Do we treat acne?
Yes, we absolutely do! But, for a successful treatment, we need to establish the primary driver of acne, commonly hormones, lifestyle or a combination of the two. So your initial consultation is imperative. We need to decipher what the cause is as well as manage the symptoms. When this isn’t completely understood, it could be why you haven’t achieved the results you desire.
Why might you not be getting results?
Often, when people find us, they’ve tried a few things – skincare, TikTok trends and even other practitioners and they haven’t worked. Unfortunately, this is because not one size fits all when treating acne. More aggressive acne will need a combination of dermal treatments and medication. Whereas more mild presentations can be addressed by our dermal clinicians.
There are 4 main factors we need to address regarding acne. Inflammation, skin cells, oil and bacteria impact the other. We need different levels of treatment to address these 4 components depending on the severity of your acne and breakouts.
What do we use to treat?
Firstly, we need to get the inflammation under control. If you’ve been suffering from acne for a while you’ve likely tried some remedies that could have impaired the barrier or over-dried the skin. So we’ll review your skincare and pop you under the LED.
Acneic skins produce a lot more skin cells and generally a lot more oil. The oil is thick, sticky and inflammatory. This viscous sticky oil harbours bacteria and hold onto dead skin cells leading to more inflammation, breakouts, and congestion. We need cell regulating ingredients, efficient cleansing, and exfoliation to combat this. We have so many options we can tailor to you!
How do you treat it?
Most importantly, start by booking a consultation with our doctor. From here? The doctor will recruit the appropriate members of our multidisciplinary team and create a plan.
First, we reduce inflammation with LED and ensure your skin barrier is intact. An impaired barrier prolongs inflammation and leads to scarring. So combining LED and appropriate skincare promotes healing and healthier skin.
If there’s any active infection, we need to sort that out ASAP! We can use a combination of LED and medication to support active infection.
Then – we get treating! We use a variety of dermal treatments to address acne concerns, including extractions and chemical peels. Extractions decongest, and chemical peels aid in sloughing off the build-up of dead skin cells, smoothing the skin and aiding in better penetration of your homecare. We combine this with more advanced dermal treatments such as our BBL, which works to colour correct, minimise bacteria and promote healing with light therapy. Or some superficial dermal needling to regulate cell turnover and correct the follicles involved in acne. When we start to see clearance in the acne and breakouts, we’ll move on to treating scarring.
How about scarring?
Suppose you’ve been suffering from acne scarring for a while. In that case, we recommend booking your consultation with the doctor first to review the intensity of the scarring and look at some medical options. Our dermal team has many options if your scarring is relatively new, possibly a little red or a little brown. Let’s begin with the least invasive.
Sometimes we need a little bit of time. But to accelerate healing, we do this with LED. LED uses clinical wavelengths to turn off inflammation, promoting growth and repair.
For some people, the reds and the browns in healing skin which bothers most, which we can address quickly with BBL. Our BBL device is a sophisticated light therapy that clears the skin with minimal downtime.
For moderate scarring, we may use a combination of BBL and Dermapen, the gold standard in skin-needling devices. Micro-needling creates microscopic puncture channels in the skin to break up the scar tissue and stimulate the growth of healthy new collagen. You can anticipate 3-5 days of moderate downtime. We recommended 6 treatments at 4-6 week intervals.
The other moderate scarring option is chemical peels. As a medical clinic, we can provide more aggressive chemical peel options targeting individual scars and overall skin rejuvenation. You can expect some peeling and a moderate sunburn like feeling for about 5 days post-treatment. Like dermal needling, you may need 3-6 treatments at 4-6 week intervals.
Then with your more aggressive scarring, we will look for a surgical option that our doctor and cosmetic nurse will guide you through. Deeper scars have an “anchor” which pulls the skin down, leaving you with a deeper scar. We use a process called subcision which releases the anchor and softens the appearance of the scar. We further soften this using dermal fillers to lift the affected tissue.
Ultimately, when it comes to scarring, a consultation is vital as we have many options depending on what bothers you most about your scarring.
What about bacne and body acne?
Back acne, or bacne as it is commonly known, still has the 4 factors to be addressed – oil, bacteria, dead skin cells and inflammation. And we treat it similarly to the face. We’ll use a combination of LED, extractions and exfoliation to target a mild presentation. We may also utilise medications when there are more cystic and pustular lesions on the body.
We’re also going to discuss hygiene, lifestyle and homecare products. If you’re a sweaty exerciser or play a lot of sports, you’re more prone to breakouts on the upper back and shoulders. It’s essential to be rid of those sweaty clothes and shower ASAP. Opt for a foamy body wash and use a loofa for gentle exfoliation. We also recommend using a more astringent product a few times a week. There is also the option for antimicrobial sprays to utilise after showering.
Ensure to wash bedding and clothes on a warm wash and line dry where possible! Changing bed sheets regularly is important too, to minimise further breakouts.
