Acne affects 80% of us at some point in our lives. It is the commonest skin condition that people see their doctors about. Approximately 20% of people have acne that is so severe that they will require medical treatment to avoid the risk of secondary scarring. Most types of acne, even mild acne, will not respond to over the counter acne preparations.
There are many medical treatments available for acne, most of which are well tolerated, safe and effective. Our Medical Director Dr Ward has a special interest in the treatment of acne and acne scarring and has written a dissertation and published many articles on the subject.
At The Skin Clinic we understand how even mild acne can affect a person’s self esteem. Our acne treatment programmes are effective and intensive. Our medical staff will carefully design an acne treatment programme for you and will advise you on everything from skincare, makeup, topical treatments, oral medical treatments and other newer treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Radiofrequency. Our aim is to treat your acne quickly and intensely to avoid any risk of secondary scarring and to swiftly restore your confidence.
Intense Pulsed Light treatment for Acne
Acne treatment
A new at home acne treatment device called Lustre Purelight is available now at The Skin Clinic. Lustre is a device that uses blue light at a wavelength of 420nm to destroy the bacteria that causes acne. It is a home treatment device that is completely safe to use and has shown great results in clinical trails when used daily for 8-12 weeks alone or in conjunction with other acne treatments. ITV and GMTV’s Dr Hilary Jones and Dr Chris Steele have recently been involved in promoting Lustre Purelight for the treatment of acne (www.lustrepurelight.com). It is only available from dedicated medical skin clinics and we are delighted to be a stockist. For more information call us for a free consultation.
Acne is thought to be due to a combination of follicle plugging, excess oil production, colonisation of the follicles by a bacteria called Propionibacterium Acnes and subsequent inflammation. Any treatment programme that is going to be effective for acne needs to target all of these 4 processes.
What treatments are available?
Treatments for acne at The Skin Clinic are tailor made for each client and include daily skin care advice (eg. cleansers, toners, moisturisers specifically for acne prone skin), topical medications (eg. Vitamin A, benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics), oral medications (eg. antibiotics, hormone pills) and more specialised treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Radiofrequency.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can be very helpful for stubborn or resistant acne. The pulsed light treatment kills the bacteria Propionibacterium Acnes that resides in the skin and causes acne whilst also acting to reduce sebum (oil) production in the skin. Newer treatments like Radiofrequency use heat energy to help reduce excess sebum in the skin which improves acne and helps maintain acne remission.
Lustre Purelight is a new ambulatory home treatment for acne that has been shown to be very effective in clinical trials. It works by using safe blue light at a wave length of 420nm to kill the bacteria Propionibacterium Acnes that causes acne. Clinical trials have shown that used daily for 8-12 weeks it can significantly reduce acne. For more information please call us and speak to one of our Doctors or Nurses about the Lustre Purelight medical device.
What treatments help reduce acne scarring?
Treatments for acne scarring have dramatically improved over the last few years as new techniques and advances in cosmetic dermatology have evolved. Dermaroller treatments or medical micro-needling are relatively new treatments that can help reduce the appearance of acne scarring by stimulating new collagen formation. Treatments should be done every 6 weeks for optimum results and a course of 3-5 will normally be advised. Our clinicians often combine dermaroller treatments with topical prescription strength skin creams to help improve scarring. Treatments can be done in as little as 30 minutes, have little down time and excellent clinical results.
