Acne and rosacea affect millions of Australians and can cause significant physical and emotional distress. Feelings of embarrassment, lack of confidence and loss of hope can effect sufferers, especially for people that have had the condition for a long time.
The positive news is that there is hope to help manage these skin conditions. The challenge can be finding the solution that is right for you, especially when there are hundreds of gimmicks claiming to be “cure all” solution. Even worse, many treatments may make your condition worse or trigger serious side effects.
In this article, we look at a selection of common treatments available and how AMPERNA® products can help.
Acne and Rosacea
Acne
Acne affects up to 85% of people in Australia (90% of the world populate is affected by acne) and occurs when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. Whiteheads, blackheads or pimples can appear on the face, chest, upper back and shoulders. Scarring may occur in severe cases of acne.
Need help with your acne or rosacea. Read Skincare Coaching for Acne & Rosacea.
Rosacea
Rosacea is another common skin condition predominately affecting the face. It can manifest as redness, small bumps and visible blood vessels. Rosacea can be mistaken for acne due to the production of small, red, pus-filled bumps.
Both of these conditions can affect anyone, but for rosacea, it is more common in middle-aged women who have light skin.
Many sufferers of rosacea claim the keto diet has helped their condition.
The First Step in Helping These Conditions
If you have been diagnosed with either of these skin conditions, determining the cause and seeking out the best treatment options available will be the first step. One of the questions you may have is who to ask for help. Dermatologists, doctors, pharmacists, naturopaths, doctors, beauticians, bloggers and skin care brands all offer a variety of information.
As a start, it is a good idea to establish a nurturing skin care routine that you can follow every day.
Good skin care starts with:
- A good cleansing & moisturising routine
- Protecting your skin from the sun
Start with mild cleansers and moisturisers to help restore the barrier function of your skin. When selecting these base products, look for claims such as “natural, organic, gentle and designed for sensitive skin”. It is also a good idea to introduce a gentle exfoliator to remove dead skin cells, allowing moisturisers to better penetrate the skin.
Once you are following a good skin care routine, you can explore which options are best to help manage your condition.
Remember starting a new skincare treatment containing active ingredients designed to boost skin cell turnover can mean that you purge for a while.
Common treatment options
Acne treatments
Depending on what is causing your acne, your treatment options will differ.
Common treatments are:
- Topical antibiotics (applied directly to skin) or oral (swallowed). These options can help to ease inflammation and fight acne-causing bacteria in the skin.
- For people with severe acne, Isotretinoin (Vitamin A) is often prescribed (commonly known as Accutane). This medication is thought to treat acne by drying out the skin, making it a less inviting place for acne-causing and acne-promoting microbes to flourish. Thousands of people take this medication every year and there is a lot of conversation about the serious side effects. A recent media release links the drug with a number of deaths. View the footage here: https://www.channel4.com/news/acne-drug-linked-to-at-least-14-deaths-this-year, whilst other releases such as this report: https://www.hcplive.com/view/isotretinoin-not-associated-depression-acne-patients suggest there is not an increased risk. With such controversy surrounding this treatment, it is critical to do your research and talk to the experts.
- Light therapy is sometimes used to treat mild to moderate acne. Acne.org.au state that biophotonic therapy works best on inflammatory acne.
- Steroid medications are sometimes prescribed. They can be administered in a range of ways: orally, with an inhaler, by injection, as drops for eyes or ears or as a cream applied topically to the skin. A major side effect of this treatment can be steroid withdrawal. Topical steroid addiction/withdrawal sometimes referred to as ‘red skin syndrome’, can occur when frequently using or misusing moderate to high potency corticosteroids then stopping.
- Certain contraceptive pills can help by regulating hormones.
- Lifestyle and diet changes
- Topical probiotics for acne
If you use active and/or prescription skincare it is very important to protect your skin from the sun.
Rosacea treatments
- Identify and avoid the triggers. This could be certain foods, alcohol or sun exposure.
- To reduce mild cases of redness, you may be prescribed a cream or gel. Examples are Brimonidine (Mirvaso) and oxymetazoline (Rhofade) that help to constrict blood vessels. Unfortunately, this is only be a short-term fix so the medication needs to be applied on a regular basis.
- Drugs such as azelaic acid (Azelex, Finacea), metronidazole (Metrogel, Noritate) and ivermectin (Soolantra) help to control the pimples but not the redness.
- Oral antibiotics such as doxycycline (Oracea) may be prescribed for moderate to severe rosacea.
- For severe cases, oral acne drugs such as isotretinoin may be prescribed, but it comes with a warning of potential side effects.
- Light therapy is sometimes used to treat mild rosacea. It can help to reduce the redness of enlarged blood vessels.
- Topical Probiotics for Rosacea
How AMPERNA® Helps
AMPERNA® products can help acne and rosacea through the power of probiotics.
Probiotics work in a similar way to antibiotics in the treatment of acne and rosacea, with the advantage of not killing off the “good bacteria”.
When applied directly to the skin they create a “bacterial interference" and their antimicrobial properties mean they can kill bad bacteria that is responsible for triggering inflammation.
The hero ingredient in the AMPERNA® range is the active probiotic complex, Lactococcus ferment lysate. This probiotic complex helps support the skin barrier; helping to protect you from aggressors such as environmental pollutants, helps keep your immune system in check and helps reduce inflammation. It acts as a protective layer on the skin, helps boost healthy looking skin and helps calm & soothe skin.
Recent studies have found that probiotic supplements and probiotic skin care can help to effectively reduce total acne lesion counts and help decrease oil production over a 12-week period. (Source: aad.org)
For people suffering with acne the entire AMPERNA® range is suitable. In fact, the products were formulated because AMPERNA® founder Kiri struggled with pustular acne herself.
For people suffering with rosacea, the entire AMPERNA® product range can help:
- AMPERNA® Ultra Gentle Soothing Cleanser is a light gel cleanser specifically formulated with rosacea prone skin in mind. This ultra gentle formulation contains an infusion of sage and cucumber extracts to cool, soothe and nourish skin. It rinses clean without leaving an irritating residue or upsetting pH levels.
- AMPERNA® Probiotic+ DS Soothing Serum helps to reduce the appearance of redness as well as cooling and soothing irritated skin. The zinc and copper gluconates help to limit bacterial proliferation and replenish the skin barrier.
AMPERNA® has been internationally-recognised by the skincare industry for the effectiveness of the products.
The skincare is holistic and effective, driven by Kiri’s deep personal understanding of the challenges faced by having problem skin. The ingredients in AMPERNA® help create the perfect conditions for your skin to shine. They contain only the necessary base ingredients plus skin-changing actives, such as a probiotic complex, glycolic acid and vitamins B and C. All free from nasties, including but not limited to: sulfates, parabens, aluminium, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colours and bleaches.
If you suffer from acne or rosacea and want to learn more, visit https://amperna.com/.
Sources:
https://www.channel4.com/news/acne-drug-linked-to-at-least-14-deaths-this-year
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rosacea/symptoms-causes/syc-20353815
https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/an-update-on-the-treatment-of-rosacea
https://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2003/06/26/1827982.htm
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/rosacea
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/rosacea
https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/may/rosacea/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rosacea/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353820
