Acne Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Dermatologists are the first choice for someone that is suffering from acne or any other skin disorder. When you have a bump or something on your skin that is abnormal it's natural to want to see your doctor for professional advice. It’s smart to get a diagnosis to be sure that what your experiencing is acne and not just an “acne imposter” that may need to be treated by a dermatologist. If you aren’t positive or you’re unsure about your condition, start with a dermatologist 

If you have already seen a dermatologist and know that you have acne and haven’t been satisfied with the results from over the counter products or the suggestions from your doctor, then an Acne Specialist should be the next step for you. Most physicians don’t have the time to spend educating their patients on the root cause of their acne and often prescribe oral antibiotics, topicals, and other medications with short and long term side effects.  

Some of the products prescribed can result in red, irritated skin and may cause joint pain or nausea. This typically leads to the patient stopping their routine prescribed due to symtoms and side effects. In addition, it’s often complicated to communicate with your care provider and often times your skin questions may not seem urgent or as important. 

What Skintherapy Skincare & Acne Clinic can do for you.. 

As skin care professionals who specialize in acne, we will analyze your skin and acne type as well as test your skin for sensitivities to our products. We will take the time to teach you the root cause of your acne, and exactly what that means for you. We will go over lifestyle, diet, and pore -clogging ingredients in makeup, hair and skincare products that can “exacerbate”, or make acne worse. 

We will take the time to determine what exactly is contributing to your acne. We will develop a routine specifically for you, one that works with your lifestyle. We will give you the knowledge you are missing to take charge of your acne and keep it under control! 

Our program includes use of specific home care products specifically designed for your skin and acne type. Treatments are done every three weeks to speed up the process. These sessions can include deep pore cleansing, extractions, chemical peels and small changes to your homecare. 

At Skintherapy Skincare and Acne Clinic we are there for you every step of the way. Once you are apart of our program, you have a direct line of communication with your Acne Specialist and get prompt responses to all your questions.

To schedule an appointment or find out more about our acne control program visit UtahAcneClinic.com 

Antibiotics and Acne - More Harm than Good?

At Skintherapy Skincare and Acne Clinic of Salt Lake City, we fight acne with an individualized program of product use, lifestyle changes and safe extractions. It is usually a 12 week process to get clear and then continued product use keeps your skin clear. We see continued success with this process and often times we help people who have tried many other techniques without ever seeing clear skin. One of the most common and failed treatments for acne we see in our clinic is prescription antibiotics. In our experience, it is extremely clear that antibiotics do more harm than good when treating acne. Please read on to learn more about the dangers of antibiotics

A quick background on acne and antibiotics: Antibiotics have become an extremely popular treatment for acne. Dermatologist and doctors have been prescribing antibiotics for decades and about 90% of my clients have been prescribed antibiotics as an acne treatment at one point or another. Some of the most popular are erythromycin, tetracycline clindamycin, and doxycycline.

What is the original logic behind prescribing antibiotics for acne?
The whole idea behind antibiotics is that they fight bacteria, so if bacteria is your problem (strep throat, a bacterial flu, etc.) an antibiotic will work to kill that bacteria in your body and ultimately make you feel better. The thought behind using antibiotics to fight off acne is based on the assumption that acne is just caused by bacteria. 

So why aren't the antibiotics working to control breakouts?
Many of my clients who have used antibiotics in the past saw little to no results at all. In some cases folks had seen a change at first, but their acne came back over time. The problem with this entire idea is that acne isn't only caused by bacteria, it is a problem in the pores of your skin. If you are acne prone, your pores are over producing and shedding skin cells at an extremely quick pace. Your body cannot keep up with this excessive shedding and your dead skin cells are mixing with your natural oils to cause growth in bacteria. Your pore becomes the ultimate breading grounds for micro-comeodones. These are the beginning of zits.

If antibiotics are not treating your acne, what are they doing to your body?
The worst part about prescribing these antibiotics for acne is not that they actually don't work in clearing your skin, but that they can cause harm to your body. Some side effects of taking antibiotics include, stomach and intestinal problems, continuous vaginal yeast infections in women, permanently stained teeth, nausea and diarrhea. We are also seeing new, serious bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Staph infection and MRSA are becoming more common and harder to treat because of over prescribing antibiotics.

Ultimately, you do not need antibiotics to clear your skin. We see results with every one of our clients and we highly suggest staying away from antibiotics. We would love to
help you clear your skin in a safe and healthy manner. Please visit our website to schedule a consultation UtahAcneClinic.com.

How to Cure Acne

 

You’ve dreamed of having clear skin but are still suffering from acne. You may have been a teenager when you got your first pimple and it may very well have followed you into adulthood.  You have probably tried products and programs which promised a cure to your acne but that promise never happened. You may have gone as far as taking some crazy prescription drugs such as Accutane, but those pesky pimples came back. Let me tell you why.  Acne can never be cured, but rather managed.  Think of diabetes as an example for comparable treatment patterns as acne. With the correct lifestyle choices, skincare and treatments, your skin can maintain a clear complexion, just as blood sugar can be maintained with the correct treatments and dietary habits. Although acne cannot be cured, an acne specialist can help you achieve clear skin by helping you control the acne with a personalized treatment plan.

Is there an Acne Cure?

Acne stems from genetic traits therefore it cannot be completely cured. If you are prone to acne, it usually runs in your family and unfortunately you can’ just throw out these traits.  A person without the acne trait sheds skin cells once a day in each pore, while those of us with the acne trait, shed skin cells up to seven a day. These skin cells clog our pores, ultimately causing acne and leaving us without an absolute cure.  

So if we can’t stop our skin cells from shedding, how do we maintain clear skin? This is a great question which many professionals, even dermatologists haven’t figured out.  However, an acne specialist just treats acne, and is an expert in the field of controlling acne.  An acne specialist will never offer you a cure.  Instead, they will clear out your pores and then use the correct products to keep the pores clean and your face clear.   

Here is what an acne specialist can do that’s different from a doctor, dermatologists or any other acne option available.  How do I know this? I’m an acne specialist. I’m also a previous employee of multiple doctors and dermatologist who haven’t had time in their busy schedules to really give their acne patients the attention they need. Most doctors see up to 40 patients per day so spending about five to ten minutes with each patient is the norm. But as an acne specialist we have the time to spend with our acne clients. In fact, we talk about everything that could be impacting their acne problems.  We start with a few lifestyle changes, to eliminate the use of any product or food that will intensify acne. This includes using shampoo, makeup, lotion, and laundry detergent without pore clogging ingredients. It also means staying away from milk or anything high in salt, among other things. Then, we start a routine of bi-weekly extractions and chemical peels, as well as a routine of using the correct products at home. Depending on one's progress every other week, we make subtle changes with product to ensure the safest and most successful clearing process. Eventually, pores are all cleared out and the habitual product use keeps them that way!  

For most people, the clearing process takes about 12 weeks, but every case is different and it can take various versions of the same treatment plan to get your skin clear. Using an acne specialist, who has worked with many skin types and acne types, is the best way to ensure the most successful plan for you! Without an absolute cure, the help of an acne specialist is the surest way to achieve results and treat your acne! 

To learn more about starting your successful acne treatment plan, call the Skintherapy Acne Clinic of Salt Lake City.  We are Acne Specialists we care and we can help!

 

Top Reasons for Acne Scarring

Scarring from acne is an extremely unfortunate side effect when you are acne prone.  Not many of us are fans of scars, especially on our faces, but the good news is… scarring from acne can be avoided and or minimized in some cases with these top reasons for acne scarring. 
  

1. If you have inflamed acne & are not treating it properly, your acne will most likely breakdown the pore and cause scarring. This will be indented scarring, like boxcar scars, rolling & pitted scars. It is important to treat inflamed acne with the correct product and safe extractions in order to avoid damage to your pores. The sooner the better I say, and seek out an acne specialist.

 

2. Picking, self extracting, scratching & using your own instruments to extract can cause serious damage to your skin. It is important to deal with extractions in the safest way possible to avoid indented scarring as well as pigmented red & brown scars. Do not pick at your skin and see an acne specialist for the safe & most beneficial extractions. 

3. Sun exposure can be a huge cause of scarring from acne. Acne lesions produce extra melanin when exposed to the sun as a protective response. This turns active acne and red spots brown. So, keep your sun exposure to a minimum. See # 4 for more information.  

4. Acne scars can form if you do not wear sunscreen. Individuals who suffer with acne should always wear a sunscreen. Sunscreen is used to protect skin from UV damage even during times when the weather is overcast or while driving in a vehicle.  UV damage can cause pigmented scarring, but sunscreen will help! Make sure to lather up before you head out.

5. Over exfoliation is another cause of acne scarring. Over using active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid etc., can burn the skin and cause dark colored scarring on acne. This is not to say don't use these ingredients but rather find a professional that can help you balance the right active ingredients to control your acne while avoid burning  and scarring your skin.  

6. Chemical Peels, if done incorrectly, can cause scarring. At home chemical peeling or professional chemical peels which are not formulated for your skin color can produce dark scarring on acne. Again, this is why it's a good idea to work with an acne professional. 

Now that you have a better idea on what can cause scarring from acne, you can also identify with the importance of working with a professional to clear your acne while minimizing scars. There are a lot of aspects to clearing acne and working with an acne specialist will ensure the safest and most successful clearing process.

 If you are in Utah and suffer from acne or scarring from acne, give us a call at the Skintherapy Acne Clinic in Salt Lake City to start treating your acne today! We can ensure a safe and effective way to clear your skin and manage scarring.