Acne Treatments

 

Acne is stereotyped as the scourge of teenagers, but the reality is that it also affects many adults as well. As the most common skin condition around (according to the American Academy of Dermatology), acne can be particularly frustrating because the same treatments don’t work for everyone. There are actually a variety of potential causes for acne, like bacteria, debris, excess oil production in the skin, and even hormones, so each patient is unique. For many of our patients at Laser Lights Cosmetic Laser Center, this means they’ve spent years trying every product in the drug store with little to no success before seeking professional help. Fortunately, our licensed and experienced aestheticians are experts in all things skincare, so they can identify your skin’s unique needs and design a treatment plan to give you clearer, more consistent skin.

Treatments for Active Acne

Getting your acne under control will depend on the qualities of your skin and the underlying causes of your acne. That’s why we offer skin treatments which are customizable to fit your needs. We have a specially designed acne facial, which focuses on clearing clogged pores while giving your skin a refreshed feel.

For a more powerful result, we also offer a procedure called SilkPeel®. As a form of microdermabrasion, SilkPeel® clears away the excess oil, debris, and dead or damaged surface skin cells which can clog pores and form blemishes. But, unlike traditional microdermabrasion, SilkPeel® applies specialized topical medications (in your case, medications focused on acne resolution) during the actual exfoliation process. This allows them to penetrate deeper into your skin for an amplified effect. As an added bonus, SilkPeel® can also reduce the appearance of some acne scars while also giving your face a rejuvenated and brightened complexion.

Another acne management method is a chemical peel. Like SilkPeel®, chemical peels exfoliate away the surface imperfections which can prolong and irritate acne, but instead of doing this with abrasion and vacuum pressure, chemical peels use specially formulated solutions which are applied to the skin for a precise amount of time. These solutions penetrate the top layers of skin in order to activate the healing process, leaving you with clearer and more radiant skin. Our chemical peels can be customized to your specific skin concerns, and they can range in depth from a light treatment which causes little or no visible peeling to deeper peels which can also reduce acne scars in the process.

Finally, the key to keeping acne at bay is consistent use of the right skin care products. Not only do we carry a wide variety of products at Laser Lights (including many which are geared toward patients with acne), but our expert aestheticians can also recommend the ones which are ideally suited for your skin type.

Pore Extractions

The network of pores that span the surface of one’s skin act as a sort of respiratory system: facilitating the excretion of sweat and sebum (oil) that helps regulate body temperature and keeps the skin protected from harmful environmental particulates. Given the structure of a pore (tiny tube-like areas with oil glands at the base that open to the skin’s surface), they can become clogged and lead to inflamed pimples (acne) without proper exfoliation and oil removal.

Pore extraction is an optional component of the Fire & Ice Facial at Laser Lights as well as some of our other non-laser skin treatments like SilkPeel® microdermabrasion to maximize the procedure’s benefit. If you persistently experience clogged pores and notice blackheads or whiteheads beginning to form, a Laser Lights esthetician can perform pore extractions so that the blockage does not have an opportunity to advance. During extraction, your esthetician may use manual or instrument-assisted techniques to remove the blockages from the pore and restore the integrity of the pore structure. In the case of the Fire and Ice Facial, extractions are typically performed after the Intensive Resurfacing Masque but before the soothing Rejuvenating Masque.

Acne Scar Reduction

As most acne patients can attest, some blemishes are never truly gone because they can leave lifelong scarring, even after your acne is under control. Whether your scars are raised, pitted, or pigmented (or you have a mixture of all three), we have no shortage of scar reduction tricks up our sleeves.

One of the latest and most effective methods for acne scarring is microneedling. The Réjuvapen® microneedling uses ultrafine needles and works with your body’s healing process to break down the old scar tissue and stimulate a more controlled healing, which leaves the skin smoother and even firmer and more youthful.

Another highly effective way to tackle acne scars is with laser treatments, such as our fractionated CO2 laser skin resurfacing or our micro laser peel. Though they use a different method, these laser treatments have the same goal as the microneedling: to break down the old scar tissue and help the body replace it with new collagen, for renewed and refreshed skin.

For patients who have lighter scarring and want a milder treatment, our chemical peels can be the way to go. Just as their name suggests, these treatments involve applying a specialized chemical solution to the skin to get rid of the dead and damaged surface skin (including many types of acne scars), ultimately leaving your skin brightened, refreshed, and clear-complected.