Acne Treatment
Acne is an inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous hair follicle units. It affects mostly the face, upper chest, back and shoulders, where the sebaceous/oil glands are the densest. Although acne occurs mostly in the teen years, adults--even in their 20's to 40's--can get acne too. Even though acne can clear up on its own after a few years without treatment, it can sometimes be disfiguring and negatively affect the patient's self esteem. For these reasons, treating acne is important.
Age, hormones, medications, cosmetics, the environment and stress all have an impact on the sebaceous hair follicle units. Acne starts when the following conditions occur:
- The upper portion of the hair follicle becomes plugged, causing whiteheads and black heads
- Circulating androgens stimulate the oil glands to release sebum. This, in turn, causes the overgrowth of P. acnes bacteria, which then produces an inflammatory response that results in deep red papules, pustules and nodules.
The treatment of acne is to target the basic causes. Topical agents can be used to treat mild to moderate acne. These can be classified in the following ways:
- Plug busting (tretinoin, adapalene)
- Bacterial busting (clindamycin, erythromycin)
- Both (benzoyl peroxide)
For moderate to severe acne, systemic treatment is necessary and includes:
- Oral antibiotics that suppress the growth of P. acnes
- Antiandrogens which target the oil gland to suppress the production of sebum
- Isotretinoin which targets both hair follicles and oil glands. This is reserved for treatment of resistant acne
Recently, newer lasers are used to control the infection, reduce the inflammation, and improve acne scarring by gently heating the sebaceous gland, reducing oil production, and contributing to the overall long-term remission of the disease.
Lastly, since the skin is affected by its surroundings, lifestyle changes, and good skin care using non-comedogenic products are important in the management of this disease.
What is Acne?
Acne is one of the most common of all skin problems, characterized by whiteheads, blackheads, pimples and, in some people, deep painful bumps that look and feel like boils. When it's severe, acne can cause permanent scarring of the skin. And those are just the physical problems.
What are the treatment options?
There are many treatment options available. During your consultation, we can discuss what options will best suit your needs. Treatments may include any of the following:
Chemical Peels: This involves a uniform and controlled shedding of skin layers using a topically applied exfoliating solution. The number of layers to be exfoliated and solution strength will depend on the nature and depth of treatment required. Damaged, outer layers of the skin are removed exposing the soft, clear, and radiant underlying skin.
Microdermabrasion: A stream of very fine crystals is sprayed through a handpiece across the skin, mixing gentle abrasion with suction to remove the dead, outer layer of the skin. These tiny crystals act as an exfoliant to remove the dead skin cells and promote the production of new cells and collagen to even out skin texture and tone. Improvements in appearance and texture will occur with successive treatments.
Fotona® Nd:Yag Laser Acne Treatment: Fotona®'s Nd:YAG laser is perfectly suited for prevention and early reduction of acne inflammation. It involves using laser light to reduce the inflammation and infection in the skin causing the acne. The laser treatment helps to reduce the severity of current and future breakouts. Some clients see significant clearing of active acne lesions with a single treatment but many may require additional sessions. With the Fotona® Laser any skin type or color may be safely and effectively treated.
Medication & Skin Care Products: Several types of topical prescription medicines are used to treat acne. Topical Antibiotics can stop, slow, and prevent bacterial growth and reduce inflammation. Topical Retinoids are medicines made from Vitamin A that are effective in treating whiteheads and blackheads by opening clogged pores. Dermatologists claim that topical retinoids work to normalize the life cycle of the pilosebaceous unit (follicle and sebaceous glands). There are also many Skin Care Products available today that specialize in the treatment of acne.
During your consultation, we will work with you to determine the right course of action and regimen that's best for you.
