The procedure can be thought as a skin polishing treatment that may benefit  a variety of skin conditions.Microdermabrasion may be used to help unplug pores that occur in acne.Dry,thickened dull skin may become more lustrous after a treatment.Fine lines and uneven skin texture may be improved.It can be thought of as part of a good skin management program.

Treatments are not painful and can usually be done in thirty minutes.It is a gentle and effective procedure with no downtime.

Common remarks are ,”My skin looks and feels amazing”,”My skin is smooth and my makeup applies so smoothly”.

Microdermabrasions can be performed using a Silkpeel dermal infusion method.In this procedure different solutions can be gently applied to the skin during treatment for oily acne-prone skin and dry skin.Treatments are meant to be progressive.Generally,results are most noticeable after the third treatment,although the skin will look fresher after the first session.Usually treatments are performed about every two weeks for a series of six.Maintenance may be done every two months.

Essentially the causes are two fold:  the inflammation that occurs during the acne process and the skin’s attempts to repair the damage.  Some scars are depressed and called atrophic, while some involve increased tissue formation, which are referred to as hypertrophic or even keloid scars.

Some people call the red, purple or brown areas that develop after an acne lesion scars.  These will often fade with time.

People with darker skin usually develop pigmentation at sites of inflammation when active acne lesions have resolved.  These areas may take up to 18 months to fade.

It is important to classify the atrophic type scars (loss of tissue), because they may be treated differently.

1. Ice pick scars.  These are found most commonly on the cheeks.  They are very tight small depressed scars.
2. Boxcar scars.  These scars have steep angular slopes.  They most often occur on the cheeks and temples.
3. Rolling scars.  They are characterized by a wave appearance.

Treatment options involve the use of fractionated laser devices to stimulate synthesis of and to remodel dermal collagen  (the structural protein in the skin).  Sometimes surgery is needed for some scars.  Dermal fillers may also be used to add volume to a depressed scar.

Treatment of acne scars is most often a combination of treatments (i.e.lasers, surgery and dermal fillers) and should be considered a project over time to obtain the best results.

Maintenance treatments for acne scarring, will often include the topical application of a group of substances called Retinoids.  These treatments help to reduce further acne and to provide ongoing skin stimulation.

Thank you for reading and please join me next time, when I will discuss a simple and gentle polishing tool for the skin, called Microdermabrasion.

Acne is essentially a disorder of something called the pilosebaceous unit of the skin. These are the oil glands and associated hair follicles. The sebaceous glands are mostly in the skin of the face, chest and back. They are enlarged and secrete excess sebum in acne. The excess sebum combined with “sticky” skin cells causes a plugging of the sebaceous gland ducts and leads to an inflammatory response with subsequent colonization of a bacteria called P.acnes. These are the classical 4 causes of acne in everyone. It is thought that acne is a chronic inherited disorder of skin.

The visible signs of acne vary from person to person. Comedomes or blackheads and whiteheads are the first part of the development of acne lesions. They can form the predominant lesions in some. Papules or red bumps may form. Pustules are also common. When acne starts to affect the deeper layers of the skin, painful cysts and nodules may develop. These commonly result in permanent scarring.

Acne in its various forms always needs to be treated by a medical doctor very assertively from the onset to try to prevent scarring. Treatment options include topical preparations in the form of antibiotics, retinoids or both. Other types of treatments include oral antibiotics, blue light therapy, microdermabrasion, and Accutane.

Scarring is a much more complicated treatment that I will discuss in my next posting.

Thank you again for reading.

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