Acne Scars

Acne affects most teenagers and adults in their 20's, even into their 40's. There are many different treatments available. Without treatment acne may subside after years, but may leave scars in its wake. The most common areas of involvement are the face, chest, and back.

Acne forms from male hormones found in both males and females, which increases in level during puberty. This triggers the oil gland to enlarge and produce increased amounts of oil. This oil gets trapped in the hair follicle, causing a plugged pore (or blackhead or whitehead). Bacteria then proliferate in the follicle, which ruptures and eventually forms a big red pimple or pustule.

Traditional treatment options include topical and oral therapies. Special topical prescription creams and gels, such as, Retin A, Tazorac and Differin, help unplug pores and prevent blackheads and whiteheads from forming. Oral and topical antibiotic medications help reduce inflammation and prevent scarring. Each topical and oral medication has different side effects that are important to discuss with your physician.

We have been using a combination of two of our lasers to treat acne with excellent results over the past 3 years, the smoothbeam and vbeam. This procedure is a non-invasive, 15-minute treatment that is effective and affordable (these treatments are not covered by most insurance plans). The laser light hits the surface of the skin, penetrates to where the oil gland is and shrinks the oil gland. The recommended course of treatment is 4 - 5 treatments every 3 - 4 weeks. There is no downtime and there are no systemic side effects that one might encounter if using an oral medication. It's a great approach if someone wants to direct an effective treatment to target areas and avoid oral medication. The laser is also used in conjunction with systemic and topical treatments to speed up recovery.

Peels are another set of treatments that can be used to supplement prescription Microdermabrasion mechanically exfoliates the skin with minimal pinkness afterwards to help reduce blackheads and the pigmentation that occurs with blemishes. Enzyme peels can digest dead skin cells on the surface to allow for easier acne extraction. Salicylic acid peels penetrate to the oil gland to reduce oil production and give the skin more of a matte finish. There are other options available.