Medical Treatments for When Acne Gets Tough – Part 1

In my last post, I spoke about steps you could take at home to improve the look of your skin and help combat acne, but what if those steps aren’t enough? For some people, doing all they can on their own simply won’t solve their acne issues. If you are one of those people experiencing difficult acne, here are some medical solutions you may try. I had the time during my last laser treatment to speak with my facial esthetician, Mancy Kirkland, at https://www.healthwellnessmd.com/ for an update on a medical approach to fighting acne.

If you find that exfoliating and changing your diet aren’t working for you, don’t worry. Stressing about your acne problem is only going to exacerbate the issue. While we all know that greasy food and a poor SAD (Standard American Diet) are not doing us any favors, if you are doing all you can to eat clean and still aren’t seeing results, I want to let you know about some innovative and effective medical acne treatments out there that may be right for you.

Chemical peels are an effective way to control acne. A medical esthetician or dermatologist applies a chemical solution to your face that helps to remove dead skin cells, whiteheads, and blackheads, as well as unclog pores. Chemical peels help with these skin conditions because the peel absorbs into the skin and thus kills the cystic sack. Normally this treatment is done once per month until the acne is gone. After that, the patient comes in every 3-6 months for just one peel.

One chemical peel that my esthetician, Mancy, likes to use is the PCA Chemical Peel by Physicians Choice.  It is a buffered chemical peel that has hydroquinone, resorcinol, and TCA.

A buffered peel stays on the skin and allows the medical esthetician to take the skin’s pH down from a 7, which is neutral, to a 1, which is acidic. While the skin is open at this pH level, she then applies serums made up of small molecules that penetrate deep into the skin. These can be anything from salicylic acid for acne, hydroquinone for dark spots or scarring, and other solutions that are deemed beneficial for your particular skin condition.

While your pH is low, your skin is able to accept these treatments much more readily to achieve the desired results. For example, if the treatment is salicylic acid, the serum penetrates deep into the skin to kill the bacteria causing the acne. Once the treatment is done, your skin is neutralized and brought back to the proper pH. Before you leave, the esthetician will apply sunscreen to protect your face and you are done. The penetration of the serums will result in the skin peeling two days later, removing just the dead skin.

While chemical peel treatments may be effective, it’s always best to consult with your medical esthetician or dermatologist to determine which solution and procedure may be right for you. Each procedure comes with its own side effects, which are always something to consider when choosing a treatment option. Next week I will discuss part two of my conversation with Mancy about light therapy. You won’t want to miss it!