Frequently Asked Questions
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1. GENERAL
Blemishes happen when your skin produces excess oil – or sebum. This can happen due to a variety of root causes including genetics, skin irritation due to shaving or clothing, air pollution or skin products such as makeup.
This excess oil blocks your pores, which can then be colonised by bacteria such as P. acnes. The build-up of P. acnes is one of the central factors in the formation of blemishes.
To counteract P. acnes, our range contains our special ingredient, Defenskin™. It’s a scientifically designed anti-adhesive that prevents up to 97%6 of blemish-causing bacteria from colonising the skin. Less bacterial colonisation can mean clearer skin, and preventing P. acnes from attaching to skin cells rather than killing it means fewer problems with antibiotic resistance.
Blemishes can be particularly frustrating for adults. A treatment that worked so well during your teen years can be useless or even make your blemishes worse. But blemishes in adults are not uncommon. Some adults continue to get them well into their 30s, 40s, and even 50s. It’s even possible to get skin blemishes for the first time as an adult. This is most common among women going through menopause.
There are various factors that can lead to your skin producing excess sebum, and blemishes forming as a result:
- Fluctuating hormone levels: An imbalance can lead to blemishes. Women often experience fluctuating hormones around their periods, during pregnancy, peri-menopause and menopause or after discontinuing (or starting) birth control pills.
- Stress: Researchers have found a relationship between stress and blemishes. In response to stress, our bodies produce more androgens (a type of hormone). These hormones stimulate the oil glands and hair follicles in the skin, which can lead to blemishes. This explains why blemishes can be an ongoing problem when we find ourselves under constant stress.
- Family history: Does a close blood relative, such as a parent, brother, or sister have blemish-prone skin? Findings from research suggest that some people may have a genetic predisposition for blemishes. People who have this predisposition may be more likely to get blemish-prone skin even as adults.
- Hair and skin care products: Anything you put on your skin has the potential to clog pores. Look for oil-free make-up, sunscreens and other skin products. In fact, products labelled as non-comedogenic / oil-free or won’t clog your pores can be better for blemish-prone skin.
- Medication side effects: Blemishes can be a side effect of some medicines, if you suspect this is the case please talk to your doctor about potential alternatives. If you can‘t switch medicines, you may want to see a dermatologist who can help you control the blemishes.
- Undiagnosed medical condition: Sometimes, blemishes are a sign of an underlying medical condition. Once the medical condition is diagnosed and treated, the blemishes often disappear. If you suspect that might be the case, contact your healthcare professional.
You can buy our Papulex™ range direct from online stores, as well as in many high street pharmacies.
2. PREVENTION
Food alone doesn’t cause blemishes – nor does it prevent them. But there is evidence that some foods may make your blemishes worse. Possible triggers for blemishes are:
- Milk: the more milk you drink, the more likely you are to have blemishes (especially with skimmed milk). Scientists are still trying to figure out why, and one potential reason could be the hormones that cows make when they are pregnant and which end up in their milk. People who have higher levels of those hormones in their blood tend to have more blemishes.
- Sugar and carbs: You’re more likely to have blemishes if your diet is full of foods and drinks like soda, white bread, white rice, and cakes. The sugar and carbohydrates in these foods tend to get into your blood really quickly. When your body works hard to bring down blood sugar, it can affect hormones that boost oil production in your skin.
- Chocolate: A few small studies show that people who eat more chocolate are more likely to get blemishes. But it’s not clear why. The key ingredient, cocoa, doesn’t seem to be the reason. In one study, people who ate chocolate with 10 times more cocoa were no more likely to get blemishes than those who ate the regular kind. Dark chocolate, with less sugar and milk, may be a better choice if you’re trying to control your blemishes.
- Greasy food: It’s a common myth, but eating greasy foods won’t cause blemishes. If you spend a lot of time cooking them though, you may notice more trouble with your skin. That’s because the oil from a deep fryer or other source can stick to and clog your hair follicles.
Stress won’t give you blemishes if you’re not already predisposed to having them, but it can definitely make them worse by causing levels of certain hormones to temporarily increase. Stress comes with an increase in cortisol (also called ‘the stress hormone’), upped cortisol being associated with a rise in sebum (or oil) production. More oil production means more clogged pores, and more clogged pores mean more blemishes.
Stress-related disruptions in healthy habits play a role, too. When you’re anxious, you may not eat as well as you normally do, which can worsen your blemishes. Some people pick at their skin when they’re stressed, which can make blemishes more irritated and inflamed.
A dermatologist recommended a comprehensive skincare routine to help prevent and reduce blemishes. This preferred approach follows these three steps:11
Cleanse – to remove excess skin oil.
Tone – to balance the pH of the skin and control oil levels.
Moisturise – to prevent dehydration of the skin and provide a barrier against environmental causes of blemishes.
3. CORRECTION
When your skin produces an excess of oil, or sebum, it can form a plug with dead skin cells and clog your pores.
These clogged pores are then susceptible to colonisation by P. acnes bacteria, paving the way for various types of skin blemishes:
Whiteheads: A plug of dead skin cells and excess sebum forms in the clogged pore. The pore closes, leaving white or flesh-coloured lumps on the skin.
Blackheads: Similar to whiteheads, but the pore remains partially open, and the blockage turns black.
Papules: Colonisation by bacteria such as P. acnes leads to mild inflammation. Small, red bumps appear.
Pustules: Papules that contain pus – a yellowish fluid. They are red with a yellow or white-coloured centre.
Nodules/cysts: Intense inflammatory response which may lead to scarring. A dermatologist’s help is required to heal them.
If you think you may have papules, pustules or nodules/cysts, please contact a healthcare professional.
You should consult a doctor if your acne is very severe, if it began after you started a new course of medication, if careful skincare or over-the-counter remedies aren’t clearing it up, if it is leaving scars or if it affects your self-esteem.
2 Ramli R. et al., Acne analysis, grading and computational assessment methods: an overview. Skin Research and Technology, 2012, 18(1): p. 1-14
3 Acne Vulgaris. Sutaria A.H., et al., Treasure Island (FL), StatPearlsPublishing, 2019. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459173/
4 Adult Acne. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/really-acne/adult-acne Accessed 20/09/2022
5 Baby DP. Adult Acne: Popular Questions and Answers. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/slideshow-adult-acne. Accessed 20/09/2022
6 Rougier. The inhibiting effect of an anti-adhesion gel on the adhesion of the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes to corneocytes in subjects with acne. Nouv. Dermatol. 2003; 22: 7-11
7 Ghahremani T, Rabach M. Stress Acne: What Causes It and How It Differs From Other Acne. https://www.byrdie.com/what-is-stress-acne-4775239. Accessed 21/09/2022
8 Kam K, Gardner S. Stress and Acne. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/stress-and-acne. Accessed 21/09/2022
9 Jaliman D. Best and Worst Foods for Acne. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/ss/slideshow-acne-best-worst-foods#:~:text=You’re%20more%20likely%20to,how%20foods%20affect%20blood%20sugar. Accessed 21/09/2022
10 Penso L et al. Association Between Adult Acne and Dietary Behaviors: Findings From the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA Dermatol. 2020 Aug 1;156(8):854-862. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.1602.
11 Celletti E, Nazarian, R. A dermatologist-approved skincare routine for adult acne. https://byrdie.com/adult-acne-routine-4843241 Accessed 18/10/2022