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How to prevent your next maskne breakout

While the pandemic continues to affect our everyday lives in 2022, so does the unwelcome side-effect of mask-wearing: maskne. Maskne refers to the skin issues, irritation and acne experienced on the lower face due to wearing a mask, especially for prolonged periods of time. While not potentially as serious as the virus, maskne can cause plenty of discomfort, irritation and affect your confidence. Read on for our tips to prevent maskne, whether you’re dealing with a full-on breakout or a few ho...

It’s time to workout, not breakout

We all know exercising and keeping our bodies moving is key to a healthy, balanced lifestyle and even better, it can provide great skin benefits too. But whether you’re doing yoga, HIIT, running or playing your favourite sport, workouts can lead to unwanted breakouts if you don’t look out for your skin. Don’t give up, throw away your sneakers and flop on the sofa just yet though; there are actions you can take to minimise workout-related pimples and be skin confident. Why is exercise incre...

Bacne 101: Causes and prevention

Here’s an unfortunate truth: acne is not limited to your face. Other areas of your skin can be prone to breakouts, and many of you will be all too familiar with bacne, a.k.a. back acne, or its close cousin chest acne. While bacne can often be hidden under clothing, the summer months can be particularly stressful for those dealing with a back breakout; it’s harder to stay covered up as the temperature rises and you hit the beach. At Epiology, we’re proud advocates of being confident in your...

Skin update with dermatologist Dr Lola Alvarez

While it’s easy to ask Google about the basics of acne and how to handle your skincare issues, it’s always best to talk to the professionals. That’s why we recently caught up with leading professional dermatologist Dr Lola Alvarez, who is based in Mexico with clinics in Mexico City and Monterrey. Dr Alvarez has been involved in the clinical testing of Epiology’s range of acne products in Mexico, and presenting results at professional conferences around the world....

Sensitive vs. sensitised skin – what’s the difference?

Dealing with skin redness and irritation is never fun, especially when it results in itchy, dry skin or a breakout. But are you faced with upset skin because your skin type is sensitive, or is a more temperamental skin condition at play, making your skin sensitised? Let’s explore the possible answers! Sensitive skin We all know that sensitive skin refers to skin that is easily irritated. But have you been experiencing that irritation, itching and swelling consistently throughout your life? Or ...

Maskne - it's a thing!

When we talk about face masks, at Epiology we’re usually talking about our Anti-Acne Recovery Mask. However, in 2021 the world is talking a lot about another kind of mask – the one that’s designed to keep us safe during the pandemic. With many people around New Zealand now getting on board with wearing a mask due to the Government mandate and to reduce the likelihood of infection, a side effect of mask-wearing has come to light – maskne. Maskne refers to the skin issues, irritation and a...

Have yourself an acne-free Christmas!

There’s no denying it; Christmas season is here, so it’s time to put up the Christmas tree, place a few presents underneath, crank up the Christmas music and celebrate with loved ones. While this sounds like a good time, in reality December is often filled with attending many Christmas parties or gatherings, hitting the shops along with everyone else and going to the supermarket every day after you forget one item. And to top it off, your Santa hat is not the only red thing in sight – you ...

Hyaluronic acid: three reasons your skin will love you for it

Recently hyaluronic acid (HA) has emerged as somewhat of a beauty buzzword, and not without great reason. It might be ridiculously difficult to say (and, let’s be honest, even tougher to spell), but this active ingredient commonly found in your favourite topical serums, masks, and moisturisers – including our Epiology Advanced Anti-Acne Recovery Mask – is an important addition to your regular skin care routine. Let’s talk about why. First of all, what is hyaluronic acid? ‘Acid’ ...

Adult acne: it’s time to work WITH your skin, not against

Adult acne: it’s super common, yet can hold much angst for those who feel it should be something they leave behind in their teenage years. It might be cold comfort, but adult acne does differ in some ways to what you experience in your teens. It is more likely to present as reddish nodules around the mouth, jawline and on the chin, as opposed to the whiteheads and blackheads that typically occur for teenagers on the forehead, nose and cheeks. At Epiology, we feel it shouldn’t be something th...

Put away the toothpaste and lemons! Debunking 7 acne myths

When we say myth, we’re not talking about a tale from Ancient Greece about gods and folklore. No, we’re talking about widely held but false beliefs or ideas that circulate about situations, objects or occurrences. Perhaps because acne is one of the most common skin conditions, there have been numerous myths flying around for years about what can cause it to flare up, what is good or not so good for acne and everyday items that can be used to treat your pimples. The other month, we discussed...

Let’s deep dive into cleansing

Cleansing. It’s the first step in your skincare routine, and arguably the most important. Why? It may seem obvious as it’s in the name, but cleansing removes impurities from your skin, so you can keep it feeling and looking healthy and fresh. Throughout the day, the skin on your face comes into contact with bacteria, pollutants, dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and make-up (although that’s on purpose!). Daily cleansing removes these, helping to prevent blockages that can lead to acne, and creat...

Don’t let those allergies affect your skin confidence!

Spring is often a season filled with hope, with the sun starting to come out more, plants blossoming and the temperature starting to rise. However, for many people (up to 20% of New Zealanders!) those blooming flowers also signal the start of the dreaded hay fever season. With symptoms like coughing, sneezing, itching and sniffling, hay fever occurs when your immune system starts to perceive pollen, a harmless substance, as a threat and initiates an inflammatory immune response. Looking at its e...

Chocolate causes acne. Fact or fiction?

We’ve all heard it before - the age-old myth that chocolate can cause a dreaded acne breakout. With Easter coming up, the annual holiday synonymous with enjoying a few chocolate treats, we wanted to explore this in a bit more detail. Surely there’s some truth to this rumour and chocolate is not a friend to skin? Well, don’t skip to that conclusion too soon, because the answer might surprise you.  Chocolate: not the bad guy? Skincare specialists and dermatologists claim acne is not ca...

What are Immune Defense Proteins and how do they protect your skin?

Our team often talks about the science behind Epiology and its patented natural active ingredient IDP®, which stands for ‘immune defense proteins’. But exactly what is IDP® and how does it work on our skin? Immune defense proteins are produced in nature in milk and act as a natural shield or barrier to fight nasty bugs and diseases that can cause infection. IDP® essentially prevents the spread of the bacteria, calms the skin and prevents the redness associated with acne. How does it work?...

Looking after your skin in winter

When the temperature drops and the weather turns to rain, storms and even snow, your skin can start to feel the adverse effects of winter. It’s common for the season’s elements to wreak havoc on your skin, making it dry, itchy and irritated. Whether you’re inside or outside, it can feel like you can’t win; the cold, blustery conditions outside can leave your skin feeling sore, while indoor heat can take away the moisture from your skin, leaving it dry and raw. And as the cold sets in, yo...

Cold, hot or warm water? The basics of cleansing

So you have your skincare routine sorted; you regularly use Epiology’s 3 step system (we hope!), cleansing and moisturising two to three times daily depending on what your skin prefers. But if we look deeper at the first step, cleansing, there are plenty of variables to consider that are unrelated to your choice of skincare. In a previous blog, we talked through the seven steps to wash your face: Clean your handsRemove any make-upWet your face with waterApply your Anti-Acne Foaming CleanserRi...

What causes acne, and what can you do about it?

When you suffer from acne, whether it’s a few spots on your chin or more than a few, all you want to do is discover the cause and do what you can to fix it. However, despite there being over 600 million acne sufferers around the globe, the cause of acne hasn’t been narrowed down to any one simple thing. Frustrating, we know! It’s not from lack of trying; the scientific community continue to work on understanding and finding new ways to treat acne. Here’s what we currently know: Genetics:...

What’s really happening on your skin? It’s all in the microbiome

We bet you’ve often wondered what is really happening on your skin; what’s not able to be seen without a microscope, causing skin issues ranging from redness and general irritation to full-blown acne breakouts. Well science knows the answer: it’s all in your skin microbiome (pronounced micro-bi-ohm), the collection of bacteria that exists on, in and around your skin. Most people are now familiar with the term gut microbiome, thanks to the proliferation of probiotics and prebiotics on the ...

Get ready to pamper and restore your skin

Sometimes the middle of the year feels like it can drag on – it’s not quite yet spring in the southern hemisphere, and it’s still five months until the end of the year. To cure the end of winter blues, we recommend taking some time out for yourself, whether it be 15 minutes or a whole afternoon, to look after you and your skin. Perfect for this task is our Epiology® Advanced Anti-Acne Recovery Mask. It’s a luxurious facial mask designed to rescue and restore skin troubled by acne, main...

Six tips for great skin this summer

The New Zealand sun can be harsh on our skin, and it looks like we’re in for another scorcher summer. Before you dust off your beach towel and togs, read our six expert tips to keep your skin healthy and happy this summer: 1.           Be sun smart While a little sun can be good (hello Vitamin D), too much is likely to result in a breakout after a few days as the skin reacts to prolonged sun exposure by increasing oil (sebum) production. Protec...

Foods to feed your skin

While Epiology works on the outside to control acne bacteria and reduce skin redness, leaving your skin nourished and clear, there are some key foods you can add to your diet that will help your skin from the inside: Berries Not only are berries a healthy sweet mouthful, they are packed with antioxidants that can protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. Strawberries can even spur collagen production, to make your skin smooth and supple. If you can’t get your hands on any fresh b...

Protecting your skin before and after sun

As the temperature rises and we start to spend more time outdoors (at the beach if we’re lucky!), it’s time to remember the classic sun safety message of slip, slop, slap and wrap. With ‘slop’, a good sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin against harmful ultra-violet (UV) damage. But when you’re prone to acne and have sensitive skin, it can be tricky to pick the right sunscreen. There are many sunscreens out there, so we’ve broken down exactly how they work and what ...

Acne and sensitive skin

When you’ve got sensitive skin, suddenly lots of common skincare ingredients are off the table. Fragrance? Forget it. Parabens? Nope. Synthetics? You get the picture. What is sensitive skin? Sensitive skin is often characterised by inflammation and occurs when the nerve endings in the top layer of the skin become irritated. Skin becomes irritated when its natural barrier has broken down and it can’t fight off nasties in the environment or in some cases, your skincare.The skin’s natural bar...

Unisex skincare - Can you make it work?

Newsflash: Men and women are different. So it makes sense that their skin is different too. Male skin is typically thicker (up to 20%) and oilier than females, and they are more prone to severe acne. Females also tend to lose moisture in their skin faster than males. Acne in males and females Acne is caused when hair follicles become blocked with sebum (oil) and dead skin cells, often causing whiteheads, blackheads and acne on the face, chest and back.The formation of acne is the same betwe...

Adult acne - What you need to know

Dermatologists are noticing a big increase in adult females, particularly women in their 30s, presenting with adult acne, completely debunking the idea that once you’re an adult you don’t need to worry about acne. (reference NY Times article) Doctors don’t yet fully understand what’s behind the rise in adult acne in women, but many believe it may have something to do with hormonal imbalances as women come off the contraceptive pill and adjust to a normal hormone cycle for the first time ...