Sebum & blemishes · Entry 04
Blemishes
A blemish is four processes at once: sebum output, hyperkeratinisation inside the follicle, an altered microbiome, and inflammation. Treat one and it returns. Treat all four gently and it does not.
- How it reads
- Closed comedones, the occasional inflamed papule, and marks that outstay the spot.
- Mechanism
- Follicular hyperkeratinisation with microbial imbalance
- Honest timeline
- Eight weeks before you judge it, and nothing new added faster than fortnightly
- Often arrives with
- Excess sebum · Pigmentation · Sensitivity & redness
Processes involved
The biology
underneath
- Follicular hyperkeratinisationCells inside the follicle fail to shed and bind with sebum into a microcomedone — the lesion that exists for weeks before you can see anything at all.
- Sebum quality shiftSqualene oxidises and linoleic acid falls. The resulting lipid profile is comedogenic and pro-inflammatory regardless of how much sebum there is.
- Microbial signallingCertain resident phylotypes trigger innate immune signalling. The goal is a rebalanced population, which is exactly why aggressive antibacterials backfire.
Why it happens
- Androgen-driven sebum output, which changes the lipid composition and not only the volume.
- Follicular cells shedding abnormally and plugging the pore.
- Strain imbalance in the resident microbiome, rather than its presence.
- Barrier damage from aggressive treatment, which prolongs every mark.
When to see someone else
Nodular or cystic acne, or any scarring, needs dermatological treatment. Starting with cosmetics costs months you cannot get back.
What has evidence here
Each active carries its own entry in the library, with mechanism, origin and the products it appears in.
- NiacinamideBiotech4.0%Regulates sebum, reduces inflammation and fades post-inflammatory marks. The most evidenced multitasker in the range.See the ingredient
- Zinc PCABiotech1.0%Inhibits the enzyme that drives sebum output locally, and holds water through the PCA half of the molecule.
- Tea tree oilSteam distilled0.5%At a concentration the skin tolerates rather than the one that reads well on a label.
- Lavender hydrosolGrown · Geacawater phaseMildly antiseptic and, more usefully here, the reason a blemish routine does not feel like punishment.See the ingredient
Recommended ritual
Ritual sebo-reglator
Three steps, and one rule: nothing new added faster than every two weeks. Blemish routines fail from impatience far more often than from formulation.