Weekly Comment

Welcome to PD’s weekly comment feature. This week’s contributor is Eleni Yiasemides, Consultant dermatologist specialist and Mohs micrographic surgeon.

Cleansing

FOR teens suffering from oily or acne prone skin, it’s important that they take the necessary steps towards managing and treating their skin to keep future breakouts at bay.

One step that teens can take is actively engaging in the 3-step process-cleansing, treating and moisturising each day. Each step is a simple regime to help teenagers manage oily or acne prone skin.

The first step, cleansing, is highly important. Cleansing gently removes surface dirt, oil, bacteria, skin cells and other debris from the surface of the skin without stripping the skin and helps to unblock pores. Cleansing also controls oiliness without drying and prepares the skin for treatment. In general, most people only need to cleanse their face once a day.

I also highly discourage people from the ‘double cleansing’ as there are no known health benefits to this. For oily or acne-prone skin, look for active cleansers that contain ingredients such as - AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) such as glycolic acid or lactic acid; BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) such as salicylic acid; polyhydroxy acids (PHAs); witch hazel; benzoyl peroxide; azelaic acid. These tend to be gel or waterbased cleansers.