Acne is a common skin condition that many Australians will experience during their lifetime. However, its length and severity differ among patients.Although acne is a common skin disorder, it can produce significant, long-term physical and mental effects. Acne scars can last a lifetime and affect an individual’s confidence, self-esteem, and outlook. Cosmetic doctors, as highly skilled professionals, can recommend the best acne treatment to produce optimum, long-term results, remove scarring, and improve your quality of life. Their experience is critical in understanding skin health and undergoing the most efficient procedure.Early intervention and medical-grade, time-tested treatments from a highly experienced physician or reputable skin clinic will minimise scarring and produce the best results. This blog will explain the basics of acne and its appropriate treatments to rejuvenate your skin and boost your confidence.
What Is Acne?
Acne is a skin disorder that manifests as blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. In extreme cases, acne manifests as painful facial, neck, chest, and back cysts. Clogged pores cause acne. During puberty, the hormone androgen makes the skin’s oil glands bigger and produces excess, pore-clogging oil. This process explains why acne is common among teenagers.
However, it’s important to remember that acne can also develop before and after puberty. Some newborns develop neonatal acne, while some children three to six months old develop infantile acne. Many Australian women older than 25 develop acne issues during puberty and continue to deal with it as adults.The type of acne patients develop depends on the substance that is clogging their pores.
Acne types include:
Whiteheads: This acne develops when extra oil and dead skin cells accumulate and clog a pore, resulting in a raised white or flesh-coloured blemish.
Blackheads: Like whiteheads, blackheads form when excess oil and dead skin cells build up and widen a pore. They’re black because of a chemical reaction between the buildup and oxygen.
Pimples: This acne develops when excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria accumulate inside a pore. Bacterial proliferation leads to swelling, which, in turn, results in the formation of a pimple.
Acne cysts: In this scenario, a pore accumulates excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria, becoming inflamed or swollen. The cyst penetrates the skin, resulting in pain or discomfort.
If acne is left untreated, it may result in the following complications:
Acne scars: Permanent scars may develop when an acne breakout diminishes. Those with a family history of acne scarring are at an increased risk of developing scarring themselves. Your cosmetic doctor can recommend the best acne scar treatment for your situation.
Dark skin spots: The aftermath of an acne breakout may lead to the development of dark skin spots, whose colours can range from pink to red, purple to black, or brown. In contrast to acne scars, dark skin spots diminish on their own. However, it can take up to one year or longer for this to occur. Please remember that darker skin spots take longer to clear than lighter ones.
The following factors may also exacerbate acne:
Stress
Insufficient sleep
Processed foods, dairy products, refined sugar and carbohydrates, caffeine, trans fats, alcohol, soy, artificial sweeteners, and iodine-rich food sources.
If you have acne, we strongly encourage you to explore the appropriate treatment with a qualified, highly experienced medical practitioner.
What Are The Most Effective Acne Treatments?
Although acne is a prevalent skin disorder, cosmetic clinics offer a comprehensive range of treatments that help to minimise breakouts and treat scarring.At Flawless Aesthetics, we strongly recommend the following acne treatments.
Medical-Grade Facials And Peels
Facials and peels sold at your local pharmacy aren’t effective at treating acne. Instead, consider a medical grade peel or a medical grade facial performed by a qualified aesthetician. Your cosmetic doctor will apply a safe, deeply exfoliating chemical solution to your skin, eliminating dry, oily, and dead skin cell accumulation that exacerbates acne breakouts. We also recommend a chemical peel for acne scars for patients with this skin disorder. A salicylic acid or pimple peel helps soothe inflamed skin, exfoliate blocked pores, minimise oil production, and eliminate bacteria. A glycolic peel helps level out complexion and improve skin texture and skin glow. This chemical peel boosts the production of collagen, a protein that helps minimise acne scars. On the other hand, a medical grade facial involves cleansing, steaming, and exfoliating the skin to eliminate acne. Your aesthetician will extract whiteheads or blackheads, massage your skin, and apply facial masks, moisturisers, and antioxidants to improve skin quality.
PRP Skin Rejuvenation
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) relies on plasma’s natural healing and stimulating benefits. It’s a popular and minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that repairs and rejuvenates damaged skin tissues.PRP skin rejuvenation also helps minimise scarring and discolouration. Patients enjoy better skin texture and elasticity after the procedure. Platelet rich plasma enhances collagen production by utilising plasma’s regenerative and stimulating properties, leading to enhanced skin volume. PRP works efficiently with laser and light therapy, dermal needling, and other injection-based treatments to improve long-term skin health.
LED
Light-emitting diode (LED) therapy optimises light wavelengths to produce the desired results. Blue LED light therapy reduces oil gland activity to minimise acne breakouts and eliminates acne-causing bacteria underneath the skin. Conversely, red LED light treatment for acne has the following benefits:
Encourages healing
Minimises inflammation
Regulates oil production
Reduces pore size
Diminishes acne scars
Medical-Grade Skincare
Retinoids are the active ingredients of medical-grade skincare treatments and an effective intervention against acne.Skincare experts derive retinoids from Vitamin A. These compounds promote collagen production, enhance skin cell turnover, and minimise oil production. You can also try anti-acne serums and creams available at your local pharmacies. Please consult your cosmetic doctor for appropriate medical-grade skincare advice.
Subcision
Subcision is an outpatient procedure in which your physician inserts a small hypodermic needle into your skin to remove acne from the tissue. Consequently, your skin rises and decreases the appearance of the acne scar.Subcision also boosts collagen production at the injection site, diminishing the acne scar. Patients will undergo three to six subcision treatments, which are spaced at least four weeks apart.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a procedure in which your practitioner pricks your skin using a device with small, sterilised needles. The micro-injuries boost the skin’s natural healing and encourage collagen and elastin (a protein that stretches the skin tissues and resumes their original sizes) production. This smooths out the skin, improves texture and tone, and eliminates acne scars. Microneedling for acne scars is popular among patients because it’s safe and efficient, with minimum recovery time. Patients undergo an average of four microneedling treatments monthly.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers help diminish acne scars by raising the affected area to even out the skin’s surface. The physician injects underneath the skin to enhance volume and depressed spots. The type and amount of filler hinges on your scars’ characteristics and desired results. Dermal fillers produce immediate results, so your acne scars’ appearance will improve after the procedure. Mild to moderate acne scars require one to two treatments. On the other hand, significant acne scarring may require more treatments spaced four to six weeks apart. Your aesthetician may prescribe one or two maintenance treatments annually to sustain your desired results.
Schedule A Consultation Today
Do you want to treat acne or minimise acne scarring? At Flawless Aesthetics, one of our highly skilled and experienced cosmetic doctors can help you achieve your goals. Please contact us to discuss your unique aesthetic needs. One of our team members will assist you immediately.