Acne is a skin eruption produced by inflammation of the skin.  Acne is a common and treatable skin condition that causes pimples and other skin problems.

It is important to mention that medical treatment can improve one’s appearance and self esteem, and prevent the development of lifelong scars.

Acne need not be feared as something untreatable. In recent years many effective forms of therapy have been developed. Dermatologists want to prevent scars that acne can leave. Years of untreated acne can leave a lifelong imprint on a person’s face and can have an effect on his or her self-image. While acne may not be curable, it is usually controllable.

Since acne has many forms, the dermatologist designs an individual approach to care for successful control. Thus, the course of therapy will vary according to such factors as type of acne, its severity and extent, and the patient’s day to day activities.

Mild acne is treated with one or a combination of topical medications. The purpose of these is not only to treat existing acne lesions, but to prevent new blemishes from forming.

Therefore, these are applied over most parts of the face, not just directly on the present pimples.

In addition, in some people these creams may cause the face to become a little dry, pink or feel taught.

This is normal. If the face becomes too irritated or raw feeling, do not stop the creams, just decrease the frequency of application that is to say after two or three days

Moderate and severe acne is usually treated by topical medicines with the addition of oral antibiotics. Since different combinations work better for some patients than others, the patient is usually evaluated every four to six weeks until the acne is well controlled.

In addition to this conventional therapy, the dermatologist may recommend one or more of these treatments to speed healing and clearing of the acne.

Acne Surgery; this procedure greatly speeds acne clearing and appearance by manually removing blackheads and whiteheads.

A round loop extractor is used to apply uniform smooth pressure to dislodge the material. Inserting a pointed instrument to carefully expose the contents loosens lesions that offer resistance.

Intra lesional Corticosteroid Therapy; If one or several painful acne cysts develop, fast relief is available with this relatively painless procedure. Each cyst is given a single injection of a dilute cortisone solution, using a very tiny needle.
Prior to correcting acne scarring, it is generally advisable to wait until acne activity has been low or absent for several months. Scars improve with time as the body softens their appearance. The color contrast is often the most troublesome aspect of resolving large acne blemishes. These lesions may leave a flat or depressed red scar that is so obvious, patients mistake the mark for an active lesion.
Many patients are self-conscious about the pitted and crater like scars that do not fade.

These remain as a permanent record of previous severe acne. The dermatologist may have a variety of procedures to remove or revise these marks.

Chemical Peel; Superficial acne scarring, and irregular pigmentation of the skin are easily treated with this technique.

Chemical agents are applied to the skin, which cause the outer layer to be removed. Different chemicals and concentrations are used, depending on ones skin type and degree of scarring.

Punch Excision; some narrow pitted scars are too deep to be removed. These can be removed with a surgical instrument called a punch. The resulting defect is closed, either primarily or with a tiny skin graft, with gratifying results.

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