| Acne (technically called acne vulgaris) is a common condition which affects 85 to 100% of all people at some time in their lives. Most commonly, acne is most prevalent during puberty and early adulthood. It occurs in areas where sebacious glands (glands that make oil to lubricate and protect the skin and hair) are present in greatest density, namely the face, chest and back. How do acne lesions form?  This is a normal hair follicle surrounded by 2 sebaceous glands. The glands empty sebum (oil) through small ducts onto the skin. As long as the duct (small tube) stays open, there are no problems.
 This is a plugged sebaceous gland. The gland continues to make sebum, but it cannot get to the surface, so it enlarges and shows up as a bump, or nodule, on the skin. This is called a comedone, which can either be a whitehead, where the sebum is still trapped under the skin, or a blackhead, where a small opening has formed, and the sebum is now slowly emptying. Eventually, the gland can become infected and inflamed, causing the red, raised bumps that are often seen with acne.
Treatments It is important to treat acne, because if left untreated, permanent scarring could occur. Treatment is aimed at killing the bacteria that cause infection, cleaning out the pores to open the ducts, reducing inflammation and removing or emptying the sebaceous glands. The cornerstones of acne therapy is benzoyl peroxide and tretinoic acid (Retin-A). These products help cleanse the skin, reduce plugging of the glands, therefore reducing comedone formation. Tretinoic acid can case peeling and dryness. Antibiotics are frequently used, although usually not long term. Light therapy (red light, blue light, IPL) have been very helpful in quickly killing the bacteria that cause acne, and reducing inflammation and redness.  Here are before and after pictures of an acne patient who has received only IPL as treatment for her acne. The IPL used was the Novalis Clareon, the same one we use in our office. The treatment is simple and relatively painless, and results are often seen rapidly.
(Photos supplied by Novalis). In some very severe cases, a drug called isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteem and others) is used. These medications can be astoundingly effective, but have serious side-effects, including birth defects and depression. For scarring caused by acne, laser treatments and dermabrasion are both very effective in many cases. Both are available in our office. | 
