What is acne?—Our
faces and bodies are covered with tiny hairs that fit into a hair
follicle, or 'pore'. Deep within these pores are glands that produce
natural oil called 'sebum'. Sebum's function is to keep the skin
lubricated and prevent it from drying out.
Acne occurs when the oil glands respond abnormally to levels of the
male hormone testosterone. Excess oil is produced which combines
with dead skin cells on the top layer of the skin. A sticky mixture
is formed which blocks the skin pores, trapping oil and bacteria
inside. As the oil glands continue to produce excess oil the
follicle begins to swell producing blackheads, pimples, spots, and
whiteheads.
Acne is more common among teenagers because it is only with the
onset of puberty that the body begins to produce hormones.
Scarring—People often
squeeze spots and blemishes because of their unpleasant appearance.
This can however cause increased inflammation and in extreme cases
lead to permanent scars of the face.
Typical treatments for acne include
a variety of over-the-counter and prescription lotions and solutions
that include antibiotics, retinoids and vitamin A derivatives. Some
patients benefit from the use of peels that use glycolic or
salicylic acids but these can cause dryness of the skin and
irritation. Additionally oral treatments include drugs that inhibit
the production of acne-causing hormones while in women the use of
the oral contraception pill has been shown to help lessen acne.
Acne scars have proven notoriously difficult to treat and
traditionally dermatologists have used surgical procedures that
remove the scar (excision), chemical peels, or abrasion techniques
that literally scrape the scar off the skin using a wire brush or
rotating diamond-edged wheel (dermabrasion).
1. Active acne—Developments in laser technology now offer
a breakthrough in the treatment of active acne. Fotona’s DualisSP
system uses a high power laser to penetrate the skin and target the
bacteria that produces the inflammation associated with acne. This
bacteria releases molecules called porphyrins which when exposed to
a certain wavelength of light (the laser beam) increase in number
until they destroy the bacteria.
Unlike many other laser systems the Fotona’s DualisSP has both an
erbium laser that allows the minimal penetration required for the
gentle resurfacing of acne-scarred skin, and a neodymium laser to
penetrate deeper in order to destroy the active bacteria in acne (propionobacterium).
As a result the DualisSP is a comprehensive solution to the misery
of acne.
2. Acne scars—Lasers have been used to treat acne scars for several years. In
such treatments the laser is used to remove skin so that new skin
can form in its place. Unlike chemical peels and dermabrasion with
laser resurfacing the penetration depth into the skin is more easily
controlled. The laser gently vaporises the acne-scarred surface of
the skin so that undamaged skin below is revealed. Unlike many other
techniques laser resurfacing is bloodless, gentle and complete
recovery is achieved within days.
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4 months post treatment |
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10 days post treatment |
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10 days post treatment |
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10 days post treatment |
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