Acne
We’re all familiar with acne and know that it can be unpleasant and cause permanent scarring, as well as emotional distress. Acne occurs when our pores clog (commonly called blackheads and whiteheads), red inflamed pimples arise, and deeper lumps known as “nodules” occur on the face, neck, back, chest, shoulders, and upper arms. Although acne is most commonly experienced during our teenage years, adults may experience acne during their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, or even older. Acne may be triggered by a variety of causes such as hormones, birth control, childbirth, or menopause.
Cleaning your face regularly, eating a healthy diet, and wearing as little cosmetics as possible are only a few of the steps you can perform to help control the development of acne. While some acne can clear up on its own without treatment over the course of several years, others will continue to suffer from this skin condition throughout their entire life. If common cleansers aren’t working for your acne, you may want to consult with our expert dermatologists at Arizona Dermatology to discuss other possible acne treatments.
We offer several dermatological treatment options to help give you clear skin and keep the acne from returning in the future. Our treatment options and recommendations vary by the severity of your acne, needs and budget. Many patients can often improve mild acne by washing with a facial cleanser twice a day, using prescription acne medications and/or receiving chemical peels. For more severe cases, a laser treatment or blue light photodynamic therapy may be recommended. In addition to acne itself, acne scarring can also be treated in a variety of ways, including the use of certain skin care products, chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing, soft tissue fillers, and microdermabrasion or micro-needling. Read about a few of our acne treatments below, and then schedule an appointment with us to find the best acne treatment for you.
Facial Cleansers
Facial cleansers are a basic necessity to remove oils, makeup, and debris from your face that accrue throughout the day. If you don’t use the proper cleaner for your skin type, you may experience unwanted side effects such as irritated or dry skin. Believe us, there is a facial cleanser for every skin type, even for those that may need a more aggressive cleanser than others. Below are a few of our favorite and most popular medical grade cleansers, many of which you can purchase over the counter at your nearest drug store.
1. Facial Epionce Lytic Gel Cleanser (Medical grade)
2. Facial cleansers with active ingredient Salicylic Acid (Neutrogena, Aveeno) (over the counter)
3. Facial cleanser with active ingredient Benzoyl Peroxide (PanOxyl) (over the counter)
Prescription Acne Medications
Prescription acne medications are a way to clear the development of acne internally. These treatment options include Benzoyl Peroxide, Retin-A, Aczone, oral antibiotics (Doxycycline, Minocycline), Accutane or hormone modulator for females (Spironolactone). Our skin care professional will diagnose your skin condition and recommend a prescription acne medication to deliver the best results possible for your specific condition.
Acne Extraction
Acne extraction is a form of surgery performed by our aesthetician experts in order to professionally and deeply cleanse the skin on the face. This treatment cleans the patient’s clogged pores by thoroughly removing any blackheads and whiteheads on the face. As a result of this treatment, it will likely reduce the amount of outbreaks and lessen the severity of your ongoing acne.
Corticosteroid Injection
The light corticosteroid treatment is injected into a large, swollen pimple or cyst to instantly flatten and reduce scarring. The treatment releases cortisone, which is a natural chemical the body produces to quickly reduce inflammation and stimulate the healing process. This fast acting treatment is recommended for acne that may appear deep within the skin and is unaffected by other acne treatments. The light corticosteroid treatment is an especially great procedure for those needing quick results for an upcoming event.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are an excellent way to bring back the smooth texture of your skin. We offer many different treatments such as light, medium, or heavy depth chemical peels for various skin types. The people who come in for our chemical peels are usually suffering from acne, extensive sun damage, or just want a rejuvenated appearance. Our chemical peel treatments have also been known to cut down on precancerous lesions that may lead to the development of skin cancer.
1. AlphaBeta Peel– multiple acid peel (Salicylic, Glycolic, Lactic acids) reduces acne causing bacteria, removes congestion within pores, and improves discoloration caused by acne. This treatment has no downtime, allowing you to walk out of our office with visible results.
2. Vitalize Peel – multiple acid peel (Salicylic, Lactic, Retinoic acids and Resorcinol) that reduces acne causing bacteria and removes congestion within the pores. Moderate exfoliation improves discoloration, pore size and scarring caused by chronic acne with minimal downtime to give you the clear skin you’ve always wanted.
Micro-Needling
An instrument which utilizes fine needles is used to create “micro-tunnels” of the skin. These microscopic wounds stimulate the skin’s natural healing process which increases collagen and elastin production. Micro-needling breaks up scar tissue, plumps acne scarring, reduces pore size and improves skin texture. Acne targeting medications are applied at the start of the procedure and driven into target areas by the instrument to increase effectiveness. The depth of penetrated medication enhances results to give you the results you’ve been hoping for.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion utilizes a diamond tip to sand or exfoliate the outermost layer of your skin. The exfoliated skin is suctioned through an attached vacuum to remove dead skin cells and improve pore congestion, skin texture and acne scarring. Without the downtime of exfoliation process, microdermabrasion is an excellent option for patients suffering from acne.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser resurfacing is recommend to remove acne scarring once the chronic acne has cleared. During this process, the top layer of skin (epidermis) is ablated or removed. The laser penetrates the skin by sending a short pulse of light to the targeted area, and heat from the laser is penetrated in the second layer of skin (dermis) to stimulate an intense collagen reaction. The combination of ablating the epidermis and stimulating deep collagen production improves moderate to severe acne scarring and rejuvenates skin, giving you firm, evenly colored, beautiful skin.
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