There are loads of over-the-counter acne cleansers and acne treatment skincare aimed at unclogging pores (salicylic acid, glycolic acid) and killing bacteria (benzoyl peroxide, which also has a pore unclogging effect). Studies show these can be effective in some cases, but often don’t fully clear breakouts. This is because they don’t target all the factors that cause acne – oil production, sticky skin cells, bacteria and inflammation.

That’s where a medical assessment can help. Through an online consultation, our doctors assess your acne and discuss whether prescription skincare may be appropriate for you. Where suitable, a personalised prescription option can be considered to support the management of acne, redness and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

All care is delivered via telehealth, without the need to attend an in-person appointment or visit a pharmacy.

A skincare product label might be labelled as ‘non-comedogenic’ but this is nothing more than marketing jargon. Here’s why…

1. Back skin isn’t the same as facial skin, so something can be comedogenic in the test, but not cause any issues on facial skin.
2. An ingredient can be comedogenic when used in a high concentration in tests, but when used in a lower percentage in a cosmetic product, is not comedogenic.
3. The term ‘comedogenic’ and the comedogenicity rating scale is not regulated by any governing body, so it can mean anything a company wants it to mean

The good news is you don’t have to figure it out alone. While you’re following an acne plan, our nurses can help you choose supporting products that suit acne-prone skin and keep your skin comfortable alongside your prescription cream.

Read more about comedogenic skincare and other beauty marketing jargon HERE.

Purging is one of the possible initial side effects of prescription retinoid use, especially if you had a lot of comedones (bumps under the skin) to start with. What you will also have, but can’t see, are ‘microcomedones’ – pores that were already blocked, but invisible to the eye.

Retinoids speed up the shedding of skin cells to regulate the sticky skin cells that block your pores and lead to pimples. In the initial stages of treatment, at the same time as treating your acne, you are also temporarily blocking pores with extra skin cells, pushing existing comedones to the surface, and causing microcomedones to turn into ‘actual’ comedones.

So the pimples that might have surfaced over the next few months can all appear at once.

If you are one of the unlucky few that this happens to, it is definitely NOT fun. If you already suffer from acne, it will feel like your treatment is making things worse, not better.

The good news is, that as you continue to use your retinoid and these blockages are pushed to the surface and clear, you can expect fewer new breakouts. The other good news is that purging gets a lot more air time on social media than it occurs in real life, so it may not even happen for you.

We understand how distressing that can feel, and your nurse is here to help manage this if it happens to you. If the thought of this happening concerns you, you can chat to your doctor about it during your consultation, for advice and options that are suited to your skin.