Back To Basics: Will Doubling Cleansing Help Reduce My Acne?
For many of us who are not disciplined in maintaining a regular skincare routine, doing the bare minimum of washing our face twice a day is considered a feat. Up till recently, however, many have jumped onto the bandwagon of double cleansing. Is it meant for everyone, and is it necessary to implement it into our skincare routine?
What is double cleansing, and how does it work?
Founded in Japan and Korea, double cleansing essentially refers to washing your face twice – the first time with an emulsifying oil cleanser and the second time with your regular cleanser.
As oil is less dense than water, starting your skincare routine with an oil cleanser effectively breaks down and dissolves sunscreen, excess sebum, and free radicals on the skin’s surface while still protecting your skin’s acid mantle.
Many people prefer cleansing twice as it offers a deep cleanse for the skin, leaving it clean and supple. After you have double cleansed, subsequent skincare products that follow will also penetrate the deeper layers of your skin more effectively.
The potential downside is, however, the use of rich oils can potentially clog your pores and aggravate the skin further for those struggling with enlarged pores or cystic acne. And while we love a squeaky-clean face, regular cleansers can unwantedly remove the natural lipid layers of our skin and the good bacteria that protect it.
While double cleansing is suitable for all skin types, it may not be necessary for you even when done correctly. Understanding the health and needs of your skin by reviewing it with the help of an aesthetic doctor will ensure that with time, not only will you have acne-free skin, you will also have a skincare routine that is optimised to only what you need.
Start on your journey to clear skin @ The Clifford Clinic
For most of us, the cost of seeing a professional dermatologist for acne treatment can deter us from getting the help that our skin needs, preferring to explore skincare products that are available on the market or hopping onto the latest skincare trends. However, not only is this trial-and-error journey time-consuming, but putting your skin through multiple product trials and changes only cause distress, early ageing, and even damage, all of which can be prevented.
Skincare treatments are not a one size fits all. At our distinguished aesthetic clinic, we pride ourselves in having a wide range of inclusive and personalised acne treatments, using a progressive treatment plan that aims to resolve your acne once and for all.
Our HydraFacial patented technology used with our Alphalight treatment aims to manage your inflamed skin by thoroughly cleansing your pores and removing deep-seated bacteria and micro impurities that are causing acne breakouts, all at the same time delivering hydration to the skin. This is a painless and straightforward process that aims to slowly but surely unveil healthier and clearer skin.
Unfortunately, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is acne’s best friend. While regular exfoliation helps to manage the frequency of acne breakouts, pigmentations require wavelengths producing high energy light that targets, breaks down and controls the production of melanin; the skin pigment causing discolouration on our skin. This will also improve the appearance of any acne scarring.
The Q-switch and Vbeam laser treatments treat pigmentation at its core. Using different lasers of varying wavelengths, it targets the excessive blood vessels around the scarred and inflamed areas of the skin, including the pigmentation caused after a pimple has healed. The best part of this treatment is zero downtime, which means you can have a girls’ night out right afterwards!
Notice how you have recurring acne repeatedly at the same spot on your face? Just as the acne scar is lightening, a new pimple pops up at the exact location. This is because the pores are damaged and are more vulnerable to being clogged. Oil production on our skin varies from day to day, and damaged pores cannot regulate through these fluctuations, causing clogged pores and recurrent stubborn acne.
AGNES, a localised acne treatment, focuses on identifying these damaged pores under high magnification and individually treating them by blasting tiny bursts of radiofrequency (RF) energy to tighten these specific oil glands effectively minimising acne recurrence over the same pore. As pioneers of AGNES in Singapore, we can guarantee with full confidence that this treatment is both non-invasive and effective in resolving acne completely.
To summarise, your skincare routine will either validate the hard work that your skin has gone through with these treatments or squash them all very quickly. After any acne treatment, it is vital to protect your skin by generously moisturising it and reapplying sunscreen throughout the day, daily. Regardless of whether you choose to double cleanse or not, take back control of your skin and get started on a personalised acne treatment program or acne scar laser treatment with us today!