Spots are inconvenient and sometimes just annoying. When we most want to have clear skin, it’s often the time that a zit chooses to make an appearance!
To know how best to treat the spots you have, it helps to first have an idea of what kind of blemish you are looking to manage.
This article will help you understand the different types of acne and we will also look at the typical life cycle of a spot from formation to end and see how acne products like our Mangostin+ Breakout Vector Patch and Breakout Gel can help minimize the impact of breakouts by utilizing them at the correct stage.
Now is also a great time to mention our interactive quiz - Know Your Zits! This interactive quiz
can help you understand more about your zits and identify the type of acne you have. You can take part in the interactive Know Your Zits! quiz here.
The Different Types Of Acne
- Whiteheads: When pores containing dead skin cells and bacteria become sealed, tiny bumps in white or skin color may emerge. These raised bumps are often known as whiteheads, though they're also termed closed comedones or pimples.
- Blackheads: Blackheads develop when whiteheads are open and exposed to the air causing a chemical reaction that changes the color. They are also termed opened comedones.
- Papules: An inflammatory form of acne that shows up as a painful or irritating solid bump. It is usually smaller than one centimeter, and its color varies. It may be skin color, red, brown, or purple. It doesn’t contain pus or have white yellowish pus-filled tips.
- Pustules: This acne has a distinct appearance - red and inflamed with a whitehead filled with pus that can be white, yellow, or cream-colored.
- Fungal acne: When yeast builds up in your hair follicles it can cause itchy and inflamed spots known as fungal acne.
- Mallorca Acne: Also known as Summer Acne is often caused by UV-radiation. When the UV ray reacts with certain chemicals in skincare and sun-protection products, it can result in a cluster of tiny (and sometimes itchy) bumps.
- Cystic acne: Cystic acne is an inflamed type of acne under the skin that creates pimples filled with pus. As this type of acne can be quite deep it can cause scarring.
- Hormonal acne: Sebum is an oily type substance and too much of it can clog pores and cause acne breakouts. An overproduction of sebum in adults is often caused by hormones.
- Nodular acne: A severe form of acne that causes pimples on the surface of your skin, and tender, nodular lumps under the surface.
The Lifecycle of a spot
Pimples start out in the pores in your skin, typically when a pore becomes blocked with sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria, it can create the starting point for bacterial growth. You will first notice the early stages of a spot with an area that looks red and feels slightly raised, this is the spot forming under the skin.
To treat a spot at this stage you can consider the Mangostin+ Breakout Vector Patch. This unique technology can deliver the bioactives to the site of the spot under the skin and help deal with it before the breakout! The other cool thing about the Mangostin+ Vector Patch is that it only needs a one-minute application time to deliver the ingredients and then it can be removed and left for the ingredients to work on healing the spot. It’s very convenient! Other patches require a wear time of up to 6 hours to deliver the ingredients to the site of the spot.
During this stage of the spot lifecycle, you might also start to see whiteheads or blackheads appear on your skin.
- A whitehead is a closed comedone containing dead skin and bacteria that has built up in the pore.
- A blackhead is characterized by an open comedone. It gets a black appearance when the trapped sebum is oxidized by the air turning it a darker color.
At this stage to stop zits from forming you can make sure your skincare routine contains products that focus on normalizing oil production to reduce excess sebum, exfoliating to help unclog pores and remove dirt and oil and keeping your skin's microbiome and bacteria in a healthy balance.
Using products that have antibacterial properties to help fight the bacteria that cause spots can also be beneficial. For example, Tarel’s skincare range includes Mangostin extract which is known to have natural antioxidant and antimicrobial qualities.
The Growth of The Spot
In the growth phase of a spot, trapped bacteria creates an infection, which can cause the immune system to start to fight the infection. At this stage, you might experience red bumps, red bumps containing white pus, deep bumps beneath the surface and deep pus-filled bumps beneath the surface.
During this period of an acne breakout, your skincare routine should focus on calming and anti-inflammatory products to reduce the signs of redness and irritation. Anti-microbial products are also useful in combating bacteria, which can cause infections that lead to spots within your pores.
Exfoliating ingredients and a cleansing face wash can help to remove debris from blocked pores and can encourage cell turnover for fresher, less oily skin. Tarel Sensitive Cleanser is a great choice to cleanse without irritating or weakening the skin's barrier.
The Death Of A Spot
The spot starts to reduce in size once any infection has been cleared and the skin will start to repair itself at the location of the spot.
Scabs or scars may appear as the area around the spot begins to heal. The Mangostin+ extract used in Tarel products can aid in the healing process and reduce redness and the intensity of any scarring.
After the breakout has cleared, you can help to keep your skin in good condition and reduce the chances of further breakouts by using a good skincare routine including cleansing and keeping pores clear of debris.
