Acne & Acne Scarring

Acne vulgaris, or acne, is a common skin condition that affects 80% of teens and adults of all ages. Contrary to popular acne myths, it is not caused by poor hygiene or eating chocolate, pizza, and French fries. Acne is not a skin problem that people must suffer through and allow to simply “run its course.” Acne is treatable, and a variety of treatment options exist.

At Simply Skin Medical Spa, treatment starts with a skin care consultation and a customized regimen for topical treatment of the acne, as this can reduce the number of comedones or pimples, and decrease the inflammation of the skin. It does not matter if you have the occasional pimple or cystic acne, we can develop a program that will clear the acne breakouts, prevent future breakouts, and improve acne scarring, resulting in clear, beautiful skin.

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acne treatment

Types of Acne

Acne is divided into the following types based on its characteristics:

Comedones

Comedones may be open (blackheads) or closed (whiteheads). Blackheads occur when hair follicles are partially blocked by oil, bacteria and dead skin cells and typically take much longer to clear. They appear black in color not because of dirt, but because when the oil in the plugged duct is exposed to oxygen, it oxidizes, and takes on a black color. Whiteheads occur when pores are completely blocked. They also resolve more quickly than blackheads and have a white surface.

Pustules

Pustules, commonly referred to as pimples or zits, are inflamed lesions that occur as the result of clogged pores. Papules, like pustules, are also inflamed, red and tender but do not have a head.

Cystic Acne or Acne Nodules

Cystic acne, or acne nodulescharacterize a more severe form of acne and appear as large, painful bumps under the skin’s surface. Nodules frequently cause acne scarring.

Acne Causes

All types of acne occur when pores, or hair follicles, in the face, neck, chest or back become clogged with excess oil, dead skin cells or built-up bacteria. Some people may have naturally oilier skin and be genetically predisposed to acne, while others experience greater exposure to bacteria that causes acne.

Hormones certainly affect the skin and may also lead to the development of acne. The onset of puberty, pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause may trigger acne breakouts. Some skin care product ingredients and possibly even dietary factors, such as intake of dairy products and high-starch foods, may promote acne as well.

acne causes

Acne Treatment & Prevention

The right acne treatment or combination of treatments is chosen based on a variety of factors, including the type and severity of the acne, as well as the face or body area and characteristics of the skin affected by acne.

Acne Skin Care includes four steps of:

  1. cleansing,
  2. exfoliating and softening the plugged pores,
  3. acne treatment products
  4. oil free moisturization and protection. Oral medications may be added, and many in- office procedures to enhance healing and beautification of the skin.

Oral medications

Isotretinoin (Accutane or Roaccutane) and oral antibiotics (tetracycline, doxycycline, clindamycin, cephalexin, erythromycin, and sulfamethazole-trimethoprim).

Topical medications

Retinoids (Differin Gel and Retin-A), topical antibiotics (clindamycin and erythromycin), salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.

Acne Facials with manual extractions

In office treatment that manually opens comedones and calms inflammation.

At Simply Skin we also offer Chemical Peels, DiamondGlow®, all in-office treatment modalities, to assist with opening and clearing plugged pores and pimples, calming the inflammation of acne, and smoothing the skin surface, and stimulating collagen regeneration.

These acne treatments are quick, painless, and noninvasive, and there is no downtime or side effects. Most moderate inflammatory acne can be cleared in as few as 4-8 treatment sessions.

Acne Scarring

The result of inflammatory acne is Acne Scarring that can look leave indentations called “ice-pick” scars, or depressed acne scars which may be red, or darkly pigmented. This can cause extensive emotional distress, but there are specific treatments that greatly improve this scar condition.

Once your active acne breakouts are successfully treated, additional acne scar and hyperpigmentation treatments may be performed to further improve the appearance of your skin. In addition to the above treatments, you may additionally benefit from SkinPen® Microneedling and DOT Fractional Resurfacing.

SkinPen® Microneedling involves opening very small channels in the skin to induce collagen regeneration requiring 4-6 sessions, all with no downtime.

DOT Fractional Resurfacing involves the use of a Carbon Dioxide Laser to drill small holes deep into the dermis to stimulate collagen and elastin rejuvenation, while only treating a fraction of the skin, to allow complete healing in less than a week.

Treatments

Discover the treatments we offer that can help you or book an appointment so we can find the perfect solution for you.

SkinPen® MD Microneedling
Genius™ Radiofrequency Microneedling
SmartXide Fractional Resurfacing
Chemical Peels
NovaThread Lift
ProGen PRP

Schedule a Consult

Would you like to learn more about the treatment of acne and acne scarring? Call 814-227-2362 to schedule a consultation at Simply Skin Medical Spa.

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