6 common skin concerns and how to treat them

We’ve all be sucked into the latest skincare craze or trending ingredient, but it’s important to understand your skin, what your common skin concerns are and how to deal with them. Let us take you through a bunch of the different skin concerns most of us experience at some point of our lives.       

Sensitive + Inflamed Skin

A sensitive and inflamed skin may have the following

• acne vulgaris
• contact dermatitis or
• rosacea.  

Let’s take a deeper look at these.

Acne Vulgaris

Acne is a condition of the pilosebaceous unit or the hair follicle. A pimple starts with increase proliferation of the skin cells on the epidermis forming comedones or in layman terms white- or blackheads which clog the pores. People with acne-prone skin have oily skin type. When a lot of oil is produced, it gets stuck due to the comedone clog.  Oil or sebum accumulates underneath making the environment conducive to the growth of Cutibacterium acnes.²  This bacterium causes inflammation making acne lesions swollen with pus.

How to get rid of acne?  

• Control oil production         
• Control comedone (white and blackheads) production      
• Decrease inflammation of the existing acne lesions      
• Control bacterial proliferation      

To do this we recommend consulting a dermatologist as the management of acne involves the use of combination treatments.  Most acne medications work to dry acne and control oil production which may potentially also cause irritation on the skin. Products that hydrate the skin may be beneficial when used together.      

Our Hemp Clay Face Mask and Hemp Blemish Face Oil are a heavenly duo when it comes to drying inflamed pimples without irritating the skin. The Hemp Blemish Face Oil contains rosemary which helps remove and control excess oil without stripping the natural moisture in the skin. It also contains tea tree oil which have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and has also been proven to be effective against acne.² Topical green tea, which is found in our Hemp Clay Face Mask  can be beneficial in acne treatment for its anti-inflammatory activity.³ 

Rosacea

Mostly common among those with fair skin, it can be hereditary with an unknown cause. It may appear simply as redness around the face with small fine vessels (telangiectasias) or with bumps (papules) and pustules which can resemble acne. Facial burning, stinging, swelling, and dryness may also occur. ⁴  

Rosacea can be triggered by sun exposure, heat, hot steam, red wine, alcoholic beverages, spicy food and rubbing the face. It is also important to choose carefully when using skin care products like astringents or toners, foaming soaps and exfoliating agents. Ingredients like formaldehyde, propylene glycol and alcohol, should also be avoided because they can cause irritation. Stress management is important since emotional stress can worsen facial redness.⁵ 

Contact Dermatitis

Some people can get dermatitis when exposed to irritants and allergens like preservatives, benzyl alcohol, and fragrances. These irritants can cause  inflamed skin with severe itchiness, redness and scaling. It is also common to experience skin dryness because the skin has an impaired natural skin barrier that allows the allergens and irritants to penetrate the skin. ⁶ 

To help calm or avoid dermatitis stay away from harsh skin care products that can further strip the skin of its natural moisture.  All individuals prone to have contact dermatitis are advised to use moisturisers. ⁶ 

To keep skin moisturised and non-irritated our Rose Body Oil containing sweet almond helps to softens and nourishes dry and irritated skin. It also includes Jojoba which hydrates the skin alongside grapeseed oil which occludes and traps moisture. 

Ageing

Ageing, the pandemic we all face as we get older and wiser. 
Getting a nice tan from too much sun exposure, smoking, or even indulging in sugary desserts in our prime can surprisingly cause unwanted signs of ageing like wrinkles and age spots that might be irreversible. Yes! Ageing is inevitable! But never fear, there is hope because premature ageing is PREVENTABLE.⁷   
       

There are two types of skin ageing- intrinsic (natural) or extrinsic (premature or photo-ageing) ageing. The incontrollable ageing process that is mainly influenced by our genes and ethnicity is intrinsic ageing, while the one greatly influenced by our environment and lifestyle (chronic UV exposure from the sun and tanning beds, smoking, and poor dietary habits) is extrinsic ageing. ^7,8  

Naturally aged skin is pale, with fine wrinkles while a premature aged (photoaged) skin, has deep wrinkles, multiple vessels (telangiectasia), and dyspigmentation--- either too much pigmentation (hyperpigmentation) or too little pigmentation (hyper pigmentation).   ⁷ 

Photoaging which causes premature ageing, can be delayed and even treated.  Aside from the obvious, wearing sunscreen and living a healthy lifestyle,  anti-ageing skin care products can help. ⁷  

The key is to start early! Prevention helps delay the signs of photoaging and once the damage is done it ain't reversible. 

To help with this out Cactus Clay Face Mask and Rose Pink Clay Mask contain rosehip which is packed with all-trans retinoic acid, a retinoid. We have already established that retinoids are good anti-aging agents, since they increase collagen production, thus reducing wrinkles and fine lines, improving skin tone and fading dark spots. 

Some products have antioxidants. The rose body oil has grapefruit oil which is a good natural source of vitamin C. The hemp face mask has green tea which is an anti-inflammatory as well. 

Pigmentation

All about melanin, so let’s get technical for a second… Melanin is the pigment cell that is produced by melanocytes which can be found in the lowest layer of the uppermost layer of the skin (epidermis). There are 2 types of melanin-the eumelanin, or the dark pigment found mostly amongst darker skin and the pheomelanin, which is more common among fair skin.   

It's the natural response of melanin to accumulate on the skin to protect it from the harmful effects of UV light. It acts as a natural sunscreen, with eumelanin being the more efficient one in blocking UV light.⁹ When eumelanin accumulates to act as a natural sunscreen, photoaging, which can manifests as dyspigmentation, happens. Pigmentary changes like melasma, lentigines, mottled hyperpigmentation can  all appear in photoaged skin. ¹⁰  

How to get rid of pigmentation?  

We know the effects of too much sun exposure on skin ageing and pigmentation. So, we’ll preach it again… wearing broad spectrum sunscreens, at least SPF 30, applied every 2 hours especially if you’re in the sun all day is a must!   Aside from this, using multiple products that lightens pigmentation and promotes exfoliation, should be used. ⁶  

One of the best natural oils for pigmentation in prickly pear which has natural brightening and lightening properties to help even out skin tone. If a serum is more your style out Lighten Up brightening serum is packed with natural vitamin C from Kakadu plum, which is your go to help brighten. You can use this with the coconut and lemon sugar body scrub for gentle exfoliation of the uppermost part of the skin to remove the pigment-laden or dark areas. 

Dry Skin

Dry skin is generally dull and rough. Moisturisers that attract water from the environment, trap moisture and repair the natural lipid barrier of the skin are best for dry skin. ⁶ 

How do you ditch dull skin? Simple. Consistent application of moisturisers and avoiding products that can irritate or dry your skin are the best skincare for dull and tired skin. 

Our rose body oil works a treat. With grapeseed oil to help repair skin’s natural barrier while fighting off free radicals, and jojoba for lasting moisture and hydration. Another product, the body glow illuminating oil, contains Coconut Caprylic/Capryc Triglyceride and Coconut Oil to help leave the skin moisturised and hydrated, while giving you that sun-kissed glow.

Large Pores

How and why do we have large pores? A published article, lists the following as causes for visibly large pores: ¹¹ 

• Having an oily skin or increased oil production, make individuals with acne seem to have enlarged pores.     
• Decreased skin elasticity around the pores from photoaging     
• Increased hair follicle volume    

How do I get rid of large pores?    

Controlling oil production and skin rejuvenation are some of the ways to help improve large pores. Oral and topical products for oil-control and anti-aging used with your sunscreens work best when combined with procedures like fractional CO₂ and diode lasers, intense pulse light and chemical peels. ¹²    

    Our Hemp Face Mask and Hemp Face Oil help strip skin of excess oil, while  our Cactus Clay Mask and Rose Pink Clay Mask assist with anti-aging, making them able to improve the appearance of large pores. 

 
Author: Kathleen May Eusebio-Alpapara MD FPDS FPADSFI