whereas on a rough one (think shingles on a rooftop) the light is absorbed.

“When you look at the stratum corneum (that is, the uppermost skin layer that is exposed to the outside),” Dr. Shamban continues, “On young, healthy skin under the microscopic, the cells lay down flat and smooth. It’s that smoothness that creates the reflective glow we love so much.”

Moisture in the picture

Along with smoothness, young healthy cells are plump with water, aka hydration. (‘Hydro’ is the Greek root word for water.) So when the skin is dry, the cells shrivel and the stratum corneum peels off unevenly like dry paint.

Now the problem with water is that just splashed on the surface it doesn’t absorb all that well into the cells and evaporates off. That’s where oils (in the form of natural sebum, topical lipids or moisturizers) come in. Oil, in and of itself, does not actually moisturize; what it does do is hold water in the skin. (Other moisturizing compounds do supplement water in the skin but that is a posting for another day.)

Under the microscope, a greasy complexion that shows slick on the face to the naked eye shows a high density of sebaceous glands when magnified. To be sure, oily skin seals in hydration better than dry skin does because it acts like a shield that prevents evaporation. And it too will reflect light but unpleasantly so like an oil spill on a mechanic’s garage. So as counter intuitive as it sounds, oily complexions can still be lacking water and still be rough and dehydrated as a consequence which means that they need moisturizers too.

GLOWING ON, FIGHTING SLICK – For the dry and the dull, nothing works better than The Infuser to slough off the rough and deliver the glow. For those burdened by grease, If you want to balance out your skin and help shrink your overactive oil glands, The Spotless can do the trick (and then, yes, you can have The Infuser right after and enjoy spectacular results).  BOOK NOW    

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The Anti-Acne/Anti-Aging Treatment Connection

A funny thing happened on the way to the pursuit of younger-looking skin. Back in the day researchers discovered that a rejuvenating topical also helped clear acne as well.  And more recently, studies on an acne-clearing laser showed that it, in turn, left skin looking younger.  So what’s the connection between acne and aging?

One of the most exciting breakthroughs in dermatology history happened by accident. About 30 years ago, during clinical trials testing the anti-inflammatory acne-fighting qualities of topical Retin-A, researchers noticed something they never expected to find.  In addition to clearing acne, the compound had a unique side effect . . . a significant reduction of fine lines, deeper wrinkles and pigment irregularity in test subjects. Since then Retin-A and its retinol cousins have been cornerstones of topical treatments for both skin breakouts and skin breakdown.

Flash forward to 20 years ago when testing the Smoothbeam diode laser for its skin rejuvenation capabilities, happy happenstance happened again. But this time it occurred in the reverse; this time it was the skin rejuvenation technology that demonstrated a marked ability to clear red blemishes. And today – you got it – the low energy diode laser is used with great effectiveness treating both.

Share and share alike

Logically, it doesn’t make much sense that these two disparate conditions can be solved with the same treatments. After all, acne is primarily a scourge of the young or youngish (although we now know today there is no upper age limit), while aging skin is the territory of those who are, well, aging. But physiologically, they share something significant and that is inflammation.

Skin inflammation is skin enemy #1. Inflammatory molecules are released after both unprotected sun exposure (the primary factor in extrinsic aging) and from acne lesions. Therefore by fighting the inflammation – whether by laser treatments, chemical peels and infusions plus applications of antioxidants – we can effectively diminish both the signs of aging and red acne breakouts.

BEAM ME EVEN – Want to amp up your topical antioxidant routine to more effectively clear acne bumps and/or aging lines? The Spotless, our efficacious low energy laser, works wonders in calming the inflammation that contributes to both.   BOOK NOW

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