Acne

Best acne treatments : long Island

The best acne treatments target the condition from multiple points.

Simply put, if you want to treat Acne correctly you target every stage of an Acne lesions development. Starting with cleansing, exfoliation, treatment of the initial cause and targeting the bacteria which cause the infection.

 Acne is a common but benign skin condition affecting millions of people, both, teens and adults.  Zit, white head, black head and pimple are common names for Acne.   Although not life threatening nevertheless Acne can be life altering. These lesions reduce one’s self-esteem particularly in younger persons. Moreover, a majority of cases are simple, a small red bump aka pimple. However, Cystic Acne makes pools of infection that left untreated become scars. The best Acne treatments use multiple measures targeting all aspects of the problem. these frequently include laser, exfoliants,oral agents and peels such as the Vi Peel.

Dr. Messina uses multiple treatments for Acne that offer the best results

A common mistake is to treat all acne the same way. However, I disagree and therefore treat every patient as a unique individual.  Topical creams, oral antibiotics, chemical peels and occasionally lasers all reduce Acne.

What causes acne?

Oil trapped in the duct of a pore is the most common cause of Acne.  In a short time, clogged oils become infected thus forming the red lesion of Acne.

Closed pores create a white head, while open pores form black heads.  Hence, the term white heads or black heads.

It is likely that skin cells and other debris clog the pore thus, trapping the oil inside.

Bacne or back acne has similar root causes. However, sweating, irritation from a shirt and excess oils make bacne worse.

acne therapy messina esthetics

Other causes:

  • Hormones
  • Excess oil production
  • stress
  • medical conditions and medications
  • Possibly carbohydrates
carbon spectra peel

how is acne best treated?

As previously stated, an individualized plan is the best treatment for Acne. It’s important to seek the cause of Acne.  Thus, paving a treatment path to reduce the cause. Regardless of the cause, something can always be done to reduce Acne.

Acne is best treated by finding all of the factors creating the pimple and, attacking or reversing each and every factor.

Often, a treatment plan is based on patients’ needs. Lasers are available for patients wanting to avoid medications.  Similarly, a patient that finds taking a pill difficult then topical creams and other plans.

gold Standard Acne treatements

  1. Benzoyl Peroxide: “clearasil”, a topical antibiotic for killing P. Acne, the bacteria that causes Acne.
  2. Retinoids: exfoliants help shed the outer layers of skin in order to clear the pores.
  3. Topical combination creams: often mixtures of retinoids and antibiotics, these simultaneously target Acne from multiple points.
  4. Oral antibiotics: together with other treatments oral antibiotics kill bacteria causing Acne.
  5. Spironolactone
  6. Accutane: An oral form of Retin-A that is still in use. Due to serious side effects this drug is reserved for resistant serious Acne.
  7. Chemical peels: The Vi peel is an excellent choice for treating Acne. The Vi causes peeling of the skin thus opening porees .
exfoliants

About exfoliation and exfoliatns

Exfoliation refers to the shedding of the outer layers of skin. When you exfoliate the loss of skin clears out clogged pores thus, reduces the oils causing acne.

Most of the time patients use a 2% OTC Salicylic Acid for exfoliation. This is wonderful; however, it should not be used daily but instead just a few times a week.

Overdoing exfoliants and exfoliation will irritate the skin, drying it as well and creating a worse issue.

The Carbon Spectra Peel

Without a doubt the Carbon Spectra peel is my favorite addition to the treatment plan for all types of Acne.

Specifically, this laser system was developed in Korea to treat Acne and other skin conditions.  A carbon lotion extracts debris and oils from the face thus, reducing Acne. The Spectra was voted best laser for treating Acne 10 years in a row. therefore, the Carbon Spectra peel is one of the best Acne treatments available.

Dr. Messina was the first practice offering this laser in the country.

First the Spectra laser heats the carbon, a second laser bursts the carbon removing a thin layer of dead skin. Finally, a third laser, the spectra II, rejuvenates the skin, clearing inflamed pores and reducing oil production.

Regardless of the cause, the spectra laser always reduces Acne. Unfortunately, the laser alone is not enough to clear Acne. Thus, patients still require at least a topical treatment.

The carbon Spectra laser is extremely effective and painless. 

VI peel for acne

The vi peel for Acne

On occasion a chemical peel is added to the treatment because the peel augments previous therapies. VI peels are safe for all skin types and removes several layers of outer skin. 

Developed by a dermatologist who created the VI peel specifically for his daughters resistant Acne.

The Vi peel causes the shedding of these layers letting clogged pores open and release the oils. 

Bacne

Back acne, also known as “bacne”, can be bothersome, embarrassing, and, at times, painful. If you are experiencing back breakouts, you are not alone. Back acne is a common problem among teenagers and adults alike.  Often Bacne is hormone related and more common in males. Luckily, there are ways to treat this pesky problem.

Bacne treatments include behavior changes for best results.

Bacne

Bacne treatments & care

Bacne or back Acne is more difficult to treat compared to facial Acne. First, the location is difficult to get to. Second Bacne tends to be larger, more inflamed lesions compared to regular Acne. Finally, Bacne tends to be slightly more resistant to treatments. Owing to more inflammation in a thicker skin.

However, there are several things you can do to care for your Bacne which surely improve ore, even cure your Bacne.

Daily hygiene

Of course, we bathe but how often do you scrub your entire back?  Having dirt on the back will only serve to clog pores thus, making bacne worse. Obviously neglecting our back is not intentional, however, unless you have a loofa cleaning the complete area isnt possible.  The daily use of a loofa without a doubt allows for better coverage of your back. Plus, using a quality soap with an oil reducer will increase the impact of daily washing on your Bacne. Almost any gentile soap willl do, however it should be non comedogenic, meaning not acne forming and preferably contain salacylic acid and vitiamin c

Exfoliate

It must be remembered; exfoliation is not exclusive to the face.  The skin of your back has the same pores as your face thus debris can cause clogging of skin oils. Exfoliation will help unclog the pores by removing very superficial layers of skin therefore, clearing the pores. therefore, exfoliation is an excellent Bacne treatment.

It’s important to know exfoliation should be done no more than every other day or else the skin can become inflamed.

Remove all irritants

 Hot sweaty conditions aggravate Bacne.  Therefore, after exercise its important to wash off any sweat.  Moreover, washing with cool water will lower the core temperature of your skin along with rinsing away the salts of sweat. This simple activity is also a Bacne treatment.

Avoid foods that assist in acne formation

The dietary component of Acne is not fully understood. There was a time chocolate was considered a stimulant for Acne formation, however that has been disproven. However, there may be an association between high carbohydrate intake and Acne. Therefore, being mindful of your carb intake is not a bad idea.

Steroid injections

On occasion, if cystic Acne is developing on the Back or even the face, an injection of low dose steroid will help reduce the inflammation.