Acne Care

About Acne

Acne is the most common skin disorder in the United States. It affects nearly 100% of all teenagers, and 40% of these individuals will require the help of a physician to manage it. Acne typically occurs during our early teens; however, adults can develop acne as well.

Acne comes from hair follicles, and the transformation of a normal hair follicle into an unsightly pimple occurs in stages. The first stage involves over activity of the oil glands. This is usually the result of stimulation by excessive hormones. Because hormone activity is high during the adolescent years, this is the reason why teenagers are susceptible to acne flare-ups. Next, an increase in oil production leads to an increase in keratin (waxy protein) production. Sometimes, too much keratin is produced and results in a waxy plug that blocks the hair follicle. This waxy (whitehead) plug causes a build-up of oil inside the hair follicle, which becomes a great breeding-ground and food reservoir for P. acnes bacteria. Lastly, the multiplication of these bacteria in the trapped oil leads to inflammation around the whiteheads.

Squeezing pimples can lead to two types of acne scars. If the pimple pops through the surface of the skin, the skin may rip causing the formation of an “ice-pick” scar. These are deep scars that result in large pores on the skin. On the other hand, if the pimple ruptures below the skin, this will lead to a cratering-effect of the overlying skin. Both types of scars lead to textural irregularities on the surface of the skin that may appear worse than the original acne lesions themselves.

A can be devastating to teenagers and is often a cause for loss of self-confidence, depression, embarrassment, and anger. Patient’s who suffer from acne are many times stereotyped as having bad hygiene and this may lead to social withdrawal.

Comprehensive Acne Care

At the Acne Center of MesoHealth, we truly understand your concerns. Our medical providers and acne technician are skilled at managing acne in all stages. We offer aggressive medical acne facials, which involve extraction of whiteheads and blackheads, intralesional kenalog infusion to quickly decrease inflammation, and mild chemical peels to exfoliate acne-scarred skin. We also offer ClearLight with ALA, which is a breakthrough in aggressive acne care. ALA is a photosensitive medication that is absorbed into oil glands as well as by the bacteria living on the skin. After ALA is applied and allowed to absorb into the skin, we expose the skin to a special wavelength of light which actives the medication leading to a decrease in oil production and a decrease in skin bacteria.

Acne Care Products

For home care of acne, we offer Dermatologic Cosmetic Laboratory (DCL) products. DCL acne facial cleansers, DCL moisturizers, and DCL spot treatment have been very well tolerated by our patients and have been a perfect compliment to our in-office treatments. We also offer Clarisonic facial scrubbing system to ultrasonically clean the skin.