Tag: Treatments For Acne

Identify Your Acne Before You Get Treatment

Understanding how to treat your Acne involves knowing which type of Acne may have. Acne has many variations, ranging in severity from mild to much more serious cases that can cause disfigurement. There are many treatments for acne available on the market, but it is very important to first identify your Acne type before choosing a treatment.

Acne Vulgaris

The most common form of Acne is named Acne Vulgaris. This type of acne can be easily identified by looking at the characteristics of the lesions.

Whiteheads: When a pore becomes completely blocked by trapping sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria, you will notice a white appearance on the surface. Whiteheads normally will disappear fast than blackheads on your skin. You should resist the temptation to pop these pimples

Blackheads: When are pore is only partially blocked, the trapped sebum, bacteria and dead skin will have slowly drained to the surface of your skin. The black color is caused by your skins pigment and melanin reacting with oxygen. Blackheads will normally take longer to disappear than whiteheads. You should also resist the temptation to pop these pimples too.

Pustules: You can identify a pustule by a red circle with a white or yellow center. The pustule will look similar to a whitehead with the difference being inflammation. Pustules are commonly referred to as Zits.

Papules: The papule is a red, inflamed and tender bump on the skin with no visible head. You should not attempt to squeeze this lesion as you may cause or exacerbate scarring.

Severe Acne Vulgaris: The sever types of Acne Vulgaris include Nodules and Cysts and will be quite painful. You should consult your dermatologist for treating these types of acne.

Acne Rosacea

Acne Rosacea may look very similar to Acne Vulgaris and often causes confusion. Millions of people are affected by Acne Rosacea, and it mostly strikes people over the age of 30. It will start to appear as a reddish rash on the cheeks, forehead, nose and/or chin. You may also notice small bumps, skin blemishes or pimples in the area. Blackheads are not a symptom of Rosacea.
You should consult your dermatologist if you suspect you have Rosacea, because treatment is often very different.

There are other very serious forms of Acne such as Acne Conglobata, Acne Fulminans, Gram-Negative Folliculitis and Pyoderma Faciale. These forms of Acne are very rare, but they can be disfiguring, painful and have psychological effects.

It is always recommended that you consult with your dermatologist to confirm the type of Acne you have and the best treatments available.

The above information should only be used as a reference, and only a trained dermatologist can accurately diagnose your Acne.

Acne Cysts And Their Treatment

Deep cysts, inflammation, extensive damage to the skin and scarring characterize severe acne. It often requires an aggressive treatment regimen and should be treated by a dermatologist. Severe forms of acne can require years of treatment and may experience one or more treatment failures. However, almost every case of acne can be successfully treated. There are five popular treatments for acne cysts. There are many effective treatments that are available currently.

Drainage and surgical excision, inner lesion corticosteroid injection, isotretinoin (a potent drug for treating severe cystic acne), oral antibiotics, and oral contraceptives are the most popular treatments. Some people may choose a more natural treatment for severe acne, which will also be covered briefly in this article.

Drainage and extraction, or acne surgery as it is also called, should not be performed by patients and is used on some large cysts that do not respond to medication and require drainage and extraction. Dermatologists are trained in the proper technique and perform acne surgery under sterile conditions. Patient attempts to drain and extract acne cysts, by squeezing or picking, can lead to infection, worsening of the acne and scarring.

When an acne cyst becomes severely inflamed, there is a good chance it will rupture and scarring will occur. To treat these severely inflamed cysts and prevent scarring, dermatologists may inject such cysts with a diluted corticosteroid. This lessens the inflammation and promotes healing of the acne cyst. An inner lesion corticosteroid injection works by melting the cyst over the course of a few days.

Oral antibiotics have been a basis of therapy for severe acne for many years. Like topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics work to reduce the “P. acnes”. “P. Acnes” are normal residents on the skin, which decreases inflammation. Treatment with oral antibiotics usually begins with a high dosage, which is eventually reduced as the acne resolves. Over time, the “P. acnes” bacteria can become resistant to the treatment. When resistance occurs, another antibiotic can be prescribed or other treatment options may need to be explored.

Oral contraceptives have been shown to effectively clear acne in women by suppressing the overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives can be used as long-term acne therapy; however, this medication should not be prescribed to women who smoke, have a blood clotting disorder, are older than thirty-five or have a history of migraine headaches, without the advice of a gynecologist.

Spironolactone, a synthetic steroid, may be used in combination with oral contraceptives to treat acne in adult females. Spironolactone inhibits androgen, hormones that stimulate oil glands in addition to other effects on the body, production. There are possible side effects that may accompany Spironolactone treatment. A few side affects include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue.

Some people choose more natural ways to combat cystic acne. Some natural treatments are eating a whole foods diet that consists of only natural foods that have not been chemically or mechanically processed. Yoga or deep relaxation techniques may be used to reduce the amount of stress that is put on the body and the mind. Essential oils are another natural treatment that may be added to the diet of sufferers of severe acne.

IPL Acne Scars-Laser Treatments Are Popular

Laser treatments for acne have become more popular in recent years, but many people are not able to take advantage of them for any number of reasons. The good news is that there is another possible treatment. With IPL acne scars can be reduced or completely eliminated. IPL is short for Intense Pulse Light and while not an actual laser treatment, both methods rely on beams of light to eradicate acne scars.

When it comes to acne scars, IPL is often more affordable than laser treatments. One of the big reasons for this is that the IPL machine is less expensive than a laser machine. Of course the dermatologist or aesthetician can still charge you as much as they want, but all other things being equal, IPL acne scars treatment could save you quite a bit of money.

The cost of the treatment may not matter to some people, but some of us prefer methods that will save us money. This becomes even more of a factor because health insurance rarely covers IPL or laser treatments for acne. It is normally considered a cosmetic procedure, but be sure to check your insurance policy to see if the treatment is covered in certain circumstances.

Notice that either a dermatologist or an aesthetician can use an IPL device (in most jurisdictions, be sure to check where you live). Therefore, you may not have to go to a doctor’s office to get the treatment done. However, you do have a chance, no matter how small, that an office visit would be covered by your insurance, but a visit to an aesthetician won’t be.

Whether you go to a dermatologist or an aesthetician, what you really need to watch out for is how experienced they are with giving IPL acne scars treatments. As long as the person operating the machine is knowledgeable in its use, then you should see the results you are looking for. While IPL devices are relatively simple, it can be reassuring to know that you are being treated with skilled hands.

It doesn’t matter who’s using the device if the device itself doesn’t work; so does IPL work for reducing the scars caused by acne. At least one medical journal published a report that showed a noticeable improvement on inflamed and raised scars, though it was deemed to be more effective on smaller scars. Some studies have led researchers to believe that IPL acne treatments increase collagen production which makes the skin look smoother and helps to reduce scarring. However, IPL treatments can be applied to scars of just about any size, though you should discuss any concerns you have with the person doing your treatment.

While there may be a few minor drawbacks with IPL acne scars treatments, it appears as though the potential benefits are far greater. What it comes down to is this: you do not have to live with acne scars any longer, and IPL treatments are one of the viable options that you can use.

Acne Scar Reduction-Prevention Best Treatment

Yuck! Nobody likes to suffer through an outbreak of acne, but even that can go from bad to worse if scars develop. Not only do you have to live with the acne, but you could be stuck with the aftermath for years to come, especially if you have severe outbreaks. However, there is good news because there are a lot of options for acne scar reduction.

The following is somewhat simplified, but it’s enough to give you the information you need to start treating your acne scars. When you have a bad outbreak of acne and sores develop, and that can lead to an infection which causes collagen and elastin to decrease. If that happens, then the skin cells themselves become damaged. The body then sends out its natural defenses and tries to repair the skin near the damaged area with connective tissue, and it’s this tissue that causes scarring.

Prevention of scarring is by far the best thing you can do. That may sound obvious, but all too many people overlook it. A good first step is to start treating your acne as soon as possible. Though it is often easier said than, you should never pick at the sores from your acne. Of course, if you start treating right away, there will be fewer sores to pick at.

You can always try using medicated treatments for acne scar reduction. Again, do what you can to prevent and treat outbreaks first. Over-the-counter medications may work just fine, but if not, you can always talk to your doctor or a dermatologist about prescribing something for your outbreaks.

You may not be able to do much in the way of prevention if you already have some scarring, but there are things you can do to minimize or eliminate the appearance of existing scars.

The first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor or dermatologist about your treatment options. They will be able to give you advice based on your personal medical history. Even if you want to try some home remedies for acne scar reduction, you should still talk to a medical professional about your concerns.

Laser treatments are becoming more and more popular as people see how well they work. The laser has to be used by a qualified dermatologist, so it will require an office visit. In simple terms, the laser burns of some of the skin in a controlled manner, then the scars are minimized when the new, healthy skin grows back.

Dermabrasion is where the top part of the skin is abraded or scraped off. A machine or buffer is used to make this happen. The idea here is that it will reveal the healthier skin underneath, but it also encourages new skin cell growth which adds to its effectiveness.

There are also different medicated lotions, creams and supplements that can help with acne scar reduction. Remember, you don’t have to live with yucky looking scars, so take advantage of any of these options right away.