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.

Another Reason to Stay Away from Antibiotics as an Acne Treatment.

Antibiotics could be effecting your weight:

Some professionals turn to antibiotics as treatment for acne, but in most cases these antibiotics cause more harm than good. If you’ve read our article on FDA warnings & topical acne treatments, you have already learned a bit about the dangers of using antibiotics as treatment for acne. The greatest risk that comes with using antibiotics is the danger of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, but that is not the only thing to worry about.

 The Fat Drug, a recent article in the New York Times examines weight gain in relation to the use of antibiotics. According to The Fat Drug, “In 2002 Americans were about an inch taller and 24 pounds heavier than they were in the 1960s, and more than a third are now classified as obese. Of course, diet and lifestyle are prime culprits. But some scientists wonder whether there could be other reasons for this staggering transformation of the American body. Antibiotics might be the X factor — or one of them.”

 The Evidence:

Antibiotics have been used to boost growth in poultry and livestock for many years. The Fat Drug explains this is because “decades of agricultural research has shown that antibiotics seem to flip a switch in young animals’ bodies, helping them pack on pounds.” In fact, biochemist have been experimenting successfully with antibiotics and weight gain since 1948.

 After weight gain was proven as a result of antibiotics in agriculture, scientists in Guatemala did a study on school children to see if the result would be the same for humans - it was. Researchers also tried this out in a study of Navy recruits & the men who took a dose of antibiotics every morning for seven weeks gained more weight, on average, than the control group.

The Reason:

It all comes back to bacteria. Antibiotics kill important bacteria in all living things. The New York Times discusses the need of the trillions of bacteria that live inside our guts. “These bacteria seem to play a role in all sorts of immune responses, and, crucially, in digesting food, making nutrients and maintaining a healthy weight.” It could be possible that without these bacteria, our bodies have changed in a way that promotes weight gain.

 What does this all mean about Acne and Antibiotics?

Antibiotics, due to their harmful side effects and possible weight gain may not be the gold standard much longer when treating acne.  Other options such as a consistent  habit of topical product use, dietary/lifestyle changes along with extractions may just be the wave of the future for acne sufferers  To learn more about how to treat acne without antibiotics visit Skintherapy Acne Clinic in Utah.

FDA Warns: Acne topical products, pose dangerous allergy risks. Should you be concerned?

The FDA has a current argument circulating throughout the news that warns the public of
severe allergic reactions to topical acne treatments. At Skintherapy Acne Clinic we treat acne successfully by creating a personal program using consistent topical treatment, extractions and chemical peels. We have seen nothing but success using this regimen and would like to take a second to deconstruct this topic and talk about exactly what you should and shouldn't be taking away from the statements and arguments presented by the news and the FDA.

Please see this Boston Globe article before reading ahead.

Is there a large chance that you will have a severe & life threatening reaction to topical acne treatments?

According to the recent Health and Wellness article for the Boston Globe, the FDA warned the public that topical acne treatments “containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, have been linked to hypersensitivity reactions such as throat tightness, difficulty breathing, feelings of faintness, and swollen eyes, face, lips, and tongue.”

Could it be true that some folks will end up being allergic to these topical products? Yes, and that is simply because allergies exist. People can be allergic to many different things. Isn’t it very common to be allergic to certain foods? I know many people who have life threatening allergies to seafood, does this mean that all seafood should be banned or made difficult to get? Allergic reactions to topical acne treatments should not be considered likely, just as food allergies are not considered likely. Yes, you could have a reaction, but in most cases these products are extremely helpful to your skin condition rather than hurtful to your body.

 
That being said, it is important to let your skin adapt to any new product that you start using. Acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can be irritating to anyone’s skin so it is smart to build up your use slowly. In most cases, a steady build up of product use results in a clear complexion and little to no irritation or reaction.

What are the other options to treat acne & do they have possible side effects as well?

The honest truth about treating Acne is that a steady habit of topical product use is the safest and most productive answer to clearing your skin.

While most acne specialist do not believe in the use of antibiotics, there are many doctors who believe in antibiotic treatment for acne. This is unfortunate because antibiotics pose more of a risk to our health than topical products. Please compare the below statistics:

 
According to the Center for Disease Control, ”Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections. Many more people die from other conditions that were complicated by an antibiotic-resistant infection.”

The above Boston Globe article, states that “the FDA says it has received 131 reports over the past 45 years of severe reactions to topical products that resulted in hospitalizations 44 percent of the time, but haven’t been linked to any deaths.”

If the FDA is researching any type of acne treatment, they should be more concerned with acne fighting antibiotics, as these pose a much higher risk of serious health problems and frankly, fail to fight acne with any success in the first place.

So, should warning labels actually be considered for these products?

Warning labels would not be hurtful, as long as they are the type of warning that reminds folks to start out slowly with their products and build up their skins tolerance rather than discourage them on topical acne treatments all together. It would be extremely hurtful to cause such a hype around potential allergic reactions that those who suffer from acne are discouraged from getting the most correct and successful acne treatment, which is topical products.

Skintherapy Acne Clinic in Salt Lake City has a safe and successful way to clear your acne.  

Skin care and Treating Acne

Skin care can be just as important as the treatment(s) you use to clear your acne. In fact with the proper in clinic treatments and skin care regimen acne can be controlled successfully without the use of prescriptions.

Here are some guidelines for picking the best acne skin care products;

1) Always use a cleanser in the morning and at night when treating your acne. 

2) Oily skin does best with a benzoyl peroxide type cleaner. Dry skin does best with a gentle cleanser.
 
3) If your acne is comprised of blackheads, whiteheads and your skin has a rough texture.  A scrub cleanser is best. This is non-inflamed acne

4) If your acne is painful, inflamed with pustules  a scrub should be avoided. This is inflamed acne.

5) A product for killing bacteria and light exfoliation can be used during the day.  I would suggest a serum comprised of mandelic acid, salicylic acid ,glycolic acid or Vitamin A proponent  depending on the type of skin you have and whether or not your acne is inflamed or non inflamed.

6) Always use a sunscreen during the day.  This will provide hydration and protect your skin from developing dark spots and pigmentation.  A sunscreen that is just a physical block like titanium dioxide is best for oily skin.  Dry non sensitive skin does better with a physical and chemical block type sunscreen.

7) Night time is the perfect time to use a leave on benzoyl peroxide.  However, make sure that you give your skin enough time to get use to the BPO.  Use for 15 minute increments and increase every three to four nights.  In about two weeks you should be sleeping in the Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO)

8) Always check the ingredients deck of any product you use on your face when treating your acne.  That means cleansers, moisturizers, treatment serums, benzoyl peroxide's and sunscreens to make sure they do not contain pore cloggers.  You cannot just assume they are safe for acne. Many products state they are oil free, non pore clogging or for acne.  No government agency regulates this industry. Therefore lots of words are used as marketing hype. 

Skintherapy Acne Clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah offers products and acne treatments unlike what you find at a dermatologist office.  We provide education and skin care acne products that are safe and not pore clogging.

What Parents Should Know About Teen Acne

Acne is a touchy subject to address. It can be very personal, embarrassing and even isolating for some people. Take a teenager who suffers from acne and put in the mix the pressure to fit in, date and attend social activities and you have a disaster waiting to happen.  Yes, more acne from the stress but also a teenager who may be calling out for help!!

Studies have shown that people who suffer from acne are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, social isolation, mood changes and even have a loss of interest in hobbies and activities due to their acne.  Therefore, as a parent, helping your teenager find a way to control their acne will help keep your teens self-esteem intact through these tough years. There are also changes you can make around the home to help your teenager stay clear.  As a skin and acne specialist this is what I suggest. 
-Replace your peanut butter jar with almond butter.
-Replace the milk jug with almond milk.
-Buy Goat Cheese and clean out the other types of cheese.
-Buy iodide-free vitamins
-Stop giving your teen money for fast food.  Instead fix them a healthy lunch or dinner that is
low in salt and high in healthy proteins and greens.
-Find them an Acne Specialist that will work one on one with them to get their skin clear.

Acne can be controlled without medication or harmful prescriptions so visiting your local dermatologist is NOT the only answer!  Skintherapy Skincare and Acne Clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah can help.  We can also provide referrals for out-of-state clinics who provide the same Acne treatments and solutions.

Acne Treatments with Antibiotics

Tetracycline became the first go to antibiotic to treat acne for doctors and dermatologists after it was discovered in the early fifties. 

The story goes that a couple of acne cases were treated with tetracycline therapy and slight improvements were witnessed.  The excitement grew from just these few cases and doctors began prescribing antibiotic therapy to ALL their acne patients.  Unfortunately, the doctors and dermatologists became falsely infatuated with this antibiotic. After Tetracycline, other antibiotics followed, both oral and topical forms gained popularity with doctors. However, you see the antibiotic will kill only a small percentage of the bacteria once it filters it's way into the skin.  Even if you had a miracle antibiotic that would kill 100% of the bacteria from acne you still would have only dealt with a fraction of the acne problem. 

Controlling acne calls for products that control not only bacteria but also acne products that control oil and keep the pore clear.  To learn more about treating acne and the use of antibiotics for acne treatments in Salt Lake City, Utah click here