Acne and Acne Scarring

Acne is a disorder of the skin’s sebaceous glands that affects over 80% of the population aged 14-30. Although commonly considered to be an adolescence problem, 25% of the people affected by acne in their teens will go on to develop permanent scars.

The effects on personal appearance caused by acne and the resultant scarring can cause significant psychological, social and occupational problems if left untreated.

Active acne is diagnosed by the presence of papules or pustules, which are caused by an infection of the skin with the bacteria Propionibacterium Acnes. The bacteria ingress into all the epidermal appendages, such as sebaceous glands, sweat glands and hair follicles, and this can make treatment very difficult. The bacteria aggravate sebaceous glands and cause hypertrophy (enlargement) with consequent over-production of sebum, which builds up under the skin.

Current treatments show limited success for most people and can involve long term use of antibiotics, or isotretinoin (retinoic acid) administration, with its associated severe side-effects. However, light based treatments have shown very good success in clinical trials and represent a non-invasive, non-prescription alternative.

Blue light is very efficient at destroying the acne bacteria, however its very small skin penetration depths limit is effect on bacteria in deep blocked pores. Recent studies indicate that yellow/green light, with its greater skin penetration, is more effective. Infra-red wavelengths also combat the symptoms of active acne, as these wavelengths penetrate into the sebaceous glands and limit their activity. It is now thought that reversible thermal damage to sebaceous glands can result in long term remission from acne.

The M22 Intense Pulsed Light system is ideal at treating the multiple aspects of acne, as it releases in a single pulse, the wide range of light colours required to destroy the bacteria through-out the skin and control sebaceous activity. Successful treatment often incorporates the use of medical microdermabrasion prior to Intense Pulsed Light treatment. The medical microdermabrasion exfoliates the dead skin cells that together with the sebum block the pores and cause the pustules, and helps the light penetrate the skin. A course of three to six treatments depending on the severity of the acne will achieve significant improvement.

LasaDerm also offers Genuine Dermaroller treatment for those whose acne has left them with long term scars. Dermaroller increases the amount of elastic tissue in the skin by up to 200% per treatment.  It is a non aggressive, minimally invasive treatment with about 24 hours of downtime and results that continue to improve for months after the treatment. If you would love to have the results of a chemical peel or fraxel laser, but cannot face the down time, Genuine Dermaroller is the treatment for you.