Acne: Light Therapy May Cure Acne

Acne may be cured by a simple light treatment, first developed to iron out wrinkles, as demonstrated a study carried out at a London hospital. The Hammersmith Hospital in West London tested Low Level Laser Therapy normally used in private beauty salons on 30 patients who were suffering mild to moderate acne.

In a period of 12 weeks their acne had halved. Meanwhile, those on a dummy treatment showed no improvement. Findings show that those with the most severe symptoms displayed the most astonishing improvement, mostly within the first month of treatment. Under experts conclusions, this is significantly faster than most conventional antibiotic treatments, which can take as long as eight months to work.

The study showed that a single five-minute session could have a dramatic effect on acne for up to 12 months. Physicians used a treatment called pulse dye laser therapy in which the affected area is exposed to short bursts of light. The process had been used to combat wrinkles as it is known to stimulate the production of collagen.

Tony Chu, the dermatologist who led the trial, explained that “we were brought in to see if the anecdotal evidence worked in a clinical trial and we found out it was very successful. However, we still do not know exactly how it works and that is an area we are now working on.”

The expert said that the treatment appears to be showing the same kind of efficacy as antibiotics, but without the potential side effects. “What we need to do now is to see if it works as well on acne around other parts of the body, and work out the treatment which is most clinically effective”, stated.

Acne: Laser, a good therapy for acne without side effects

Laser appears to be a good therapy for acne without side effects. Lasers and light-based systems have become one of the more common modalities to treat a wide variety of skin disorders, including acne vulgaris, during the past ten years.

A lot of patients do not respond adequately or develop side effects with the various oral and topical treatments available for the treatment of acne. Hence, the growing demand by patients who suffered from acne for a faster, safer, and side-effect-free novel therapy.

The Dermatology and Lasers Clinic from Tel Aviv Msq, Caesarea, Israel, studied this concerning situation in order to address the role of light therapy in the armamentarium of treatments for acne vulgaris, to discuss photobiology aspects and biomedical optics, to review current technologies of laser/light-based devices, to review the clinical experience and results, and to outline clinical guidelines and treatment considerations, as they reported.

After a series of clinical trials, results show that 85 per cent of the patients show an important quantitative reduction in at least 50 per cent of their lesions after four biweekly treatments. Approximately 20 per cent of cases demonstrate that acne eradication may reach 90 per cent. Three months after the last treatment, clearance is approximately 70 per cent to 80 per cent. Meanwhile, the non-respondent rate is 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

According to researchers, laser and light-based therapies are a safe and effective modality for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris. After comparing to the effects of oral antibiotics, amelioration of acne by light therapy offers faster resolution and fewer side effects and leads to patient satisfaction.

Acne - Know About Whiteheads And Blackheads For Clear Skin

Every talk about acne includes terms such as whiteheads and black heads. What are they and why are they called so? Let us find out.

Acne develops on the hair follicles that have sebaceous glands attached to them. These glands produce an oil called sebum. Because of certain reasons the sebum changes in quality and quantity giving rise to scales on the hair follicle. This blocks the skin pore causing acne. This blockage is the beginning of acne.

The first stage of this blockage shows as blackheads and whiteheads. These are also called as comedones. A comedone is a sebaceous follicle that is plugged and filled with sebum, dead cells etc. An open comedone is called a blackhead because of its blackish appearance. A blocked comedone is referred as white head, which is a small bump in the skin with skin like color. A whitehead has closed mouth and the blackhead has an open mouth.

What to do if you have blackheads or whiteheads- do not squeeze them yourself. That may leave permanent scars and also infection. Best is to approach a dermatologist who will pick them open if required under sterile conditions. Please note that acne scars can permanently disfigure you.

As far as basic care is concerned, wash your face gently with slightly warm water and mild soap to remove excess sebum and dead skin. Do not be harsh on the skin. Please note that acne takes time to clear. Apply any topical cream that may be prescribed by your dermatologist. Acne treatment requires patience. Many of us hurry to get rid of acne and create further inflammation.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article

Acne, if Only It Would Go Away

Acne is one of life's little irritants and a major cause for loss of self esteem and self worth for our youth.  Occurring at any age, but commonly in your teenage year's acne is one of the most frustrating skin conditions you can have.

As a teenager I personally battled acne and lost.  I didn't know what caused it and there were myths all over about too much candy and chocolate, too much stress, preservatives in foods, sweating from exercise, etc.  There are probably hundreds of wrong statements about what causes acne and just as many home remedies that don't help to cure acne.

Acne is caused by excessive oils on your skin that clog your pores and eventually will result in an infection, which produces the pimple with its redness and swelling.  A blackhead is simply a pore that has been partially plug by oils or dead skin but still remains open and doesn't have an infection.

The key to controlling your acne is your ability to control the body oils that you have on your face, neck and shoulders. As a teenager your hormones are the cause of some of this excessive oil in you hair.  So it is important to keep your hair clean to help reduce the amount of oil you have around your face and shoulders. 

As a teenager, I had very oily hair and had acne on my shoulders, I had sought doctors help and tried many things but what finally got it under control was a shorter haircut and washing my hair at least once a day, in addition to keeping my face clean by washing with mild soap and water.

If you have acne you should try not to pick at and pop your pimples. It can be very difficult not to pick at your acne, but what you are actually doing when you pop a pimple is spreading the infection to other pores in your skin.  You may have noticed that if you do pick at your acne it tends to spread, this is caused by spreading the infection (the white puss like substance) to other pores that may only be partially clogged but now have additional infectious material to completely clog the pore.

Keep in mind acne can also be caused by some medications so if you're taking proper care to control your body oils and it still hasn't worked, you may be taking a medication that is the main cause.  Be sure to consult with your family physician as he can determine the side effects of your medication and adjust if necessary.

Acne - How The Acne Scars Are Treated?

Acne scars leave their mark not only on the skin but also on the sufferers psyche. With rapid developments in dermatology, treating acne scars is becoming easier. Please consult your dermatologist about the best treatment for your acne scars. The choice will depend upon your medical history, the type of scar and the kinds of treatments available for that type of scarring. Some treatments are cheaper than others but may not give perfect results. The choice therefore also depends upon your budget and the kind of results you desire. Let us look at the kinds of treatments available for acne scars.

Dermabrasion- this is considered one of the most effective treatments for acne scars. In this procedure the doctor uses a local anesthetic or freezes the skin and then uses a high-speed rotary abrader to remove unwanted surface skin. As the skin heals, it shows a brighter appearance. This procedure may remove superficial scars altogether and reduces deeper scars.

Chemical Peeling - depending on the scar, your doctor will apply a mild chemical peel on the affected skin. This slowly peels away the old skin and brings in fresh skin. Mild scars can be treated with chemical peels.

Laser Therapy- lasers of different types are used by the doctor to give a new shape to the scarred skin by recontouring the scars. The high burst of laser may leave the skin red for sometime.

Soft Tissue Filling- Collagen that may be bovine in source or patients own may be injected below the scar to lift the skin and give a smooth appearance. As the injected collagen gets absorbed in the body over a period, further treatments may be needed after about six months. Similarly fat may be injected below deep scars for giving a lift to the skin. Similar to collagen filling, fat injections may need to be repeated after some months. Your doctor will advise you about that.

Skin surgery- Skin may have to be surgically corrected with grafting or other procedures to remove some scars.

Microdermabrasion- In this procedure very tiny aluminum oxide crystals are passed through a vacuum tube to scrape the surface of the skin. this procedure may have to be repeated many times, an d gives a fresh look to the skin by scraping .Very mild scarring can be treated with microdermabrasion.

For people who have the tendency to form keloids, no surgical method can be used. If one can develop keloid with acne injury, more keloids will be formed by further surgery. steroid injections may be used to treat keloids. In some cases topical retinoic acid is applied directly on the keloids.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Acne - Getting Rid Of Acne Scars

Whenever body suffers any injury, the body rushes its soldiers to protect itself. Acne infection is also an injury that needs repair and body sends white blood cells and other molecules that fight the infection and repair the infected site. After the repairing job is completed, a scar forms that is the sign of repair. Skin never becomes as smooth as it was before the acne. Some scar is always left. Let us find out more about acne scars and how doctors can repair them so that you get something similar to your earlier look again.

Types Of acne scars- before we discuss about the type of scars, let us also note that everyone has different tendency of scar formation. Some people develop very less scars, while others may have major scars for the same type of acne. Acne scars are of two types- scars that are caused by loss of tissue and scars caused by increased tissue formation.

Depressed Scars- these scars may be of different types such as Ice-pick scars, depressed fibrotic scars, soft scars and macular types. As the cyst expands with pus, bacteria, oil and dead skin cells it ruptures and attacks the dermis. to protect the dermis the white blood cells rush in. This rupture may cause loss of collagen giving rise to deep recess or depression. The skin above is left unsupported because of loss of tissue below it and a saucer shaped or jagged ice pick scar is formed. Ice pick scars are more common on face.

Keloids- In some people the scar forms in a reverse fashion. With the loss of collagen, body triggers fibroblasts that produce excessive collagen producing scar tissues called keloids. Keloids are more commonly found on male torsos. Other type of increased tissue formation scar is called hypertrophic scar. Hypertrophy means overgrowth.


Scar Treatment- scars can be treated by your dermatologist using different treatments. Before proceeding for scar treatment, you have to discuss your feelings about the scars with your doctor. The cost involved may also play a role in choosing the treatment. What results you desire is the third factor. The severity of the scar, the location and type of treatments that can be done are other factors that have to be used to treat acne scars. The common treatments for acne scars are- collagen treatment, laser treatment, dremabrasion, microdermabrasion, skin surgery, skin grafting etc. Keloids may be left untreated if it is felt that treatment will form further keloids. Injecting with steroid injections may also treat keloids.


This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Acne: FDA Approved Aczone For Acne Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved to market Aczone (dapsone) Gel, 5 per cent for acne vulgaris topical treatment. But patients who have the enzyme deficiency, G6PD (Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase), will need to be monitored with regular blood counts to detect if they are predisposed to one type of anemia (hemolytic anemia).

Aczone, a trademark of QLT USA Inc., is an aqueous topical gel which contains 5 per cent dapsone. According to scientific research, combining dapsone in a Solvent Microparticulate (SMP) gel enables dapsone to be applied topically and safely. This product achieved significant per cent reduction in the number of acne lesions and better success rate on the Global Acne Assessment Score in two randomized double-blind, vehicle controlled clinical studies in 3000 acne patients.

Oiliness/peeling, dryness, and erythema were the most common adverse events reported from controlled clinical trials. However, there were no significant differences in the adverse event rates between Aczone Gel and vehicle control treated patients.

1.4 per cent of about 3500 patients had the enzyme deficiency -in the Aczone clinical trial program- which is consistent with the incidence in the general North American population.

The company QLT will undertake a post-approval Phase IV study in 50 acne patients who have G6PD deficiency and follow them for 6 months, after which QLT expects to submit an application to the FDA to re-evaluate the Aczone label.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of QLT Inc., Paul Hastings, stated that “Aczone represents an important clinical advance in dermatology, has demonstrated safety and efficacy in over 4,000 patients. We are very pleased with the FDA's decision and confident in Aczone's potential as a new class of treatment for acne patients”.