Advanced Acne Therapy: The Modern Era of Acne Treatment

Acne is an extremely common problem, affecting over 95% of the population at some time in one's life. However, for some individuals acne is a chronic problem. Acne is more common during adolescence because of hormonal changes affecting sebaceous glands. While most people outgrow acne in their late teens or early twenties, many continue to be affected much longer or develop acne or acne rosacea as an adult. Aggravation of acne in later life may occur with menstrual periods, use of birth control pills or other medications, use of oil-based products and/or stress. As well, some cases of acne have been found to have a genetic basis. Whatever the cause, acne can generate devastating emotional and self-esteem issues for both adolescents and adults. If untreated or partially treated, acne can leave permanent unsightly scars. Even a mild case of adolescent acne can produce permanent scarring.

The costs of over the counter and prescription medicines for acne have reached billions of dollars each year. Unfortunately various acne medicines have varying success rates and some have very serious potential side effects, including birth defects, severe emotional depression and severe drying and irritation of the skin. All in all, acne can be a frustrating condition to treat.

However, the era of modern acne treatment has arrived. Over the last decade, refinements in treatments and new techniques have led to superior results in acne therapy. Under the expert care of Dr. Bassichis and his medical aesthetic staff, they can customize in-office and at-home regimens to treat your specific acne scenario. Using the latest generations of medications, topical skincare, skin treatments and technologies for an effective combination approach has achieved great successes and improvement for patients with mild, moderate, and even severe cystic acne.

Some of the treatments that Advanced can prescribe in your customized regimen include:

High Intensity Blue-Light Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), is designed to kill the bacteria responsible for acne and shrink the oil glands. As well, PDT can help with acne scars. Acne treatments using PDT is the most recent advance in acne therapy. Photodynamic acne treatment involves the application of a photosensitizing agent which is then activated with blue light. The treatments cause inactivation of the bacteria that trigger acne, unclog pores, and shut down the sebaceous glands in the skin resulting in significant improvement in moderate to severe cystic acne. Photodynamic acne therapy can even work in patients who have failed accutane, without the toxic side effects of accutane.

Facial fillers such as Restylane, are good treatments for shallow and deep acne scars. These fillers can be injected into the area of the scar, smoothing depressions. Results are immediately apparent, but do require touch-up treatments over time.

Microdermabrasion is a superficial skin polishing procedure using microcrystals which are vacuumed over your skin's surface to remove damaged skin cells. These gentle treatments can provide noticeable improvement in acne. The treatments are progressive and are applied through a course of weekly sessions.

Customized Medical Topical Skin Care - Advanced's medical aestheticians and physician can customize an at-home treatment plan including cleansers and cr¸mes for the most advanced and effective therapy for your acne. A combination of prescription and non-prescription treatments can be designed for the most effective protocol for you. In addition, topical antioxidant regimens can be initiated to improve skin texture and quality as well as protect the skin from damage.

Chemical Peels use a chemical solution to remove the fine outer layers of the skin. The solutions are available in several strengths, depending on the degree of peeling desired. Healing can take from three days to three weeks. A new, smoother layer of skin is then formed.

Photofacials are non-ablative pulsed light treatments (IPL) which can provide significant benefit and decrease in redness in patients with acne rosacea. Photofacials do not require anesthesia and there is no downtime. A series of about five treatments is recommended. The improvement is gradual and continues to improve even after the treatment stops.

Medical Facials combines deep steam cleaning and extractions to achieve deep cleansing and exfoliation. Our Medical Facials treat oily, dry, dehydrated, acne and acne prone skin conditions. A Medical Facial can gently soften the skin and loosens the dead skin cells without dehydrating the skin. Medical Facials are an excellent way to achieve and maintain good skin health and radiance.

Laser Resurfacing provides a deeper level of skin resurfacing to help eliminate acnes scars and acnes skin damage. The procedure gently vaporizes the damaged or acne-scarred skin to reveal the smooth, fresh skin underneath. Scars are removed in a precise, rapid, bloodless fashion achieving excellent results. Laser scar removal can be performed with local anesthesia if limited areas are treated, while full face resurfacing is usually performed with the administration of intravenous sedation by an anesthesiologist.

At the ADVANCED FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY CENTER, Dr. Bassichis and his medical staff look forward to the opportunity to take care of your acne with a customized plan designed exclusively for you.