Acne treatment through Surgery

Acne or pimples generally occur in teenagers during adolescence as a result of hormonal changes. Acne generally occurs on the facial skin and so is a major cause for embarrassment and discomfort. The primary cause for acne is the blocking of pores through which the sebaceous glands release the oil produced by them. The facial skin contains substantial amount of sebaceous glands is very high in the facial skin. The blocked oil in the sebaceous glands concentrates and leads to infection and pimples. If not treated properly, acne causes severe scars. This article will provide information on the acne scar treatment through surgery.

There are four general types of surgical treatment available for acne scar treatment. They are described in detail below.

Photo rejuvenation: Photo rejuvenation is the simplest of the techniques. In this treatment the facial area which are affected by the acne are treated with light. Also in some cases laser light is used. The light helps to form collagen in the scars which help new skin growth and removal of scars.  The treatment lasts for about an hour and has a periodicity of weekly sessions. The entire treatment lasts for a few months to achieve the desired effect of rejuvenation.

Micro-dermabrasion: This is a skin abrasion technique where small granular aluminum crystals help to create the micro-dermabrasion treatment on the skin. This is the most common treatment for mild scars and can be also done to treat sun affected skin, irregular pigmentation, rough complexion, stretch marks, wrinkles apart from acne scars. This treatment involves very minimal pain and short treatment period. Also this treatment can be applied for all skin types and is very inexpensive compared to the other treatments.

Laser skin resurfacing: this therapy mainly consists of two types. The first one is Laser resurfacing and second therapy is Pulsed dye laser.  Using the laser the layers of the skin are removed thereby removing the scars to a great extent. The heat produced by the laser helps to tighten the skin which also helps to remove the scars. The results are prolonged in the sense it take several months to see the effects of the treatment. This technique is also used in combination with the other techniques to give effective results. The time required for the skin to rejuvenate and heal is reduced by using laser therapy in combination with the other techniques. The laser therapy is the costliest of the procedures and most time consuming. This therapy needs precision and accuracy in treating scars due to acne.

Scar revision:  This technique involves the removal of acne scars through surgery. This technique has a very good effect of removing the scars which are of ice pick type or the boxcar type of acne scars. There are two generally methods namely excision and subcision. In excision method a cuff is created and closed with the help of sutures. These sutures are then removed after a week. The subcision technique involves removing the scar tissue without the need for any sutures.

All about Acne

Acne or pimples generally occur during puberty and are more common in teenagers. However, acne can also affect adults. The acne is a result of hormonal changes that occur in the body. Proper care and treatment can help to treat acne properly. Acne, if not treated properly will lead to scars which are even more difficult to remove. Acne generally occurs on the facial skin and so is a major cause for embarrassment and discomfort. 

Causes of Acne: Acne can occur in any part of the skin. The primary reason for acne is the sebaceous glands that produce oil for the skin. Mostly acne occurs on facial skin since the concentration of sebaceous glands is very high in the facial skin. The sebaceous gland releases the oil produced in them through small pores on the surface of the skin. When these pores get blocked with dirt and dust caused due to not properly washing or cleaning the skin, the oil produced by the sebaceous glands gets trapped inside the glands. Over some time, this trapped oil becomes concentrated and are commonly called as blackheads and whiteheads.  As the blockage further continues, it leads to infection and pimples are caused.

Since during puberty and adolescence, the hormonal activity is very high and so the oil production in the sebaceous glands also increases. With such increase in oil production, blockages become more common and lead to pimples in teenagers. Acne is less frequent in adults but may occur frequently if proper care is not taken.

Effects of acne: Acne causes discomfort and embarrassment and results in causing impact in the social aspects of life. Acne or pimples are very sensitive and painful and give an unpleasant look especially on the face. These social and emotional effects of acne can cause depression and social withdrawal further worsening the social life. If acne is not treated properly, it may leave scars on the face causing the emotional trauma to continue for several years. The acne scarring is not easily removable and requires high cost therapy such as laser therapy which is not affordable by many.
Treatment for Acne: Modern therapy for treating acne effectively is available. This therapy also helps to prevent the emotional and social problems which result due to acne.  Recent medical studies done by leading dermatologists have proven that acne therapy can help in treating psychological embarrassment, depression and social withdrawal problems of teenagers effectively.

There are generally two types of treatment for acne available. They are Topical treatment and Oral treatment. A proper diagnosis of the acne is necessary in determining the proper treatment. There are different stages in acne starting from mild to severe. Also if treating acne through self medication, it is very essential to know the reasons for acne and how to stop further development of acne and avert acne scars. Early treatment is vital in preventing acne from developing to extreme infection. Most acne treatment last about a few months and the results are slow. A proper understanding of the skin type is also very essential in choosing the correct medication for treating the acne.

Cleansing your Skin

Cleansing is the process by which the skin gets a clean, healthy and attractive look. Cleansing helps to remove the dirt, dust, sweat, and other chemicals that accumulate on the skin. Cleansing also helps to remove any special makeup. Water is not enough to remove these foreign substances since such dirt mix with the oil of the skin and become entrenched in the pores of the skin. The cleansers remove the oil on the skin surface and along with the oil remove the dirt giving the skin a healthy look. Certain cleansers also have special compounds such as herbal oils, petroleum products, mineral oils and alcohol based organic compounds that help in revitalizing the skin. Cleansers are very useful in treating a number of skin problems. This article aims to provide some of these common cleansers and their effectiveness to helping in revitalizing the skin.

Types of cleanser: There are several types of cleansers available. The most common types are the Bar soaps,  Oil free cleansers, Cleansing creams, Astringents, Skin Toners, Skin scrubs and Facial skin masks. Each type of the cleansers has its own advantages and disadvantages. These cleansers are described in detail below.
Bar soaps: Bar soap is the most common form of cleanser. They contain salts of fatty acids that remove the oil from the skin. Soaps cause irritation to sensitive skin and also cause dryness. Modern soaps also contain additional ingredients such as moisturizers, perfumes, coloring agents and medicinal compounds.
Moisturizers: Moisturizers provide hydration of the dry skin. Moisturizers mainly contain vegetable fats, glycerin, or lanolin which helps to re-hydrate the skin. Hence applying moisturizers after washing the skin with soap will prevent dryness and help in re-hydrating the skin.

Fragrances: Fragrances help to prevent the odors of raw soap. Since fragrances are chemicals, they can cause irritation at times. On the other hand, fragrances help to prevent body odor.

Oil-free Cleansers: These cleansers are in liquid form and mainly contain glycerin, and other alcohol based organic compounds. They are better than the bar soaps and are suitable for all kinds of skin.

Creams: These creams constitute mainly of ingredients like mineral oil, petroleum products and waxes. These creams are helpful for cold climate and also help in treating dry skin since they contain good amount of oil.

Skin toners: Skin toners are made from alcohol based organic compounds. They help to remove excessive oil from the skin. These toners help to remove sebum from the skin and are good for treating oily and dry skin.

Skin scrubs: These scrubs are made of sponge and granules of cream. They help to remove dead skin scales and also to remove dirt entrenched in the pores. The skin scrubs are also effective in preventing acne since the pores are prevented from clogging.

Facial masks: The facial masks are special creams applied on the skin and help in deep cleaning of pores. These creams are applied for around 20 minutes and then cleaned with water. The facial masks help in treating acne and dry skin. They also help in moisturizing and tightening the skin.

Identifying your Skin Type

There are 7 basic types of skin. Each type of skin has some unique symptoms and needs to be treated specifically. To identify the skin type is the first step in skin care. The various skin types are described in this article.
Dehydrated skin: Lack of water in the skin cells results in dry skin.  The skin cells need water and in this case the skin cells are not able to retain the water in them causing dry skin. This type of skin is more common in a desert climate. Other factors that cause this type of dehydrated skin are the sun, dry wind and rough soaps. Treating this type of skin requires a humidifier and drinking lot of water. Also cleansing, moisturizing and re-hydrating frequently prevents this problem.

Dry Skin: Dry skin results when the oil glands in the skin namely the sebaceous gland do not produce oil that is needed to keep the skin moist. The primary cause for dry skin is desert climate and also aging.

Oily Skin: In contrary to dry skin, oily skin occurs because of excessive production of oil by the sebaceous glands in the skin. Certain skin problems like acne, or diet and climate are the probable causes of oily skin. Hormonal changes, sweating during exercise are also probable reasons for oily skin.

Combination skin: In this case, oily skin symptoms are seen only in the forehead, nose and chin. The highest number of oil glands is located on the skin of the nose. The other regions of the face might not show such oily skin symptoms. This type of skin is very peculiar and depends on diet and hormonal traits of the person.

Normal Skin: Normal skin is characterized by proper production of optimum levels of oil by the oil glands enabling to keep the skin moist and hydrated. Normal skin does not show the symptoms of oily, dry or dehydrated skin. Normal skin is the healthy skin indication.

Couperose Skin: This type of skin is because of broken capillaries that provide nourishment to the skin. Exposure to hot sun, extreme temperatures can cause this type of skin symptoms. Alcohol, smoking and cold wind also results in damage to the capillaries under the skin.

Sensitive Skin: The skin in this type is very sensitive to touch. Sensitive skin is likely to get irritations and suffer from itch or burning sensations. Sensitive skin is generally inherited and based on the genes. However, the chemicals in cosmetics, prolonged exposure to the sun, and contact with animals, cold climate and wind can cause irritation and further develop the condition of sensitive skin.
Sun damaged Skin: This type of skin is primarily due to prolonged exposure to sun. The symptoms are similar to dry skin and have deep wrinkles in them. This can be prevented to a great extent and is not inherited problem.
Mature Skin: This refers to the type of skin in old age. This skin has certain limitations since with age lot of associated problems occur.