Treatment of Acne
Acne is a disease, which if not treated, can cause permanent scarring. Acne can be present in dry, oily, or combination skin. It begins in the pores of the face around the age of puberty when an increase in hormones produces an excess of oil in the glands below the surface of the skin. More and more though, we are seeing people who are being troubled with this disease later in life, most of them women. Acne can be extremely troublesome from both a physical as well as psychological standpoint.
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What do we do here at Clear Complexions?
On the first visit:
1) Patient is instructed about their disease, causes & treatment.
2) The face is examined to determine the grade of acne
3) Doctor will prescribe proper treatment for each patient and instruct how to use each product:
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A cleanser with or without Benzoyl Peroxide and granules
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A topical antibiotic
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Benzoyl Peroxide mask or Vitamin A/retinoid product
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Other topical medications are also chosen for some acne patients
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Oral medications are prescribed for some patients
4)The doctor will recommend follow-up visits, called extraction visits, 1-2 weeks following the initial visit.
Follow-up treatment:
Extractions:
The nurse will dilate the pores of the acne lesion and extract debris from the pores, allowing the pores to return to their normal size. This creates much faster healing and improvement of the acne condition. Injections directly into the pore may also be used in larger acne lesions to expedite the healing process (some results as quickly as 24 hours)
Acne is a treatable disease, and we feel out treatment is very effective in controlling acne. Acne is not curable, but with our regimen, you can expect an improvement within 6 weeks.
Acne Scarring
Acne scarring is difficult to treat. There are many methods to approach this problem, but quite a few of the currently utilized treatment options tend to fall short of desired results. Options utilizing lasers, in particular the fractional type of laser, can be most expensive. Here we present three very different yet complimentary ways to treat acne scarring.
1. The first option describes an individual's intensive use of a strong retinoid, Tazarotene, or Tazorac. We have included in this section this person's comments from a website chatroom. There are many who may have a preferential view on the use of topical medication for acne scarring, and regular use of the retinoid class has shown to impart a smoothness to the skin, thereby improving scarring that does not extend deeply into the epidermal layers.
"Don't get Laser Resurfacing!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't get Fraxel. I went to a consultation today with a doctor who does Fraxel and he was very honest and said that the results are never higher than 50% improvement. As an acne scar sufferer, I know of another way to improve your scars by 75%. So Lasers aren't worth it. He also said they take 6 months to see improvements. Proven method: If you have depressed scars you need to be on max strength Tazorac (Twice a day). I know this is a lot but it is necessary to repair your damaged skin. You must massage the scar(s) daily for several minutes if possible when you apply the Tazorac. Also be on a Glycolic Acid toner if possible to help exfoliate even more. The more you exfoliate and massage, the more the scar will fade. It will take many months to a year..but it can yield a >75% improvement with this method. However, you can't miss a dose of the Tazorac for this to work. And you must firmly massage the scar daily!! For minor depressed scar I've seen them GO AWAY in about 2 months with this method. So massaging daily with Tazorac WILL COMPLETELY eliminate SOME scars....maybe not all..but it WILL eliminate some minor depressed scars that wouldn't go away otherwise. Hope this helps. There is no need to pay for laser resurfacing which may cause discoloration or other problems. Just don't do it. Dermatologists have PROVEN that massaging daily with a topical retinoid will absolutely reduce the scars."
2. The second treatment utilizes a very versatile filler, Restylane Vital, in a recently described usage for acne scarring. This new approach to acne scarring is well described in the article below and is one of the most promising of the newer state-of-the-art treatment approaches to this problem. The vast array of different MIcro Needling techniques would in our opinion, not demonstrate as good results as can be obtained by the inclusion of hyaluronic acid in Restylane Vital.
Treatment of Acne Scars with Hyaluronic Acid Article.pdf
3. The third treatment technique for acne scarring is chemical peels; in fact the present-day chemical peels are often considered to be one of the best options for acne scar treatment and are becoming more and more popular because of how effective they are without complications. Read more about the chemical peels by clicking the green bar below.
4. Dermal Fillers. Dermal fillers can be used to lift depressed scars for a temporary smooth skin appearance. Dermal fillers are also considered a solution that is better fit for less defined acne scarring.
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5. Microneedling. Microneedling has continued to grow in popularity throughout the years. The benefits of pricking the skin for collagen production and improving the skin's absorption of topical treatments, makes for a smoother overall skin appearance.
Benzoyl Peroxide for Acne
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**CLEAR COMPLEXIONS RX BRAND FACE UP BENZOYL PEROXIDE IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY**
On occasion, prescriptions can be done via teledermetology or skype.
Contact the Clear Complexions Rx office at 847-843-0200 for further information.
Most dermatologists recommend using Benzoyl Peroxide as a major consitituent in the treatment of acne.
How is Clear Complexions brand of Benzoyl Peroxide different from drugstore brands?
Vehicle
this is the form in which an appropriate medication is best prescribed. Typical drugstore brands of BPO have creams as their vehicle. Creams are not very occlusive and require preservatives. Our BPO is in the form of a gel, the most suitable vehicle for use in treating acne.
Purity
Our brand is of a high grade of purity and highly concentrated. This makes it effective over a wide range of acne conditions. The purer the product, the better the results. The preservatives in drug store brands can retard growth of bacteria while the product sits on the drugstore shelf, but these same ingredients eventually lead to clogging of the pores.
Application
Our BPO is applied thickly to the face as a mask that dries after a few minutes and is left on overnight. This facilitates deep penetration into the pores down to the level of the pilosebaceous unit, a necessary step in getting you cleared up. Drugstore brands are massaged into the skin but lack the ability to significantly reach the deeply embedded pilosebaceous unit.
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