Trouble Sticking To An Anti-Acne Skincare Routine? 2 Acne Treatments A Cosmetic Dermatologist Can Perform In-Office
If you suffer from adult acne or your teen has acne, then you know how acne can take a toll on a person's self-confidence. However, if you or your teen have a jam-packed daily schedule that leaves little time for the multi-step daily skincare regimen that it often takes to clear acne at home, then you may wonder if a cosmetic dermatologist has any in-office acne treatments they can prescribe you or your teen instead of creams or medications that must be applied or taken daily to see results.
You will be happy to hear that dermatologists now offer more acne treatments than ever that they can perform in their offices that don't require you or your teen to stick to any special skincare routine at home in-between treatments. Read on to learn about two in-office acne treatments that can help clear your or your teen's acne.
1. Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels
There are acne treatment products that contain small amounts of salicylic acid. However, since they contain very little of this active ingredient (most products contain about 2 percent salicylic acid), they must typically be applied at lease once or twice a day for quite some time before they clear up acne. In addition, these products typically only work on mild acne; they just aren't powerful enough to combat moderate to severe acne.
One powerful in-office anti-acne treatment a cosmetic dermatologist may offer you or your teen is a salicylic acid chemical peel. Unlike daily-use salicylic acid products, salicylic acid peel solutions contain much more of the active ingredient (they can contain from 10 to 50 percent salicylic acid). While these peeling solutions are left on skin for just a short period of time, they can produce dramatic acne-clearing results quickly.
Unlike other types of active ingredients used in chemical peels, such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid can penetrate into the skin's pores to unclog them before a new acne blemish is formed. Since SA is also a potent anti-inflammatory agent, these peels can also calm existing acne, so it can heal much more quickly.
While just one salicylic acid peel in a cosmetic dermatologist's office can produce dramatic anti-acne results, your dermatologist may suggest that you or your teen visit their office for subsequent peels on a bi-weekly or monthly schedule to completely clear acne and keep it away for good.
2. Blue and/or Red Light Therapy
While salicylic acid peels are very gentle, if you are interested in an even gentler in-office acne treatment for you or your teen, then ask a cosmetic dermatologist about their acne light therapy treatments. If you find that your skin tends to clear up when it is exposed to lots of sun, then realize that blue light phototherapy can clear acne just as well as the sun without damaging your skin like the sun's harsh UVA and UVB rays can. The special blue light wavelength produced by the phototherapy devices in dermatologist's offices kills the specific bacteria that causes acne.
Since some acne is caused by not only bacteria, but also skin inflammation, more stubborn inflammatory acne can be treated with a combination of both blue and red light. While blue light kills bacteria, red light phototherapy calms skin inflammation and kills bacteria that lies deep within the skin. If you have tried blue light therapy in the past and didn't get the complete acne-clearing results that you had hoped for, then finding a cosmetic dermatologist that offers both blue and red light therapy to acne patients may help you finally get the clear skin you desire.
If you have never had acne light therapy before, then a cosmetic dermatologist will recommend the light treatment that will work best for you. You won't experience any pain during treatments and there is no downtime after them, so you won't have to worry discomfort during your treatments or having to clear your calendar after you obtain a treatment.
If you or your teen suffer from acne yet have trouble sticking to a daily acne-clearing skincare regimen, make sure to research cosmetic dermatology treatments. While salicylic acid peels and acne light therapy are popular, dermatologists do offer many additional acne treatments that may be perfect for you or your teen.