Acne Treatments & Acne Reduction...
Acne is one of the commonest skin conditions, affecting most teenagers between 16 and 19 years and up to 20% of adults.
For many people acne is a real problem. It's painful, distressing and embarrassing and can significantly affect self esteem.
The medical term for acne is Acne Vulgaris. Acne is caused by excess production of sebum. Sebum is a wax that keeps the skin waterproof. It is produced by the sebaceous glands, which are attached to the hair follicles in the skin. Sebum travels from the sebaceous glands up to the skin via the skin pores.
For reasons we don’t completely understand, acne prone skin produces too many skin cells. These extra skin cells mix with sebum and block up the skin pores. Because sebum is still being produced, it builds up behind the blockage. This causes a swelling, which may then burst out into the surrounding layers of skin. This causes inflammation – pain, redness, and swelling. Bacteria may invade the area, and pus can form.
Acne causes different types of sores and blemishes in the skin. Acne sufferers may have one or more of the following:
Blackheads – these are a collection of dead cells and sebum blocking the pore (the blackness is not dirt, but oxidized sebum).
Whiteheads – sebum is building up behind the blockage causing a lump, which is covered by a thin layer of skin. The sebum stays white as it has had no contact with air.
Papules – the sebum has broken out into the layers beneath the surface of the skin and caused inflammation, so it appears as painful reddish lumps.
Pustules – the inflammation has turned into pus and broken through the skin to form the classic yellow 'pimple'.
Cysts and Nodules – these are painful lumps caused by inflammation in the skin.
Open Sores – usually pimples that have been scratched or picked.
Scars – pockmarked, sometimes darkened, areas of skin left after large pustules (and sometimes even small pimples) have healed.
The sebaceous glands are controlled by the sex hormones. The oestrogens (the female sex hormones) suppress the sebaceous glands, whereas the androgens (the male sex hormones) stimulate them. Males and females have both types of sex hormones.
During the teen years the blood levels of sex hormones rise, and this is the reason why acne is more common in teenagers. Acne tends to be worse in young males but can be more persistent in females.
Adult acne may often be the result of an hormonal imbalance in females, and it is important to have this investigated by your doctor, particularly if you have other symptoms of an hormonal imbalance such as irregular periods and/or excess body hair.
Acne can also be caused by taking extra hormones, in the form of anabolic steroids, corticosteroid medication and some hormone treatments.
Acne can be effectively treated by treating the causes of Acne.
Mild acne is best treated with exfoliating treatments to try to reduce the number of skin cells and stop them blocking the skin pores.
Moderate and severe acne need to be treated with prescription medications to reduce the risk of permanent scarring. Topical prescription Vitamin A cream is the most effective skin creams for moderate acne. Vitamin A cream suppresses the sebaceous glands and helps to break the acne cycle. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed together with these creams, particularly if there is a lot of inflammation and infection in the skin.
Because oestrogen is a very effective sebaceous gland suppressor, the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) is also a very effective treatment for female acne sufferers. There are special OCPs which have been formulated to treat the skin and these can be prescribed in conjunction with prescription creams if acne is persistent.
Over the past 5 years, lasers, IPLs (Intense Pulsed Light) and low level laser have been used to treat acne. For some clients, light treatments can be very effective, but it is impossible to predict who will respond and it often takes lots of treatments before the acne settles down.
At Clearskincare, we offer effective and affordable Acne treatment programmes that are tailored to the needs of each individual client. All our treatment programmes are medically supervised and we only use treatments and products that have been proven to be effective by independent clinical research.
Our goal is to deliver you CLEAR SKIN and to keep it CLEAR.
For breakout to mild acne we recommend –
For aging and acne scars in breakout to mild acne prone skin we recommend –
For moderate or cosmetic resistant acne we recommend clinical or online consultation.
For further information please contact your closest Clearskincare Clinic www.clearskincareclinics.com.au
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