Searching for a Clearer Complexion?
Acne is a very common skin condition that affects people of all ages and races. While it typically begins in puberty, acne can and does strike at any age. Rochester Regional Health dermatologists can assess your acne and determine the best treatment to clear it.
What is Acne?
Acne occurs when your sebaceous glands (oil glands), which secrete oil to keep the skin moist, get clogged, leading to pimples and cysts. It usually begins during puberty as levels of male sex hormones (called androgens) increase in the bodies of both boys and girls. This causes your oil glands to make more oil, leading to a cycle of clogged pores and acne.
Typically, the oil produced travels through your hair follicles to the skin. Unfortunately, skin cells can plug these follicles, which in turn blocks the sebum. These plugged follicles allow skin bacteria to grow, causing inflammation and pimples. There are several types of pimples, and they include:
- Blackheads – also called ‘open comedones,’ blackheads have a small, black opening at the top
- Cysts – these pimples are deep, pus-filled, and painful, and often result in scarring
- Nodules – large, hard, painful pimples that come from deep in your skin
- Papules – small, pink bumps that are tender
- Pustules – characteristics of inflammatory acne, pustules are pimples that have puss on the top and are red on the bottom
- Whiteheads – also called ‘closed comedones,’ whiteheads are pimples that are sealed over and have a small, white, pus-filled top
If you are concerned about your complexion, it’s time to see a dermatologist. We offer consultations for all types of acne, from severe to mild. Our specialists will find the right kind of treatment to help your skin glow.
Acne Symptoms
Acne can appear as pimples–with or without cysts or abscesses–anywhere on your body. Typically, acne appears in areas where there is a high concentration of oil glands, including your chest, face, neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Causes of Acne
While hormones are a primary cause of acne, especially during pregnancy or puberty, acne can also be inherited genetically. Similarly, your diet, makeup, or medications can cause or exacerbate acne.
Diagnosing & Treating Acne
Your age, overall health, health history, and the severity of your acne are all considered when your provider is recommending a personalized treatment. Usually, your treatment will focus on improving your appearance and minimizing scarring, if applicable. For most, you will either be prescribed topical treatments (the kind that is applied to your skin) or medicine in pill form. For some, your provider may recommend a combination of both.
Topical Acne Treatments
Often prescribed to treat acne, topical medications come in the form of a cream, gel, lotion, or solution. Topical acne treatments offered by Rochester Regional Health dermatologists include:
- Antibiotics – these work by stopping or slowing the growth of bacteria in your skin, and reducing inflammation
- Benzoyl peroxide – this kills the bacteria in and on your skin to help clear you up
- Retinoids – retinoids stop the development of new acne lesions and encourage cell growth and turnover, which unclogs your pimples
Oral Antibiotics
Our dermatologists also may prescribe oral antibiotics for moderate to severe acne. Some women may also be prescribed birth control or spironolactone to help manage their hormones and control their acne. Antibiotics prescribed may include:
- Dapsone
- Doxycycline
- Erythromycin
- Isotretinoin
- Minocycline
- Sulfamethoxazole
- Tetracycline
- Trimethoprim
Be sure to follow your provider’s instructions for your antibiotics in order to have the best results.
Acne Scar Treatment
Some people struggle with scars from their acne, long after the acne itself has cleared up. Proper treatment can help you stop your acne from scarring, but there are procedures we can offer to reduce the visibility of acne scarring. Those include:
- Autologous fat transfer – after taking fat from another part of your body, it’s then injected beneath the surface of your skin to push up any depressed scars. It’s possible the fat will be reabsorbed into the skin, so you may need to undergo this procedure more than once.
- Chemical peels – our medical esthetician will remove the top layer of your skin with a chemical applied to your skin. This causes your skin to regenerate, which typically improves your skin’s appearance.
- Dermabrasion – used to minimize small scars and surface irregularities, dermabrasion removes the top layers of your skin, leaving your skin (once healed) smoother and fresher.
- Dermal filler injections – focused on replacing the natural collagen that has been lost, dermal fillers are typically used to treat facial lines, wrinkles, and scars.
- Laser resurfacing – using high-energy light, we burn away damaged skin to reduce scars and wrinkles.
- Phototherapy – shown to decrease the number of acne-producing bacterial with fewer side effects, the blue light used does not damage your skin.
- Pulsed light therapy – a combination of light and heat therapy, this works by destroying acne-causing bacteria and shrinking the glands that produce oil in your skin.
Options for acne treatment are wide and varied. Meet with a Rochester Regional Health dermatologist, who will take your overall health, preferences, and skin needs into account when suggesting a course of action. Throughout every step of treatment, we will be by your side, ensuring you are happy with your skin.