Cosmetic Skin Care Treatments For Acne
Although acne is typically associated to the raging hormones of puberty, teens certainly don’t have the market cornered on this unpleasant condition. Some people have regular acne breakouts well into adulthood. Others experience hormonal changes such as pregnancy, menopause, or fertility changes that spontaneously bring on acne. Not to mention the emotional stress that can also cause acne. Fortunately, there are several cosmetic skin care treatment methods available to help deal with acne.
Natural Medications
There are several over-the-counter acne preparations that can help alleviate the condition. Two of the most popular acne products are the E3 live acne system, and the facial mist and cleanser Aquaspirit®. For updates and reviews of these and other acne products, please visit Acne-answers.org.Facials
Facials can be great for cleaning, nourishing, toning, stimulating, and rejuvenating the skin. Although individual salons will differ in the facial products they use, in general the procedure involves cleansing, exfoliating, and deep cleaning clogged pores.
Products used include astringents, cleansing creams, brushes, steam cleaners, facial saunas, infrared heat lamps, clay or gel masks, and various mechanical facial massagers. When performed by a licensed skin care professional, a facial can help to clean the skin and tighten pores and it may temporarily improve skin that is prone to acne.
Chemical Peels
Light chemical peels may be used to brighten skin, and temporarily clear up acne blemishes. As their name implies, chemical peels involve the application of a chemical solution to the facial skin.
Light chemical peels are the most superficial of the various chemical peel methods. They work on the horny layer of skin and the upper epidermis to promote exfoliation. Light chemical peels utilize a solution of either glycolic acid or trichloracetic acid in very low concentrations (usually 10-25%) Another solution comprised of salicyclic acid, resorcinol, and lactic acid may also be used. A light chemical peel can be a very effective method for smoothing out the skin and diminishing the appearance of acne.
I personally do not recommend causing trauma to the skin by using these methods, but for educational purposes I have included these treatments. However there are natural organic peels and masques which are very effective.
Conventional Dermabrasion
Conventional dermabrasion has been around for nearly 50 years. The procedure is commonly used in the treatment of acne as well as pockmarks, scars, tattoos, age spots, wrinkles, and other skin lesions. This skin care treatment works by abrading the skin with high speed rotating brushes. The procedure begins with a local anesthetic, followed by the application of a skin refrigerant such as ethly chloride or flurethyl spray. Freezing the skin this manner enhances the numbing effect of the anesthetic and makes a firmer surface for the procedure. Once the entire procedure has been completed, the face will be wrapped in a bandage for 24 hours. The procedure is somewhat traumatic, and takes roughly 2 weeks for the skin to fully recover.Skin Buffing
Conventional dermabrasion is an effective skin care procedure for treating acne; however, it can also be a messy procedure which involves a lengthy recuperation period. Skin buffing, on the other hand, is basically a gentler method of dermabrasion that can also be quite effective in treating acne.
Buffing uses a sterilized abrasive material that is applied by hand to gently abrade the skin. This method allows for greater control and finer tuning than conventional dermabrasion. Before the procedure, you will usually be given a sedative and a local anesthetic. Your health care provider will then gently buff the upper layers of skin using both circular and cross-hatched motions.
Surgery
Severe acne may eventually lead to the development of acne scars. These scars are usually deep, narrow scars with rigid edges. These scars don't usually respond well to chemical peels or dermabrasion because they are so deeply pitted. However, there are several types of cosmetic acne surgery that can be used to diminish the appearance of acne scars.
Punch excision, punch elevation, and punch grafting are three surgical methods in which the acne scar is punched out. Each method involves the administration of a local anesthetic followed by the use of a cookie cutter like tool called a "punch."
Punch Excision: In this method, the punch tool is used to remove the plug of scar tissue. The edges of the scar are then sutured together with ultra fine suture material. 3-5 days later, the sutures are removed and replaced with bandages. Full healing takes about a week or slightly longer.
Punch Elevation: Using the punch elevation method, the scar tissue is raised to the level of the surrounding skin and secured with bandages for several days until fully healed.
Punch Grafting: Like punch excision, punch grafting involves discarding the scar tissue. But rather than suture the wound together, it is filled with a snugly fitting skin graft from another site on the body (usually behind the ear.) Once in place the graft is either sutured in place or secured with bandages.
About the Author
Dr. Edward F. Group III continues to develop and sell exclusively high-end natural and organic skin care lines to support a wide range of skin conditions. The products he promotes are free of toxic tag-along herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, fumigants, irradiation, liver-toxic glues, binders, or gelatin capsules with animal-source risk and toxic preservatives. For more information on skin care please visit Skin-care-support.org.
