The Good

There are over 500 forms of bacteria naturally found on the human skin. They reside on the surface of the skin, naturally fermenting skin cells, sweat, and oils and make an acidic, vinegar like by-product.  Wait, that’s not good it sounds disgusting – get out the soap right? Aren’t bacteria the things that are causing acne in the first place?

C.Acnes is a strain of bacteria, most commonly implicated in causing acne. However, C.Acnes has also been shown to be more prevalent in people without acne. Furthermore, C.Acnes is one of the beneficial bacteria found on healthy skin and secretes chemicals important for wound healing. So, killing off the bacteria or trying to eradicate them entirely is a paradox.

Keeping these bacteria happy and in natural harmony is critical for the health of the skin and treating acne. If any of these 500 strains of bacteria are disrupted, then the skin becomes more alkaline and an overgrowth of one of the previously good strains of bacteria becomes a problem. The good bacteria turn bad. Other bacteria and fungi that don’t normally live on the skin are also given an opportunity to colonise which also bad bacteria!

To detect disruptions of healthy bacteria and their acidic by-products, our Formulae consultants will measure the pH of your skin. (Organise a free skin analysis in store here)

The Bad

What can kill off the good bacteria?

Overwashing

Strong antiseptic or antibacterial agents

Sunburn

Alkaline soaps

Preservatives in cosmetics and moisturisers

The Biofilm

What is a biofilm?

A biofilm is formed when a group of bacteria join into a tight group and protect themselves from toxic agents.

In acne, C.Acnes bacteria form biofilms in the pores and as the mass of bacteria gets bigger, they begin to release toxic substances into the surrounding tissue causing redness and inflammation. The C.Acnes bacteria also are clever enough to signal other types of bacteria to join in the biofilm which makes the mass even more impermeable to agents toxic to bacteria.

The Solution

The Problem with traditional acne treatments

We all know that bacteria can make us sick. However, bacteria also make us healthy and are essential for life. This is true of the bacteria that colonise our skin also. Unfortunately, our fear of bacteria in all forms has led us down the path of believing that acne is caused by bacteria and thus the treatment is to kill the bacteria to treat acne.

A majority of skincare products designed for acne, focus either on killing bacteria or claiming that a super active ingredient they use will reduce oil concentration or unblock pores. However, modern advances in microbiome research suggests that the acne is triggered by an imbalance of microbiota living on the skin and these afore mentioned products do nothing particularly to address this. In fact, using antimicrobials may make things worse.

The Ideal way to treat acne

The way we deal with acne at Formulae is the same as our pharmacists deal with any skin condition: fix the physiology of the skin and fix the microbiome. One cannot be done without the other.

Our three principles are applied to dealing with acne:

• Ensure the skin’s pH is sufficiently acidified – ph 4.5-5. This helps the physiological processes of the skin and also provides a perfect environment for a healthy microbiome. C.Acnes will not thrive at this pH and it may be restored back to regular levels.
• Ensure fatty acids similar to those found in sebum are applied to the skin. There are a lot of misconceptions that acne is caused by too much oil on the skin which leads often to over cleansing. Fatty acids will acidify the skin and rebalance the type of oil on the surface of the skin
• Ensure no ingredients are used that will damage the microbiome. Our products are not bacteriocidal. This excludes the Acne Spot Treatment, which is a product designed to be used very sparingly as a spot treatment to ‘reset’ the microbiome in a specific area under guidance from a formulae pharmacist.

When is the best time to start treating acne?

Prevention is better than cure and keeping the skin and microbiome healthy at the first sign of puberty is the best plan of attack. During adolescence most teenagers are going to be likely to have small pimples from time to time. However, if unchecked, and biofilms are allowed to get to a certain point, then cystic acne ensues and this is extremely difficult to treat.  This is best looked after by a doctor and dermatologist.

For more information on the Formulae Acne Protocol please click here