Skin Specialist Portland: What You Need to Know About Acne – Symptoms, Causes and Effective Treatments

23 March 2011, admin on the topic of Age Spot Removal Portland, Before and After Photos, Featured Services, Laser Fractional Resurfacing Portland, Naturopathic Physician Portland, Skin Specialist Portland, Thrive Portland

Nearly all of us have experienced acne at some point in our lives, in fact, it affects nearly 80% of the human population. While acne typically begins in adolescence with hormonal changes, adults can commonly experience the symptoms as well. Acne can be painful, embarrassing and even leave scarring – all of which can affect one’s self esteem. In order to better understand acne, let’s explore the causes, symptoms and effective treatments.

What is Acne?

Acne is localized skin inflammation as a result of overactive sebaceous glands at the base of hair follicles. The sebaceous glands are triggered by the hormone androgen. When this hormone level increases, the sebaceous glands release sebum or oil. This oil normally lubricates and protects the skin, but under certain circumstances, cells that are close to the openings of the oil glands, block the openings. If pores are clogged, sebum is trapped beneath the skin, causing whiteheads and blackheads.

Acne typically appears on the face, neck, chest, back and shoulders, which are the areas of skin with the largest number of functional oil glands. There are different levels of acne ranging from milder comedonal (blackheads and whiteheads) to moderate, pustular, and on to severe cystic acne. In many cases, several or all of these levels of acne can be present on an individual simultaneously.

What Causes Acne?

Acne is rarely caused by just one factor, and may include a combination of the following:

• Hormonal changes related to menstrual periods, pregnancy, birth control pills, or stress, or natural hormone imbalances
• Pore-clogging cosmetic and hair products
• Certain drugs (such as steroids, testosterone, estrogen, and phenytoin)
• Overproduction of oil (sebum)
• Irregular shedding of dead skin cells resulting in irritation of the hair follicles of your skin
• Overabundance of surface bacteria
• Hereditary traits

How to Treat Acne?

There are a few different approaches to treating acne and/or acne scarring. If a patient is currently dealing with acne, our treatment plan begins with a thorough consultation to understand the root cause of the acne. From there, a number of treatments may be prescribed including topical products, light therapies, photodynamic therapies and internal hormone treatments.

Light Therapy

The use of light therapy has been shown to drastically reduce acne-causing bacteria in the pores and is safe, effective and easy. At Thrive, we use two major light therapy treatments to improve the skin and rid it of the effects of acne.

Omnilux light therapy is an FDA-approved system that uses high-intensity, narrow-band blue light for treating acne. Omnilux uses LEDs, as opposed to fluorescent tubes or bulbs and because no laser is involved, there is no heat, pain or swelling and no recovery time! Improvements to the skin are usually visible after only a few treatments.

Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (“PDT”) uses a unique combination of light-sensitive medication and Omnilux light therapy to affect changes in the skin surface, and help your body regenerate healthier skin. A photosensitizing topical treatment is applied to the affected area and is then exposed to light that activates its properties. This treatment reduces skin oiliness and minimizes the appearance of pore size while improving skin texture.

Once the patient’s skin is healed from current acne breakouts and breakouts have been kept at bay, the acne scarring can then be treated. If patients do not currently suffer from acne, we can move directly to the treatment of scarring.

Acne Scar Treatment: SmartXide DOT Laser

The best treatment of acne scarring is the use of the SmartXide DOT Laser. This laser treatment creates thousands of microscopic perforations, immediately tightening the skin and stimulating new collagen growth. This treatment is highly effective in improving the skin’s texture, eliminating visible scarring and spots, and evening the skin tone.

Our expert skin specialists will adjust the laser’s settings to tailor the treatment for your skin type and problem areas. Adjustments to the laser can be made throughout the procedure to accurately treat specific areas such as scars on the cheeks versus scarring in more sensitive areas around the mouth. This laser treatment revitalizes the skin and allows it to heal more rapidly and achieve faster results.

At Thrive Anti-aging and Aesthetic Center, we offer specialized laser and cosmetic medicine treatments. Dr. Adam Maddox, and our highly experienced staff bring more than a decade of experience in the field of laser light treatments and cosmetic dermatology. Our treatment programs are entirely customized to each individual after we begin treatment with an hour skin consultation.

For more information please visit our website at http://www.thriveportland.com.We are happy to answer your questions through our blog, Facebook, or Twitter.