Acne is an extremely common problem, affecting over 95% of the population at some time in one's life. However, for some, it 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, use of oil-based products and stress. Acne has a genetic basis and causes devastating emotional and self-esteem issues for both adolescents and adults. If untreated, or even if partially treated, acne can cause permanent, unsightly scars. Even a mild case of adolescent acne can leave permanent scars.

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 and severe emotional depression. Not to mention the treatments causing 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. At Advanced, we can customize in-office and at-home regimens to treat your specific acne scenario using the latest generation of medications, topical skincare, skin treatments and technologies for an effective combination approach that has achieved great success and improvement for our patients with mild, moderate, and even severe cystic acne.

Rosacea

A chronic acne skin condition, Rosacea has been traditionally managed with topical antibiotics and avoidance of triggering events. Success has been inconsistent and temporary at best. Recent advancements in technology have greatly altered and improved the way in which we treat this condition. Today patients can expect less flushing and a prolonged period of improvement following a series of quick laser and/or light based therapies (including Levulan® Photodynamic Therapy and IPL Photofacial Treatments). Although not a cure for the underlying process, laser treatments greatly enhance the treatment outcome and are a welcome breakthrough for affected patients. As each patient is unique, treatments are tailored to our patients' specific needs at any given point in time.

Some of the treatments we can prescribe for Acne 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.

Microdermabrasion is a superficial skin polishing procedures using micro-crystals vacuumed over your skin's surface to remove damaged skin cells. These gentle treatments can provide noticeable improvement. The treatments are progressive and are applied through a course of weekly sessions.

Skin Care: Our medical aesthetician and physician will customize an at-home treatment plan including cleansers and crèmes for the most advanced and effective therapy for your acne.

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 in patients with acne rosacea, minimizing redness. 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 extracting 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.