During this weirdest of years, who knows if our kids will be able to go back to school in person, or whether they will be able to stay there if they do go.
But if you have a teenager, one thing is for sure — he or she has acne. For the lucky few, this simply means an occasional breakout of a zit or two. But for most, it means an ongoing battle to keep breakouts from occurring and when they do occur from allowing them to become major events.
Acne is the bane of virtually every teen. Fortunately, for our teens in the Charleston/Mount Pleasant area, at AesthetiSpa we have various treatments to help with their acne.
Where does acne come from?
Acne continues to be one of the more misunderstood conditions; people still believe it is caused by eating chocolate, potato chips, greasy foods, and the like.
Uh, no.
Acne is caused by the P.acnes bacteria and the sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands are located at the bottom of the hair follicles and are responsible for producing and releasing the oil (sebum) that keeps our skin and hair moist.
The problem is puberty. During puberty the raging hormones coursing through your teenager make the sebaceous glands overproduce oil. This overproduction leads to clogging of the glands. The P.acnes bacteria that live in the glands normally now are locked in and they get busy, reproducing like rabbits. This tells the body to send white blood cells to the area, leading to inflammation and, you guessed it, a breakout.
At AesthetiSpa we have a variety of approaches to treating acne, depending on the severity and type. Mild acne can be addressed with products containing these ingredients:
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Salicylic acid
- Resorcinol
- Retin-A
- Sulfur
- Azelaic acid
We use these treatments for acne:
- Chemical peels
- Microdermabrasion
- Hydrafacials
- Intense Pulsed Light
- Laser Genesis
- Fraxel Dual
- Celluma Light Therapy
More severe cases, particularly if it is cystic acne (scarring), demand more aggressive treatment. We may use corticosteroid injections, oral antibiotics, topical antimicrobials, even oral contraceptives to address the excess sebum production and the P.acnes bacteria.
If your teenager is suffering with acne, the days of simply riding it out are over. Today, we can deal with the causes better than when you were a teen. Call us at 843-849-9925 to set up an appointment.