Acne is an inflammatory skin condition on the face, scalp and body, involving the pores and oil glands. It begins in early puberty as white heads and black heads and can progress to red pimples with pus. Medical treatment is recommended in order to avoid scarring of the face.
● Increase in hormone production in young adulthood, leading to excessive production of oil in the face, scalp and body.
● Stressful lifestyle i.e. exams or insufficient sleep – leading to increased production of hormones.
● Drugs – oral and topical steroids can increase the production of acne.
● Occupational exposure to certain oils and chemicals, can lead to acne.
● P. acne – a bacteria residing in the pores of the skin, that breaks down triglycerides into irritating fatty acids, which creates swelling and pus formation.
– Combination of topical and oral medication i.e antibiotics or oral isotretinoin, can be used to effectively treat acne over a period of 6-9 months.
– Monthly exfoliation with chemical peels, especially with salicylic acid, is helpful to reduce blackheads and whiteheads and oil on the facial skin.
– P Acne, the bacteria that resides the pores of acne prone skin, produces a chemical called proto-porphyrin 9 (PPIX). The yellow light produced by the Dual Yellow laser is selectively absorbed by PPIX. This chemically changes proto-porphyrin 9 into a toxic chemical to the P Acne. The yellow light also destroys the sebaceous glands, resulting in a reduction in sebum production.
| Medical | Chemical Peels | Dual Yellow | |
| TREATMENT TIME | – | 10 minutes | 25 minutes |
| DOWNTIME | It may cause skin dry, lips crake | Slight peeling of skin 1 week after the procedure. | None |
| PAIN | None | Slight tingling sensation during the peel | None |
| REPEAT TREATMENTS |
Monthly to 2-monthly review |
One treatment every 3-4 weeks. |
|
| RESULTS | Improvement in acne over a period of 6 months | Reduction of acne as early as 3 months into the treatments. | Significant improvement after 5 sessions, done at intervals of 1 week apart. |
| RECOMMENDATIONS | Teenagers and young adults with acne on the face, scalp and body. | For patients with oily skin, whiteheads , blackheads and acne. | For patients who are troubled with acne-prone skin and need to find a quick solution. |
