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Recent Posts
07.
Apr
Acne isn’t just a skin condition. It affects how you feel about yourself, your confidence, and your day to day life. If you’ve tried product after product with little to show for it, here’s usually a reason. Acne is rarely caused by one single thing, and treating the surface without understanding the cause is why breakouts keep coming back. At Cronulla Skin Sanctuary, we’ve spent over 20 years helping Sutherland Shire clients get to the real cause of their acne, not just cover it up. Here’s what’s actually driving your breakouts, and the clinical treatments that get lasting results.
What’s Actually Happening in Your Skin
Acne develops when oil glands produce too much sebum, dead skin cells build up and block the follicle, and bacteria (Cutibacterium acnes, formerly known as P. acnes) multiply in that blocked, oily environment. This triggers inflammation, which is what shows up as redness, swelling, and breakouts.
But that’s the mechanism, not the cause. The real question is what’s driving those processes in the first place.
What Causes Acne? Internal Causes Explained
Hormones
Androgens (including testosterone) can increase oil production in the skin, particularly when they convert into a stronger form called DHT. This is why hormone fluctuations during puberty, your monthly cycle, pregnancy, or conditions like PCOS, so often show up as breakouts along the jawline and chin. If your acne feels hormonal, it usually is.
Blood sugar and insulin
This is one of the biggest shifts in acne research over the past few years. Diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugar cause rapid blood sugar spikes, which raise insulin and a related hormone called IGF-1. Both of these push your oil glands into overdrive and increase inflammation. Dairy has also been consistently linked to increased breakouts, likely for similar hormonal reasons.
Stress
Stress raises cortisol, and cortisol increases oil production and inflammation in the skin. It also disrupts sleep and blood sugar regulation, which only adds fuel to the fire. It’s a frustrating cycle... stress worsens skin, and skin worries add more stress.
Genetics
If your parents dealt with acne, you’re more likely to as well. This one isn’t within your control, but it does explain why some people are more breakout prone than others despite doing everything “right.”
External Causes: What You’re Putting on Your Skin
• Low quality or heavy skincare and makeup: fragrance, preservatives, and pore clogging silicones can trap bacteria and oil against the skin.
• Over cleansing or harsh products: stripping the skin actually triggers more oil production, not less.
• Not removing makeup properly: leftover product mixes with oil and dead skin overnight.
• Touching or picking at breakouts: this spreads bacteria and is one of the main causes of long term scarring.
Getting the Diagnosis Right
Acne isn’t one condition, it’s a symptom with many possible drivers and the right treatment depends on what’s actually behind yours. That’s why a proper skin consultation matters more than chasing the latest product on social media. Treating the surface without understanding the cause underneath tends to lead to breakouts returning again and again.
Not sure what’s driving your acne? Book a skin consultation and we’ll help you find out!
How We Treat Acne at Cronulla Skin Sanctuary
Lira Clinical Peels
Lira Clinical peels are a great in clinic addition to your treatment plan. They combine AHAs and BHAs (like lactic and salicylic acid) with shikimic acid, an ingredient known for its antimicrobial action against acne causing bacteria, along with plant stem cells and calming botanicals to support the skin barrier while treating breakouts.
Because peels are layered and customised, we can adjust the depth and blend to suit your skin’s grade of acne, whether that’s mild congestion or more inflamed, cystic breakouts. They help clear pores, refine texture, and calm inflammation, with far less irritation than older style chemical peels. Used consistently alongside your other treatments, they’re an effective way to keep acne under control. For ongoing home care, Lira Clinical products support the results of your in clinic treatments, helping to manage oil, calm inflammation, and keep your skin barrier strong.
Because peels are layered and customised, we can adjust the depth and blend to suit your skin’s grade of acne, whether that’s mild congestion or more inflamed, cystic breakouts. They help clear pores, refine texture, and calm inflammation, with far less irritation than older style chemical peels. Used consistently alongside your other treatments, they’re an effective way to keep acne under control. For ongoing home care, Lira Clinical products support the results of your in clinic treatments, helping to manage oil, calm inflammation, and keep your skin barrier strong.
DMK Enzyme Therapy
Our DMK enzyme treatments improve healing, detoxification and help to restore healthy function at a cellular level, rather than just calming the surface.
Our DMK enzyme treatments improve healing, detoxification and help to restore healthy function at a cellular level, rather than just calming the surface.
Blue Light LED Therapy
Blue light works by targeting the bacteria that drive acne. It activates compounds inside the bacteria that destroy them from within, without medication or downtime. It’s a gentle option that’s particularly effective for mild to moderate breakouts, and pairs well with other treatments in your program.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)
IPL has an antibacterial effect on the skin, helping to reduce the bacterial load that contributes to active breakouts, while also improving redness and post-acne marks. It’s a good option when acne and pigmentation or uneven tone are both concerns.
UltraClear Cold Fiber Laser
For acne scarring, UltraClear is one of the most advanced options available. Rather than using heat like older lasers, it uses a cold ablative fibre to remove micro-columns of damaged, scarred tissue while stimulating fresh collagen and elastin underneath. This means visible improvement in texture and depth of scarring, with far less downtime than traditional resurfacing lasers and it’s suitable for all skin tones.
Dermapen Skin Needling
Skin needling creates a controlled healing response that helps treat both active breakouts and existing scarring, by stimulating collagen and improving circulation to the area.
Why a Skin Membership Is Often the Best Way to Treat Acne
Acne isn’t solved in a single visit, it responds best to consistency. This is exactly why our skin memberships tend to be one of the most effective ways to treat it.
A membership lets us combine the right modalities for your skin: whether that’s DMK, LED, IPL, or UltraClear, into one tailored plan, rather than booking treatments one at a time as separate, disconnected sessions. You come in on a set routine (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, depending on what your skin needs), which means your treatment plan actually builds on itself over time instead of starting from scratch every visit.
It also makes ongoing treatment far more affordable, since membership pricing is structured for regular, repeat care rather than one off appointments. For a condition like acne, which needs sustained treatment to properly resolve and prevent scarring, that structure and consistency often makes the difference between results that last and results that fade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best treatment for acne scarring?
For scarring specifically, UltraClear Cold Fiber Laser tends to give the most visible improvement, since it stimulates new collagen while resurfacing damaged tissue. Dermapen skin needling is another effective option, often combined with UltraClear for deeper scars.
Does diet actually affect acne?
Yes. Diets high in refined sugar and dairy are consistently linked to increased breakouts through their effect on insulin and hormone levels. Diet alone rarely explains all of a person’s acne, but it’s often part of the picture.
How long does it take to see results from acne treatment?
This depends on the treatment and the severity of your acne, but most clients on a structured program combining in clinic treatments with home care start seeing visible improvement within 6 to 12 weeks.
Is LED light therapy or IPL better for acne?
Both target the bacteria that drive breakouts, but they work differently. LED blue light is gentler and better suited to mild to moderate active acne, while IPL penetrates deeper and is a good option if you’re also dealing with redness or pigmentation.
Ready to Get to the Real Cause of Your Acne?
If you’re in Cronulla or the Sutherland Shire and want a plan built around your skin, our team can help. Book a consultation and we’ll talk through your skin history, what’s likely driving your acne, and which treatments or skin membership will get you there fastest.
