What really sucks about having acne and acne scarring is that you are never rid of it even after the initial flare up is over.  Many people cope by hiding and wearing long sleeves, or wearing a pound of makeup.  You can go and talk to your doctor today about acne laser scarring removal – consultations are usually free.

Maybe you are someone who wishes you only had acne scars to deal with, and you no longer have to worry about adult acne either – this is the perfect time to ask about laser scar removal since there is no more “active acne” on your skin.  We talked about fraxel lasers and er YAG lasers last time.  Now we talk about pulsed dye lasers.

With the wide array of acne laser treatments that can help treat or reduce it or acne laser removal if it is just too overwhelming for you, and your ready to get rid of it you have many options.  As discussed previously there are various types of lasers for acne, and only your doctor will know what is best for you but you do want to have an idea of what you are looking for.  Some are a little more invasive than you may want, if you think treating it is the right route you will want to look into more on acne laser treatments.

These acne laser treatments can even help prevent further acne, so that way you do not have to worry about a zit popping up on that special occasion you have coming up. If you do not have extremely bad acne but acne that is still quite obnoxious and gets in the way than the acne laser treatment is probably what is best for you.

However, if you are someone who deals with sever acne that causes you great emotional distress or maybe just makes you so self conscious that you do not like to go out that much than it is probably time to look into acne laser removal.

This can be a painful process but it will probably be best so that way you can be done with it. Now this can take more than one time depending on how bad your acne is, and as with any other product results do vary on the individual.

Another type of laser that was tested was the pulsed-dye laser, which was shown to have great results compared to other lasers. These are primarily used for scarring that is hard to get rid of using any other kind of treatment.

It is often used in treating keloid (raised) types of scars as well, and can even reduce post-surgical scarring.  It has also been used to help patients with rosacea and acne rosacea to lessen the redness that occurs from enlarged and inflamed vessels in the face.

Several years ago you probably did not have many options, however, now there are many different types of treatment the most popular and successful is acne laser treatments. You even have different types of lasers for acne depending on the type of acne.

You no longer have to live in shame or pain; you have the freedom of a pain free life with acne laser removal. Now you need to know what type of acne you have so that you can find the right treatment for you.

If you dealt with bad acne as an adolescent and now just have scars you want to look into acne laser scarring removal, this is the best way to safely remove the scars. Acne laser scarring removal can be a bit of an enduring process.  Some people may have to go back a few times while others may only need to go once depending on the depth of the damage the acne or acne scarring has caused and on the person’s skin type. 

There are different types of lasers for acne and you will need to speak to your doctor about what is best for you, a laser that goes by the name of  Er:YAG (erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet) is said to have a more mild set of side effects than the CO2 laser treatment. Another type of up and coming laser that is used to both  fight acne and reduce the appearance of acne scarring is the fractional laser. 

The fractional laser is a great way to get sections of the face done without the extensive down time that can result from other more penetrating lasers.  It may produce less impressive results than the Er: YAG, but also may reduce the pain and trauma that go with lasers that go much deeper beneath the surface of the layers of skin that comprise your face.

Acne laser scarring removal may seem daunting now but it is a great way to be free from something you have struggled with your whole life if you have deep acne scars and have some money to spend on getting them to be as invisible as possible.

It just looks funny if you’re an American and you see jeans that are named after one of the most dreaded and pervasive skin conditions in the world.  I could imagine it may be pronounced say “Ac-Nay” or something like that. Does anyone know anything about this clothing company?

I’m having a strange obsession with this for some reason!  I looked at the jeans and they look to be higher end and more on the edgy level too – lots of skinny jeans and stuff you’d see real hipsters wearing. 

Interesting!

Hormonal Acne

Teenagers usually experience this type of condition although increasingly more adults are as well – this is not exclusive to men or women, both can get it at any age and typically it is exacerbated by stress and diet.  It can be contributed to the increased production of hormones and usually is also mild. During puberty the oil glands activate from hormonal stimulation. Dead skin cells clog the pores, blocking the skin openings. Clogged pores cause a build- up of oil under the skin.

Bacteria feed off the oil and multiply causing the surrounding tissue to inflame. A papule of inflammation then forms on the skin. Severe cases of hormonal skin conditions it may be necessary to seek treatment from a dermatologist. Treatment for severe cases can include oral antibiotics.

Severe Acne Vulgaris

Severe Vulgaris is a condition caused by over-active oil glands. This condition can occur in teenagers or young adults. The overproduced oil gathers under the skin. This oil can cause inflammations throughout several layers of skin. Treatment by a dermatologist is necessary and can include oral and/or topical medications. Dermabrasion is the removal of scar tissue by laser and chemical peels are also a typical treatment.

Cystic

Cystic types of inflammation occur when the oil duct becomes clogged or infected by bacteria. Cystic inflammations are most common in teenagers. Steroids or antibiotics may be necessary for the worst cases. Extreme cases of cystic skin inflammations are also known to cause permanent scarring.

Boils

Boils are caused by clogged sweat glands that become infected. Boils start as red, tender areas and become firm or hard. The center softens as the boil is filled with pus. The pus forms a head and will eventually spontaneously drain.

Boils should be treated as soon as possible by applying a heat compress to the infected area. For smaller boils treatment can be done at home. Larger boils are extremely painful and lancing, or surgically opening and draining is usually necessary.

It is likely that you may have experienced one or all of them if you are reading this blog, so it should be good reading material if not to reinforce what you already know, then to educate you a little more on WHY these types of acne typically occur in so many people today.

Let’s start with the foundation of what all acne is for a general overview of what acne stems from in general. 

Acne – A General Overview

Acne is a disease of the hair follicles, usually located on the face, chest and back. Congested pores also known as a whitehead or a blackhead, tender red bumps known as pimples or zits, pustules and occasionally cysts or boils appear. Whitehead and blackhead are also known as comedos. A whitehead is an open comedo.

The hair follicle dilates with skin debris, oil and bacteria and has an obstructed opening to the skin. A whitehead may rupture and cause a low-grade skin inflammatory reaction. A blackhead, like a whitehead is a dilated hair follicle full of skin debris, oil and bacteria. A blackhead has a wider opening to the skin and has been capped with a blackened mass of skin debris.

After an inflammation forms the body sends white blood cells to fight the infection. The liquid combination of oil, skin debris, bacteria and infection fighting white blood cells become pus. A papule is a small, solid round bump rising from the skin and is basically a pimple or zit before the pus forms.

A pustule is a papule that has a collection of pus in the center of infected area and is on the top layer or two of the skin. A pimple is an infected papule that is deeper than two dermal layers. Several types of inflammation can occur and are the result of different types of conditions.

Mild Acne

The most common form of these types of breakouts is mild and appears in most males and females. Mild breakouts are usually in the form of pustules, papules and comedos and can be hormonal. Treatment includes using an over the counter topical cream. It is not usually necessary to seek medical treatment. Further breakouts can be prevented by practicing good personal hygiene, cleaning the face and hands often with antibacterial soap and avoiding pore clogging skin irritants like cosmetics.

Well, that all ended up being a farce, because first off, he used the guy’s name and second, the guy did not give him any authorization to practice under him, nor did he supervise him.

So, this California man essentially posed as a professional and didn’t have any credentials to perform the work he was doing.  He didn’t follow sanitary guidelines, and he even reportedly injected young acne patient’s scars with an unknown substance, perhaps silicone, which is not supposed to be directly injected into the skin.

The man was even accused of smoking a cigar during one of his “procedures”.  Needless to say, this guy is in quite a bit of hot water over these accusations, and has thus far plead not guilty to the charges.

What’s the lesson in all this?  Well, if you are thinking about getting anything done, say to your acne scars, like fillers or other procedures like dermabrasion or laser therapy, just make 100% sure that the man or woman performing it are licensed and have good reputations.

The internet is really a perfect place to do your research, however, you can also just do your own investigation while you’re in the office, before you’ve even gotten the procedure.  Look for credentials – they are always displayed somewhere prominently on the wall.

Any licensed practitioner is going to want to make sure his customers can easily verify that they are in fact who they say they are, and that they have the proper educational and experience background to be able to perform the kind of work they are paying for.

Not only can you look for their credentials, but just talk to them. Get a feel for whether you have  rapport with this practitioner, and whether you trust them with your skin.  I remember going to Dermatologists as a kid who I had absolutely no trust in.

I felt they were just putting me on drugs and not really caring about whether my acne cleared or not, or even taking an interest in me as a patient. Of course, as a kid, you don’t have a lot of choice in your doctors, nor do you speak up if you don’t like your doctor, but as an adult you have a choice of who you trust and who you think is going to give you the best skin.

Pigmented scarring treatment options range from over-the-counter products to treatment practices performed by medical professionals or aestheticians.

Home remedies can often be effective in the treatment of scarring. Soaking the face in a non-comodogenic oil will loosen dead and pigmented cells. The loosened cells can then be scrubbed off using a gentle exfoliant. You can increase the rate at which cells are regenerated by applying a solution of vitamin C to the face, which will also help with clearing the pores and improving the skin balance and tone.

Over-the-counter bleaching products containing hydroquinone can be used with glycolic acid-based creams to smooth the appearance of scarring. If the acne scars are particularly severe, or does not response to this treatment, another option may be retinoid creams.

These prevent further breakouts, but more importantly, will exfoliate skin-cells in the dermis, the site of scar formation.

Dermabrasion is one of the smoothing and clearing treatments that has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years. It entails the use of a brush or other instrument which vibrates at a very high speed, smoothing and resurfacing the uppermost layers of the surface and helping to remove scars or reduce the depth of the scars.

Patients undergoing this treatment usually require several days’ recovery time. A related treatment is micro-dermabrasion, a less intense and invasive form of dermabrasion. The dermatologist or aesthetician will use a spray comprised of microscopic crystals rather than a brush to remove the upper layers of the dermis.

While the delicate nature of dermabrasion treatments means that more than one procedure may be required, the benefit of this treatment is that recovery time is much reduced.

Chemical peels are also used to lessen the appearance of acne scars. It may be administered by a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse, or by a spa aesthetician. The peel removes the outer skin layers, smoothing the face’s surface.

The strength of the peel may vary depending on the severity of the scars, and some people experience irritation and peeling for a few days afterward.

However, this is never a right choice to make. These treatments vary in terms of how strong they are and the possible effects on the skin, whether negative or positive. It is therefore important to know your skin type. People with sensitive skin should get acne treatment for sensitive skin.

The best acne treatment for sensitive skin is a natural product. Compounds like sodium lauryl sulfate which is often included in acne skin cleansers are very strong and hence inappropriate for sensitive skin.

This type of acne treatment will destroy the skin and in the long run make it susceptible to other skin infections. It is therefore important to invest in sls free acne treatment as it is gentler on the skin.

Essential oils like jojoba and tea tree are very good acne treatments. These are gentle on the skin and are sls free. The oils are just the right amount on the skin and therefore chances of having clogged pores are minimal. The oils are also easily absorbent in the skin. This makes them less sticky than other oils which trap dust.

Tea tree and jojoba oil are usually combined to provide faster and better results. The two are combined in a ratio of 3:10. These are 3 parts of tea tree and 10 parts of jojoba oil as tea tree is stronger than jojoba oil.

Tea tree mainly works as an antibiotic. It kills the bacteria that cause acne. These bacteria are also responsible for the formation of pus in the bumps. If they are eliminated early, chances of the acne developing into severe type are minimized.

Jojoba is important for its non-greasy and absorbent aspects. Aloe Vera is also a good natural treatment for acne. This works by killing the bacteria and at the same time moisturizing the skin.

Natural treatments should be used on the affected area at least twice a day. This should mainly be after a bath when the skin is fresh. It is very important to ensure that you do not use harsh soaps on the affected skin area while you use these treatments.

In conclusion, before you embark on any treatment for acne, ensure that it is good for your skin.

In general, keratosis is a skin condition that is characterized by small patches of rough, dry skin. This patch can be completely flat or slightly raised and exists on the outermost dermal layer. In fact, these patches may often resemble warts in appearance, yet they are slightly larger.

Patches of dry skin may appear pink or brown in color; however, they may also simply match the color of the surrounding tissue as well. Common symptoms that patients report include itching and/or burning around the affected area.

The specific spots that form are known as keratoses and can be commonly found on the facial region, arms, scalp, neck, and back. In essence, these spots usually form on dermal areas that are frequently exposed to the sun.

While they may eventually go away on their own, keratoses often return after prolonged sun exposure. Individuals who are more susceptible to this condition include those over forty years of age, have histories of multiple sunburns, have lighter hair and eye colors, and have weak immune systems.

As with any other condition, the first step in receiving treatment is to visit your family physician. Healthcare professionals can answer any questions you may have regarding how to treat the condition and may ask further questions in order to understand how they can best meet your specific treatment needs.

Many doctors acknowledge the risk that keratoses can always turn into cancerous cells, so they usually treat patients by removing the tissue and performing a biopsy. This can usually be done in-office with the use of a local anesthetic.

Other treatment options may also include freezing the tissue off via the use of cryotherapy, scraping the cells off using the process of curettage, chemical peeling to blister tissue and encourage it to slough off, or laser therapy, which is used to remove the keratoses and underlying tissue.

Ultimately it is up to the patient and physician to decide upon the treatment method. In addition, patients should understand insurance may not cover all procedures, because they may be considered cosmetic in nature.

Even good acne products with great reputations may not work for everyone who uses them. That’s because everyone’s skin comes with a slightly different profile. Some people have sensitive and easily reddened and irritated skin, for which only the most gentle acne cleansers will work.

Some people have thicker, more resilient skin that can stand up to heavier products that really go deep into the pores.  When you have thicker skin, not only does your skin tend to show the signs of aging later in life, thanks to extra resiliences against wear and tear like wrinkles and fine lines, but you also have the luxury of using some harsher exfoliants and deeper penetrating acid peels – things like that.

But when you have “thinner” skin, you have to really be careful not to buy products, no matter how good they are for other types of skin, that will irritate the delicate nature of your skin.

I make it a policy now to not buy any acne or skin care products with certain chemicals. My biggest one is SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and parabens. Both are bad in different ways.  SLS is a harsh surfactant detergent that lathers up really well – but with that lather comes dryness and a deep disturbance of the skin’ delicate acid mantle, which protects it from enironmental damage.

Parabens are a chemical preservative that is used to extend the shelf life of skin care products to ridiculous proportions.  They have been implicated in hormonal imbalance, and are therefore one of the ingredients to avoid in your acne skin care products. 

All products, even when applied topically, eventually enter the blood stream where they can interfere with your body’s natural processes, the efficiency and helath of your organs, and they can even cause cancer in certain cases. 

It is important to eliminate as many of these harmful chemicals as you can, not only in your acne skin care products, but also in any product you happen to apply to your body, which is your TEMPLE.

Here are some other ingredients to avoid :

DMDM hydantoin

Phthalates

Heavy scents, or any artificial scent at all

Artificial colors

Mineral oil and petrochemicals