Acne Laser Treatments

Acne can be a teenager's nightmare: difficult to hide

, time-consuming to treat, and never truly curable. Worse yet, though, even adults can be subject to its onset. Acne can bring more than its fair share of shame and stress to your life, but modern laser treatments can help you deal with the condition more easily and completely than what was once possible. Several types of laser acne removal exist, and most all of them are more beneficial than simple topical cream or antibiotics.

Laser Acne Treatment (LAT) employs a single, continuous wavelength of light which focuses on deeper layers of skin. There are two general types. The first are ablative or resurfacing lasers, which remove dead skin cells from the outer layer of skin. This opens pores and stimulates collagen, which in turn increases blood circulation, tightens the skin and minimizes scarring. The second type are non-ablative lasers, which stimulate collagen growth in order to raise and fill in "valleys" caused by acne scars. This type also destroys much of the Propionibacterium acne (or "P. Acne") bacteria which causes acne formation. Since the laser affects the deeper levels of skin, LAT generally requires multiple treatment sessions and shedding of outer skin layers before results become apparent.

Intense Pulse Light (IPL) differs from LAT in that it uses several different wavelengths of light to hit all levels of skin at once. In doing so, IPL can simultaneously treat all three stages of acne: it fights current inflammation by encouraging collagen growth, removes scars from previous inflammation, and destroys bacteria which would otherwise cause future inflammation. IPL may cause discomfort or minor pain depending on the sensitivity of the patient, but these cases are infrequent.

Light-Emitting Diodes (LED), or Blue Light/Red Light Therapy, are low-intensity and painless processes. Blue light kills P. acne bacteria, while red light stimulates collagen growth. Because of its low intensity, LED treatments must be scheduled more regularly than other types. However, LED also helps skin to grow up to 200% faster, and can also help remove skin wrinkles and sun damage.

Certainly, other methods of acne treatment exist beyond laser treatment, although they include their own significant downsides. Chemical peels may cause skin blisters, scarring and even infection. Steroid injections can flatten severe areas of inflammation, but the resulting skin atrophy and decreased blood flow make them temporary measures at best. Antibiotics often have a laundry list of major side-effects such as liver damage, depression and even birth defects. Prescription creams, meanwhile, must be reapplied so often that maintenance can get extremely time-consuming.

Laser treatments, on the other hand, are quick procedures whose effects can last up to two years. And the process is non-invasive, causing no major side-effects and very little pain. Though it can get expensive, laser acne removal more than makes up its worth in time saved and stress avoided. Consult with the certified professionals at your local laser spa, who will help determine the best procedure to keep your acne from growing into another nightmare.

by: Roger Ubik

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