This article is excerpted from the May 2001 issue of Skin Inc. magazine. Skin care professionals should obtain specialized training before offering any new services.

Three of four teenagers have acne, and they aren't the only ones afflicted by the problem. In recent years incidence of post-adolescent acne has exploded. Latest statistics show that 40–50% of adults aged 20–40 have persistent, low-grade acne and oily skin problems. Let's face it, we all suffer an acne condition to some degree in our lifetime. If your clients have acne, you can help. Educating them is the first step.

What's the cause?
Acne, by definition, is everything from a blackhead to an inflamed blemish. Stress and emotions play a big part in its cause. When the body is under stress, it produces hormones to help cope with worries. Unfortunately, these hormones stimulate the production of sebum, or oil. Coupled with a build-up of dead cells within the follicles, this causes congestion leading to breakouts.

Acneic skin types have more oil-producing—sebaceous —follicles that have little, if any, hair in them. This means the oily waste inside the follicle builds up because there's nothing to act as a transport system out of the skin. Tell clients to think of the hair as a wick moving oil out of a glass candle. If there is no wick, the pool of oil collects.

The sebum produced also is thicker and stickier in acneic skin types. Acneic skin also produces four to five times more skin cells inside of the follicle than normal skin. This may not be a problem except that these cells stay in the follicle because the skin isn't exfoliating sufficiently. When hair follicles fill with excess oil from the sebaceous glands and an accumulation of dead cells, a favorable environment for bacteria is created. Blackheads form and create a blockage at the mouth of the follicle. These follicles often swell and rupture, causing the debris to escape into the skin, irritating it and producing an inflamed red bump. The further underneath the skin the follicle breaks, the longer it takes to heal the skin and the more likely the blemish will scar.

It is very important to remind clients not to squeeze. When pimples are pinched or squeezed, the infectious material can spread. Unless proper treatment is given, this can cause more blemishes and scarring.

Irritating ingredients
Certain common cosmetic ingredients also can stimulate an acne condition. Help clients avoid products that contain ingredients such as d- and c-colored dyes, lanolin and isopropyl myristate, which creep into the follicle to cause irritation. These oily ingredients are commonly found in blushers, pressed powders, eye shadows and lipsticks, often to help them apply more smoothly and give them a slick, sheer feel. If your client's skin is acne-prone, it is important to avoid these ingredients in skin care products.

Treatment services
Instead, your clients' skin concerns can be reduced by using appropriate cleansers, moisturizers and masks. Recommend products that contain key ingredients such as alginated zinc triplex, salicylic acid, tea tree and cyclodextrin complex and benzoyl peroxide, and determine whether these ingredients can address your clients' individual concerns. Control oil production and recommend the appropriate exfoliation and anti-microbial agents with customized facials and body treatments. Professional extractions to remove blackheads can make the world of difference for acne-prone clients as well. Recipe for success Acne affects everyone to varying degrees, but it doesn't need to wreck your client's life! Whether it is current acne flare-ups, persistent acne or inflammation, or even acne scars, professional skin care services and a home care regimen are a recipe for success when it comes to keeping clients' skin blemish free.

For a step-by-step Intensive Treatment for Acne, see the May 2001 issue of Skin Inc. magazine. For other similar educational and business articles for the industry, subscribe to Skin Inc. magazine.