How to Treat Inflamed Acne

Inflamed acne is undoubtedly causing a number of your clients a good deal of physical and emotional pain, as well as embarrassment. Treating inflamed acne successfully is crucial to acne improvement and the overall health of acne-prone skin, but it requires knowing the type of acne and which products and ingredients will work best.

Breakouts are never fun for anyone, but when the acne lesions are large, swollen and painful, your clients will be eager to know how to get rid of them as soon as possible. Unlike whiteheads or blackheads, inflamed acne is typically red in color and can be painful to pressure or touch. Some types of inflamed acne do contain pus and may appear white, but the biggest part of the pimple will be red, inflamed, and often tender.

It is important to advise clients not to pick at or pop their pimples. This may drive the infection deeper, and can cause permanent scarring. For especially inflamed and painful acne, ice packs are effective in reducing inflammation.

Types of Inflamed Acne

Papules appear red where pustules are have a white head filled with pus. Benzoyl peroxide treatments can be especially effective since BP kills off the bacteria that causes inflammation around the pore and make the acne worse. Mandelic Acid is another effective antibacterial, and avoids the complication of temporarily making the skin darker on Fitzpatrick IV - VI skin tones. Extractors should not be used on these acne lesions.

Cysts, deeper under the skin, can become quite painful and swollen. Warm compresses followed by icing the area for 10 minutes may help to reduce the pain and swelling. Clients should be reminded not to try to extract these lesions by squeezing them. A combination of Benzoyl peroxide, Mandelic Acid and Vitamin A serum may help to open the pore enough for the cyst to be extracted. A client with cystic acne may need to be referred to a dermatologist for steroid injections to reduce the inflammation.

Help From Vivant Skin Care

Vivant Skin Care's BP or Mandelic Acid cleansers can be combined with Vitamin A serums as part of a comprehensive skin care regimen to flush out pores and prevent acne from flaring up. Vivant Skin Care has several progressively stronger Vitamin A serums, which should be used as the skin acclimates to the irritation these serums sometimes cause.

For clients with sensitive skin, aloe can be an effective natural skin soother. Vivant Skin Care's Totaloe Calming and Hydrating Gel can be used along with other treatments to soothe irritated skin, although it alone will probably not prevent all acne from occurring.

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