Recommendation -
Acne - black-heads, white-heads, red bumps (papules), pustules and cystic.
Active acne can start from as early as 10 years old and most will self-resolve by the early 20s. The most effective treatment for this is medical. Medical treatment can be a combination of topical medications or combined with oral medication. The duration of treatment is usually for 6 months. Sometimes I add a series of chemical peels ie salicylic acid to expedite the treatment. This can be combined with LED light (blue color wavelengths) to target the bacteria on the skin.
Acne scarring - uneven texture on the skin after the active acne has resolved. It can either be bulging (hypertrophic) or depressed (atrophic). Run your finger along the skin and you can feel the indentations.
These are not easy to treat. Ablative lasers ie. CO2 and the Erb:YAG lasers are normally used to do a controlled ablation of the top and middle layers of the skin to allow a controlled healing of the skin to produce collagen and tightening. At our clinic we use a fractional Erb:YAG laser and combine it with a continuous mode Erb:YAG laser. There is downtime of about 1 week after the treatment and treatments are repeated every 6 weeks. I tell patients to expect a 40-50% improvement after a series of treatments.
Acne - post-inflammation hyperpigmentation
This is treated with depigmenting creams and sun protection. I would normally combine the creams with a series of chemical peels and the Dual Yellow laser to reduce the inflammatory redness that usually leads to the darkening of the skin.
I hope you have found this helpful.
best,
Dr Benjamin Yim
