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What does one do when jumping on Zoom with the world’s favourite dermatologist? They takes notes, of course! To mark the upcoming launch of the new Breakout Clearing Gel, we spoke with Dr. Dennis Gross, skin expert and founder of his eponymous skincare line (stocked in Australia at Mecca Cosmetica). From mask-ne to the mythology of spot treating pimples, below you’ll find 15 pieces of advice from Dr. Gross himself (thank us later).
READ: LESSONS IN GOOD SKIN: A SCIENTIST BREAKS DOWN EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ACNE
There are four reasons why acne typically occurs: blocked oil glands, abnormal oil flow, bacteria (p-acne bacteria) and inflammation.
Spot treating is a myth. The acne you see today started a few weeks ago, so to spot treat means you failed to prevent it. You want to treat all the acne-prone areas on your face consistently, not just when a spot appears.
Use oil-free moisturisers on acne-prone skin, always.
The Dr. Dennis Gross Breakout Clearing Gel can be used daily to prevent mask-ne – just apply in that area daily.
Acne at that time of the month is due to the hormonal affect on the oil gland – oil flow becomes heavier, resulting in blocked pores.
In terms of product order, you should cleanse, peel, treat and then moisturise!
The Dr. Dennis Gross Breakout Clearing Gel is best used on clean skin once a day, preferably nighttime.
Over-eating sugar causes glycation in the skin – so the skin is compromised in terms of circulation and nutrition availability. In terms of acne specifically, there’s no data to say there’s a direct link between sugar and breakouts. But there’s just so many incidences where clients of mine experience better skin when they cut out excess sugar, so I often encourage it.
Blue LED light is proven to kill acne-causing bacteria without causing irritation.
Red LED light builds collagen but also reduces inflammation (so redness and swelling).
The reason people get acne scars is because it destroys collagen and permanently damages the skin. LED is a great way to reduce this inflammation so the skin is less likely to scar or mark.
If you’re using an at-home LED light use it first on clean skin so that the light can penetrate.
The Alpha Beta Peel + Breakout Clearing Gel is like an acne one-two punch. It treats existing blemishes and prevents all four acne causes.
Don’t use toners in excess – many don’t serve a great purpose. They can throw the skin off balance and dry the skin out.
You can over-treat blemish-prone skin – it’s important to be careful. The two-step Alpha Beta peel is great because it neutralises the acids applied -it’s a controlled exfoliation! Other acids are uncontrolled and this can aggravate acne further.
SHOP THE EDIT BELOW:
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel, $141. SHOP NOW
Dr. Dennis Gross spectralite facewear pro, $696. shop now
Dr. Dennis Gross spotlite, $83. SHOP NOW
