Acne, acne, acne. The majority of us have suffered it throughout our teens and some well into adulthood. No one is completely immune and celebs experience this skin disease just the same. Do they do anything differently? Are they in-the-know of special skin secrets for clearer skin? Not exactly. There’s no complete secret to fighting acne, but there are a lot of treatments out there for your unique skin type.
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Recently, supermodel Kendall Jenner discussed the regimen that her dermatologist prescribes to get her acne flare-ups under control. Like many regimens, there isn’t a single product that can address all the causative factors that contribute to acne. In fact, Kendall uses a combination of four products for clearing acne specifically for her skin:
Pretty simple, right? Or just pretty vague? We appreciate knowing that she has found a combination of products that work for her, but for most of us, it sounds like routine advice from mother’s across the globe. The reality is there are many treatments available and, much like snowflakes, it’s hard to find two identical treatments for acne that work exactly the same for everyone.
There is actually a treatment algorithm that dermatologists use titled Global Alliance Acne Treatment Algorithm. This outlines the recommended therapy or combination of therapies to use for your severity of acne.
Photo: Thiboutot D, Gollick H, Bettoli V, et al. New insights into the management of acne: an update from the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne group. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;5(Suppl):S1-S50.
Do you have mild comedonal acne? You’re a fit for a topical retinoid. Moderate, mixed papular and pustular acne? Oral antibiotic, topical retinoid and benzoyl peroxide. Severe, nodular or cystic acne? You may need to try oral isotretinoin also known as Accutane. While it’s great that the ideal therapies are outlined to help dermatologists prescribe the right regimen and correct products for patients, there is still a gap to fill.
What happens if these treatments don’t work for you? Or, what happens if you’d prefer not to take antibiotics or isotretinoin? The options then become quite limited and can be highly frustrating for those who have been long searching for clear, acne-free skin.
Light-based therapy is becoming a staple for patients of all ages and skin types. The side-effect free treatment tends to be a patient pleaser – and not just for those acne patients who have almost given up on achieving clear skin. This therapy isn’t new, but it has finally reached near perfection. For light-based therapy to truly be effective it has to mimic the targets that traditional therapies address. Remember the treatment algorithm from earlier? The goals of those prescriptions are to target one or more of the causative factors of acne: excess sebum, inflammation, and/or the p. acnes bacteria.
Photo: Thiboutot D, Gollick H, Bettoli V, et al. New insights into the management of acne: an update from the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne group. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;5(Suppl):S1-S50.
What a new acne laser treatment can now do is address all of the causative factors (pathogenesis) of acne: reduction of excess sebum, suppression of inflammation, and destruction of the p. acnes bacteria colony. Most laser treatments for acne can help reduce inflammation or help destroy some of the acne bacteria, but 650-microsecond therapy can actually stop the root cause of your acne actually forming by reducing sebum output from the sebaceous gland. The only other acne laser treatment that can reduce sebum output and suppress inflammation is isotretinoin.
Photo: @esthetiquenyc
Imagine that – achieving results like Accutane, the gold-standard for helping clear severe acne, without any of the side-effects or monthly prescription costs. An acne laser treatment, also known as NeoClear, is a fresh approach when treating acne patients at any stage of the disease’s severity and for those who haven’t responded to or don’t want to go through with prescriptions.
This isn’t to say, “Hey, we found a magic bullet and you can throw out everything in your medicine cabinet!” You still need to have a great skin care regimen for your skin, but this is a game-changer in the sense of getting your acne under control and getting you on your way to clear skin. So, we can all heed Kendall’s regimen for daily skin care, and we should, but when we need to see the dermatologist and decide how fight acne, it’s nice to know there are proven treatment options out there with newer, light-based therapies to help in the ongoing, winning fight for clear, acne free skin.
The word laser may intimidate some, but knowing the background behind this acne laser treatment will settle your nerves. Would you like to learn more about the science behind 650-microsecond laser technology? Watch the webinar Treatment Advancements with 650-microsecond Laser Technology with presenter and renowned dermatologist, Michael Gold, MD of Gold Skin Care Center in Nashville, Tennessee.