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Tag: sunblock

The role of a moisturiser in skincare

Dr. Jean Louw 6 Comments

the role of a moisturiser

 

The role of a moisturiser in skincare is to moisturise. Obvious, right?! Well, surprisingly, people often forget that. Consider a glass of water. Once the glass is full, adding more water will not fill it up more. Likewise, if your skin is not dry, applying more moisturiser will not contribute anything.

Moisturise only if your skin is dry. The role of a moisturiser is not to delay ageing and will also not prevent wrinkles.

If your skin is dry, however, apply the moisturiser as infrequently as is necessary to alleviate the dryness. Start with once a day and increase the frequency of application from there.

Rather spend your money on a good sunblock and apply it regularly. Even for people with dry skin, applying only a sunblock might be sufficient to moisturise their facial skin, because most of a sunblock is a moisturiser.

How to remove post acne brown spots

Dr. Jean Louw 43 Comments

There are two types of post acne marks: Acne scars and Brown Spots. Scars are a result of damage to the dermis. Brown Spots are a result of excess pigmentation. The rest of the article will focus on the treatment of the post acne brown spots, which is far more common than post acne scars.

Sometimes, after acne clears up, it leaves small, flat dark marks in place of where the pimples was. These marks are due to excess pigmentation that is a result of the inflammation induced by the acne. Pressing or squeezing pimples can also contribute  inflammation which will worsen the post acne brown spots. People with darker skin types are particularly vulnerable to post acne brown spots.

There are 2 main treatment options for post acne brown spots:
1. Wear a sunblock on a daily basis. This will prevent the sun from further tanning and darkening the dark spots.
2. Apply a skin lightening cream to the brown spots once or twice a day. Effective skin lightening creams are prescription medication and include products like Hydroquinone and Retinoids.

Lightening the post acne brown spots can take weeks to months.